Title Colossians 01:12-14 Thoughts and Thanksgiving
Content Think and Thank you
Col 1:12-14
102 Puritans from England left for the United States in search of religious freedom. That's 1620. Soon after arriving in America, more than half of the Puritans died of starvation and disease. Moreover, even those who remained suffered from years of overlapping famine. There was no bright prospect at all. So, they proclaimed fasting and prayer nationwide, and these godly believers clinged to God.
But one day, when they were in a very difficult crisis again, they thought they had to fast and pray again. While discussing fasting and prayer, a farmer suggested this.
“Until now, we have been fasting and praying earnestly for God’s help. But now we want to think differently. Even though farming is famine and our brothers and sisters are suffering from diseases, I think we have something to be thankful for. The food is not plentiful and the conditions are not as comfortable as in Europe, but we have religious freedom and political freedom. And a vast land is open before us. How can we use this to set a time of thanksgiving instead of fasting and give thanks to God? are you?"
The farmer's words made a deep impression on those present. So instead of proclaiming the week of fasting and prayer, we proclaimed the week of thanksgiving and gave thanks before God.
The Thanksgiving festival, which was held in search of gratitude in a situation where we had to fast, is what made America what it is today.
Gratitude works miracles.
Whether the world is good or bad is up to you. Just eat with a grateful heart. Lord, thank you. Just think about it. Complaints and resentment will disappear. All the dark parts of your life will be brightened. You can see the beauty of the world. The future is open.
In English, Think and Thank have the same etymology. A thoughtful person is also grateful. The Bible tells the story of the healing of ten lepers. At that time, lepers could not live together in society with ordinary people, and they had no choice but to live unhappily with no dreams or future without being treated as human beings. These ten lepers went to Jesus and were healed. Unfortunately, nine of them never came back to Jesus. In other words, I didn't know how to think. Only one person came to Jesus and gave thanks. How displeased our Lord must have been.
Psalm 116:12 writes, “With what shall I repay the favor the Lord has given me?”
1. The object of thanks is God.
Paul said in Colossians 1:3, "Whenever we pray for you, we give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." We have many things to be thankful for. Mothers, teachers, seniors and juniors, and those who have been unforgettable and grateful are all things to be grateful for.
But please remember. When we don't know God, I think the greatest gratitude is to people. But those who know God are God's object. Psalm 107:1 says, "Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, and his lovingkindness endures forever." If we look at our work from God's side, we see only gratitude, and if we look at God from our side, we see only resentment.
2. The content of thanksgiving is hearing the gospel.
Paul gives thanks in Colossians 1:5, "You have heard the word of the truth of the gospel." There are many things to be thankful for, but there cannot be anything more grateful than hearing the gospel. Even if everything in the family is going well, if you do not know the gospel, you are not really thankful. Even if everything in your family doesn't go well, if you know the gospel, you will have the conditions of true gratitude.
Saul was able to become Paul because he heard the gospel, the voice of the Lord, saying, “Saul, Saul,” on the road to Damascus. Because of this, I was thankful even if I was beaten, I was grateful even if I didn't, and I was grateful even if I died.
3. The result of gratitude is joy and patience.
Paul says the result of thanksgiving, Colossians 1:11, "with joy leading to all patience and longsuffering".
The Greek word for thanksgiving is 'eucharistia', which means good grace or happy joy. Joy is complaining and enmity, and joy is the opposite of resentment. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances." These three are one command. When you rejoice, prayer comes out, and when you pray, you become grateful.