Henderson Hills Baptist Church

Give Thanks

"And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord."  Eph 5:18-22 (ESV)

Thanksgiving is more than a national holiday. It is a state of mind and something that Spirit-filled Christians do. (If you are just joining us for the first time today or if you haven’t read our previous studies about the filling of the Spirit, it will be helpful for you to do so.) Spirit-filled Christians incorporate thanksgiving in their prayers. In this prayer there is an intimate and personal expressing of gratitude to God. You will notice that the verse says “giving thanks always.” Always might mean that every Spirit-filled Christian is giving thanks to God. The other possible meaning is that the Spirit-filled believer is perpetually giving thanks to God. I like the latter concept better. When we are occupied with Christ we have an attitude of gratitude.

I’ve often noticed that this verse and its companion verse, 1 Thess 5:18, are met with skepticism and even distain. There is an endless list of painful things in life that are not good in and of themselves and for which we see no way to be thankful. How does a wife feel thankful when her husband is caught in an affair? How is a student thankful that a test has been failed? It isn’t realistic to be thankful when we are betrayed by a friend or diagnosed with a serious disease. However, the issue here really isn’t if we are thankful for these things in and of themselves. Rather, we put our minds on the things above (Col 3:1-2) and therefore are thankful that God is sovereign, that He is good, loving, and kind. We are thankful that God has a plan to bless and not curse (Jer 29:11). Our gratitude is fixed on the fact that we do not have to endure this pain alone and that He will never leave us or forsake us (Heb 13:5). How can we consider our experiences with God’s point of view? We may not be able to do that, but God filling us can.

Notice that we are to give thanks “in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The phrase “in the name of” is near meaningless to us because of language problems. Think of it like this. In Scripture, the concept of “name” really speaks of character. Let me put it yet another way, we are to give thanks recognizing that we have the right to pray because of our relationship with the Sovereign of the universe, Jesus Christ. When you pray, “in the name of Jesus” you are praying because of Jesus and what He has done for you. Remember, what He has done for you is the gospel and the result of believing the gospel is the greatest power on earth.

Verse 21 introduces another consequence of the filling of the Spirit. We are willing to submit to one another. Because this is so contrary to our nature and culture, I am going to dedicate the next Didomi to explore the vital but often neglected principle by itself.

Let’s think of the application of thanksgiving. Rather than focusing on our troubles or losses today, let’s focus on the gifts that we have been given by God. It is only natural for us to fret over our problems, but let’s seek the Spirit’s filling so He can enable us to concentrate on God’s presence, goodness, and Sovereignty, as well as our relationship with Him. Rather than anticipating the worst, it is time to expect that because God is with us we will see a better day.

What are you struggling to be thankful for today? Consider looking at it through God’s eyes. Be thankful for Him living with you, in you through the trials. Be thankful. Express that gratitude in word and thought.

2 Peter 3:18
Dennis Newkirk 

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