When to Give Thanks

“Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For every man shall bear his own burden” (Galatians 6:2-5).

Burdens

Burdens are like debts. There is no end to them. We owe taxes to the state and federal governments. We pay the electric and water bills monthly. We have to pay insurance several times a year. Credit card debt can escape from us and seem like the federal deficit. School debt can seem insurmountable. If we don’t pay the telephone bill, we might not be able to keep in touch.

Those of us who are Christians used to have a burden that never went away. Then God stepped into our view and offered us the gift of salvation. Upon our acceptance, Jesus took from us the burden of our sin debt we could not pay.

In its place He wrapped us in the robe of His righteousness, taking upon Himself the punishment of our sin we owed to God. “Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift!” (II Corinthians 9:15)

Challenges

Now our burdens are of a different nature. Situations arise in life that challenge us to put on our thinking cap. God holds us accountable for how well we use what He gave us. While yielding ourselves to God’s authority, it’s still permissible to use our brain to solve problems. With use we develop thinking skills which may be valuable to home, school and/or work.

When we overcome some difficulty we can say “thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (I Corinthians 15:57). Problem solved, case closed (at least for now).

Bearing your own burden

At such times, we have borne our own burden, having put our own thought process to work. This enables us to rejoice in ourselves, and not in someone else.

When we get a promotion at work, it should be due to our having advanced in our skill development. For any commendation we can thank God and praise His glorious name. (I Chronicles 29:13).

Many people when they are publicly recognized for having done something outstanding will mention those who helped in the project. In these instances one person is representative of a group effort.

Occasionally someone will give credit to God who provided the abilities to accomplish the work. Such a person is saying in effect, “I will give Thee thanks in the great congregation: I will praise Thee among many people” (Psalm 35:18).

Give thanks to God

After everyone has gone home, at times we can let the success get out of hand. When we want to gloat over some great achievement, we can bring to mind what Paul told the Colossians. “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him” (Colossians 3:17).

My grandmother used to say, “A bird may light on your head, but you don’t have to let it build a nest.” Throw out that temptation to accept the glory before it moves to the status of sin you need to confess.

With Thanksgiving let your requests be made known

Paul instructs the Philippians to “be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God” (Philippians 4:6). Much of the time we will be solving our own problems with God in mind.

When we need help from others as life issues pile up, we can accept help graciously. We should not neglect to thank God for such people, making mention of them in prayer.

Never Cease to give thanks

(I Thessalonians 1:2). Indeed, never cease to give thanks for them when in prayer to God (Ephesians 1:16).

When life is hard, thanksgiving turns into a sacrifice we offer God. “By Him (Jesus) therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name” (Hebrews 13:15).

The more we offer God thanksgiving and praise, the easier it gets. As we mature in our walk with God, we become “rooted and built up in Him (Christ), and established in the faith”…”abounding therein with thanksgiving” (Colossians 2:7).

May we take stock today and make adjustments as needed. Have a great day as you consider the banner over you is God’s unending love (Song of Solomon).

Shirley Logsdon