FBC Daily Devotions

Look over your notes from the past week. What one or two things did God impress upon you this week?

Read Hebrews 12:25-29.

Today’s passage expresses an attitude of thanks alongside an attitude of reverent worship before an all-consuming fire in God. Looking at this passage, why are we told to give thanks (v. 28)?

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How does knowing this future truth help us have an attitude of thankfulness now?

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Our future is on solid ground, and it cannot be shaken. The kingdom even now present in spiritual form cannot be shaken. When I think about times when I am not thankful (i.e. grumbling and complaining), it is usually centered on a temporary matter, a matter that has shaken me up. I get so caught up in the situation that I forget it probably won’t matter in eternity. Temporary inconvenience needs to always be viewed from the eternal. We will enter an unshakable kingdom, and what shakes us today will be overrun by the unshakable.

How can the promise of an unshakable future give us an attitude of thankfulness? The phrase translated “let us be thankful” (NIV) is literally “let us have grace” in the Greek. Interestingly, the phrase “giving grace” before a meal carries this same attitude of thanksgiving. In matters of difficulty, it is always good to “give grace” not only for meals, but also in hardship. If we were to stop and “give grace” throughout the day, keeping in mind the secure nature of our future, I wonder how often it might repair a grumbling spirit?   

To consider: The NAS translation of verse 28 says, “let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe.”  Being thankful is seen here as the attitude by which we offer to God acceptable worship.  A life of worship is a life of thankfulness. Scripture is bursting with that message. It is not surprising so many of these devotions come back to thankfulness. Be thankful today. Be thankful on all occasions and when you are, your life will be one of acceptable worship to God.

Read 2 Corinthians 9:12-15.

Of all the things that thanks is given for in the New Testament, it is most often given for fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. In nearly every letter written by the apostle Paul, he gives thanks to God for the recipients. Some of the reasons he is thankful include:

• Rom. 1:8 – their reputation of faith
• 1 Cor. 1:4 – the grace given them (as expressed in the many spiritual gifts at work among them)
• 2 Cor. 8:16 – for Titus’ heart and concern for the Corinthian church
• Eph. 1:16; Col. 1:3-4; 2 Thess. 1:3; Phm. 1:4-5 – their faith and love for the saints
• Phil. 1:3-5 – their partnership in the gospel
• 2 Tim. 1:3-4 – for his companionship with Timothy

Did you notice the common theme in most of the passages of thanks for the love of the saints? Whether it was Paul’s personal love for his spiritual son, Timothy, or the love for all the saints, love is central to thanksgiving. And obviously our thanks to God for His love through Jesus Christ emphasizes this idea. When people show love to one another, our reaction should be to give thanks to God. Love is central to thanksgiving.

To consider: With today being Thanksgiving day, many of you will celebrate with family and friends. You will be with loved ones for the better part of the day. Before you meet, take a few moments (or more!) to consider the acts of love that people around you have shared. Thank God for these people – in praise to God and in words to those whom you are thankful. Consider giving a thank you card or expressing thanks in some other meaningful way to those to whom you are thankful.

(As an aside, Thanksgiving has a great tradition in many households. This year, consider starting a tradition of everyone sharing one thing they are thankful for before starting into the meal. And then give thanks to God for those blessings as grace before the meal.)

Read Matthew 14:19; Luke 22:17-19; 24:30.

For most people, giving thanks before a meal is commonplace. It is as natural as eating. Food is a necessity, and something that Jesus speaks of as being provided by God in His care for us. So giving thanks – “saying grace” – before a meal is an important moment of appreciation to God. I mention in the title that we are to give thanks for the little things. But food is actually not a little thing because it is a necessity. It’s a major thing, but one that can become a little thing because it is so readily available to most of us.  That which is common, if we aren’t careful, can be taken for granted.

To consider: There are many common graces that might fall into that category. Things that God provides so consistently and abundantly that we can take it for granted – shelter, transportation, hot water (water for that matter), shoes, and so on. Make it your mission today to look at those kinds of things in your life and give thanks along the way. And at the end of the day, take some time to look back and give God thanks for all of these big things that may have become little things.

Read Ephesians 5:20.

This week I did a word search on “thanks” in the New Testament. I made one very interesting observation. In the numerous occasions for which thanksgiving is mentioned (and there are over 60), every one of them is giving thanks to God. All of them. Not thanks to people, but exclusively to God.

Not that giving thanks to people is at all bad. A healthy expression of appreciation for people and their work says much about how we value one another. Notes and cards of thanks are as common at FBC as coffee in Seattle. But giving thanks is not just a Christian thing.  Surely Christians aren’t the only ones who give out cards. Christians aren’t the only ones who celebrate Thanksgiving.  The heavy emphasis of thanks to God caused me to consider what makes a believer’s thanks different than the world’s? The key difference is seen in the Scriptures.

Clearly throughout the Bible God is seen as the source of all good things. As children of God, everything we have is due to God in our life. Actually, that is true of those who don’t worship God as well – they just don’t realize it or acknowledge it. The marked difference between a child of God and a child of the world is seen in who they give thanks to. Giving thanks to God is at the very core of our life as God’s children. Give thanks to God the Father for everything. That is the mark of the Christian life. If you have time read these verses:

• Colossians 2:7; 3:15, 17; 4:2
• 1 Thess. 5:18
• 2 Corinthians 9:12

To consider:

A gauge of your walk with God might be measured by your thankfulness quotient. How often do you give thanks to God? Outside of prayer before meals (which is important), when do you give thanks to God for something? How often do you thank God throughout the day? The mark of a Christian is a thankful heart. Consider how you can shine the light of thankfulness to God to the world this week.