When Paul writes to the church in the city of Colossi, he says he always gives God thanks when he prays for them. He doesn’t just give God thanks for them occasionally but always.
This is because of their faith in Jesus and their love for all God’s people—not some of them or the ones they agree with, but all of God’s people.
Their faith and love stems from the hope they have in heaven because of Jesus (Colossians 1:3-5).
This is one of many of Paul’s references to prayers of thanksgiving he makes for other servants and followers of Jesus. See Ephesians 1:16, Philippians 1:3-4, 1 Thessalonians 1:2, and Philemon 1:4.
This gives me pause. Is my life one that would cause someone to give thanks to God? I fear not. Furthermore, when have I given thanks to God for the example of someone else’s life?
Implicitly, perhaps, but I doubt if I’ve ever done so explicitly.
I’m not sure which bothers me more: my failure in producing God-honoring actions or my forgetfulness in praying God-honoring thanks.
In even more general terms, how often do I thank God overall? Sometimes I remember to thank him for his blessings and provisions.
Sometimes I remember to thank him for answered prayer. But it is much easier to persist in making requests, than to persist in giving thanks.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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