We tend to think about thankfulness as something we know we should have, especially in regard to the big blessings in life: family, spouse, friends, church, and so on, but it often remains a broad abstraction. Nevertheless, we think of it as something we do occasionally, while giving ourselves permission is the daily course of our lives to grumble and complain. In other words, the functional culture of our lives is frustration and ingratitude, even though we pledge to do better now and then.
Sometimes we hear calls to be thankful, we think, I could be thankful, if …, but that is not being thankful, it is being entitled. For all of our occasional bravado, at best we do not tend to think thankfulness is all that significant to our lives. At worst, we think of thankfulness in everything as weakness, a character flaw even. How often have you heard someone counseled that thankfulness was the key to their sanctification or someone with a porn problem pointed toward their ingratitude? Have you heard sermons on how to fight for thankfulness in a world that mocks it? You haven’t, have you? Why not? The ethical significance of thankfulness is a clear focus of the apostle Paul. In Ephesians 5:4, Paul writes, “Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.” Instead of responding to the list of vices with corresponding virtues, Paul simply exhorts the church to offer “thanksgiving.” Thanksgiving is the pervading culture in which proper behavior operates. It is both a fruit of the gospel and the fuel of gospel-saturated holy living. In Ephesians 5:3, Paul asserted that sexual immorality was rooted in covetousness and he goes on to explain that covetousness is idolatry (Eph 5:5). Covetousness flows from a sense of entitlement and thankfulness is its opposite. Each possesses ethical consequences. The contrast Paul draws between the one who offers thanksgiving and one who worships idols is striking.
It could be that much of your spiritual striving is taking place in an unhealthy atmosphere of ingratitude and entitlement. To do so, is like doing everything necessary to tend a garden with the utmost care, but instead of watering it, pouring poison on it.
Renown commentator, Matthew Henry, is reported to have written in his journal the day after being being robbed: “Let me be thankful. First, because I was never robbed before. Second, because although he took my money, he did not take my life. Third, because although he took all I possessed, it was not much. Fourth, because it was I who was robbed and not I who robbed.” Henry was not superficially ignoring reality he was fighting to see reality in light of the gospel in his daily life. May we join the fight as well.
Wonderful article!