We Can Be Thankful In All Circumstances

Matthew Henry (pastor in the early 1700's) was robbed one day and wrote in his diary the next: “Let me be thankful. First, because I was never robbed before. Second, because although they took my wallet, they did not take my life. Third, because although they took my all, it was not much. Fourth, because it was I who was robbed, not I who robbed.”

For the most part, we are thankful in all things. However, most people are only thankful when they have to be. This goes for Christians as well. That is a terrible thing to have to say, but it is the truth. Why else would we have to have a special day to offer thanksgiving like we do here in the U.S? If we gave thanks all the time like we should, there would be no need to have a specific holiday like this.

Now, I don’t believe that we are ungrateful and unthankful on purpose. I think we are, because it is our nature as humans to take things for granted; and it's nothing new. In all honesty, people were not thankful in Jesus’ day either. In Luke 17, we are told about an event that warranted thanks. If you have your Bible handy, turn to Luke 17:11.

On his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” When he saw them, he said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him – and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.

The reason that I chose this particular passage, is that I want to take a look at three aspects of thankfulness that we should learn from this Scripture. First, there are no good excuses for being unthankful. Shocking as this might seem, it is true! We love to make excuses. After all, nothing is ever our fault. No one in jail has ever committed a crime. It was always someone else’s fault. When a little child gets in trouble, they will always blame it on another person. When a politician gets in a bind, they will always find something else to pin the blame on.

Making excuses is nothing new. Think about the first humans on the planet. They are told not to eat of the fruit of a certain tree. Then, they both do and have to face God for the consequences. In our story of the ten lepers, the nine that were not thankful probably had excuses that they thought were good for not coming back to thank Jesus. When the one truly thankful leper came back to Jesus, Jesus honored him; however, Jesus did ask, “Where are the other nine?” Jesus expected every one of them to be thankful, and he expects that of Christians today.

Second, everyone has something to be thankful for. God wants us to be thankful in all circumstances because we all have something to be thankful for. If we call ourselves Christians, we have even more yet to be thankful for. Jesus Christ came to earth and took our place on the cross. We should have gone there to pay the penalty for our sins, but he was blameless and took our place so that we might live.

Now, all we have to do is believe and trust in Him as our Savior, and our slate will be wiped clean. We don’t have to pay the price of death. He already did that. That act alone should be enough to make us thankful for all the days of our lives. But, God doesn't stop there. He continues to bless us every day; and yet many take it for granted.

Third, we as Christians need to set the bar for thankfulness. Here in the U.S., George Gallop reports that 84% of Americans claim to be Christians. Of those 84%, less than 10 % of Americans are deeply committed Christians. These committed Christians are far, far happier than the rest of the population.

Committed Christians are more accepting of others than the average American, more involved in charitable activities, and are absolutely committed to prayer. While many more Americans than this 10 % profess to be Christians, most actually know little or nothing of Christian beliefs, and act no differently than non-Christians.

What is the problem with this picture? Christians are called to be set apart from the world, yet only 10% of the population are acting that way. This leaves an astounding 74% of Americans that claim to be Christians and yet act no differently than those not claiming to be Christians. Is it any wonder why the church is not growing?

Getting back to our passage, as Jesus healed these ten lepers, most of them were Jews. They were God-fearing, church going people. They belonged to the moral majority and were known as the people of God. However, when they were healed, only one leper returned to give thanks, and this leper was a Samaritan. Samaritans did not go to church in this day because they were looked upon as outcasts and lowlifes.

The church people of the day wanted nothing to do with any of them because they were not worth the time of one of God’s chosen ones. Yet, he is the only one who showed thanks. When the church should have been setting the bar of thankfulness, the world was actually leading the way.

The same is true today. Think of some of the Christians you know. They are bitter and mean. They never think of anyone but themselves. They are proud, arrogant and rude. The problem is that people outside of the church are often more pleasant than those in it when it should be the other way around. Christians are meant to set the bar in things like love, kindness, gentleness, and thankfulness. We are meant to live in such a way that non-believers will want what we have.

But, according to statistics, 74% of those who claim Christianity are living either no differently, or worse that non-Christians. You can do the math, but I say that this means that 3 out of 4 of us are not any more thankful than those of the world. We must seek to do better.

I want to leave you with this, God desires us to be thankful and not make excuses. He desires us to be thankful because everyone has something to be thankful for. He desires us to be thankful because we are to be the example, to the rest of the world, of what it truly means to be thankful. How do we do this? It's only through the strength of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. With His power and His leading, we can be thankful in all circumstances.

I encourage you to make a list of everything you can think of that you can thank God for – and then do it. Thank God for all He has done for you because a thankful spirit opens the door to a closer relationship with God. After all, to enter His gates, we must do it with thanksgiving. It’s time we start doing it more!

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:18; Psalm 107:1; Ephesians 5:20; Colossians 3:15-17; Philippians 4:6; James 1:17

Prayer: Dear Lord, I thank you for this day. Thank you for my family and friends. Please help me in showing them just how important they are to me. Amen

May God be with you!

CarrieAnne