“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts…and be thankful…as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” –Colossians 3:15-17

A cardinal virtue of the Christian is gratitude. We are to be thankful. Gratitude assumes two things. First a gift – something given that we value and care about. Secondly, it assumes a giver – we are thankful to someone. The result of’ seeing’ this way is a feeling of gratitude. It begins with our thinking, and results in a way of feeling. We are thankful.

Ungratefulness is a mark of being far from God. Romans 1 describes man apart from God, and says “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to Him…” 2 Timothy 3:1-9 also describes the last days and includes ungratefulness in the description of the ‘terrible times.’

What are we thankful for? First of all we are grateful for creation – the beauty and wonder of what God has made. Life on this earth is a gift. Secondly, we are thankful for redemption – what God has done for us in Christ. This is beautifully described for us in Ephesians 1:3-14. It is perceived with the eyes of faith and is given us by revelation in the Word of God. We could never know this unless it was revealed to us in the power of the Spirit of God. The Spirit through the Word gives us a confident knowledge of what God has done for us - and we feel gratitude.

But what about the reality of pain, loss and other hard things? It is worth noting that one-third of the Psalms are Psalms of complaint. There are indeed dark times, and the experience of God’s people has always included this. Gratitude doesn’t deny these things, but exists in the midst of hardship and pain. We know by faith that God is the one who brings beauty from ashes, the one who brings joy and celebration. (Psalm 126)

And so we live by faith and hope. Romans 8:28 tells us that “In all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” And so we choose to live by faith and hope – faith in God’s presence with us now and hope for a better future.

This is possible because of what Jesus did for us in coming to this earth, living a righteous life, and then dying on the cross. He is presently interceding for us at the right hand of the Father, and someday is going to come again. By grace through faith we are totally forgiven and reconciled to God as our Father. For this we are eternally grateful.

Pastor Tim, July 2, 2007