Giving Thanks

“Count your blessings,

Name them one by one,
Count your many blessings,
See what God has done!”

The words of this song are simple, but they are certainly a good reminder of a something very important. We should "count our blessings". But we still have the tendency to sin even after we are saved (Romans 7:18-23), and one of the things that I tend to struggle with is being ungrateful/unthankful. I’m sure I’m not the only one who struggles with this, too.

What does the Bible say about it?

I did a search for “ungrateful” in the NASB in the New Testament, and it came up with a couple verses. Here’s one of them.

Luke 6:35 – [Jesus speaking] “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.”

That is very true! It certainly applies to us as believers and not just those who are lost. God is always kind to us, even when we don’t deserve it. Not only when we neglect to thank Him for the gifts He gives us, but even when we are ungrateful for what we have!

I looked up the world “thankful” in the New Testament. It appears 5 times. Here's one of the verses that came up.

Colossians 3:15 - “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.”

Earlier in Colossians 3 Paul was speaking to the believers about how they had been “raised up with Christ”, and how they should “set their minds on the things above”. He was also telling them how them should behave toward each other in light of the fact that they had been chosen of God. In light of that he was telling them to be thankful. There’s a lot to be thankful for there!

Here are a few more reference for verses that remind us to be thankful.
1 Corinthians 15:56-58
2 Corinthians 2:14
Philippians 4:6
Colossians 3:17
Colossians 4:2
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Hebrews 13:15

I find that I have a tendency to complain when I look at the things that I don’t have. But when I look at the things that I do have, they are much greater than the things that I don’t have!

Being able to thank God for all that He’s done for us is quite a privilege, especially when we think of what He’s done for us! He’s provided salvation for us through the death of His Son, He’s given us eternal life, free access to Him through prayer, His peace, love and joy… and the list goes on. And to think that He gave it freely to us who are so undeserving!

Ephesians 1:3-4 - "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him."

I hope we can agree with David in Psalm 103!

Psalm 103:1, 10 - "Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name.
He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities."

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,
Mount of Thy redeeming love.

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

Robert Robinson