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Opinion

For God’s Sake

| Michael Bannon
Christians, it is that season of the year when you can expect your pastor to ask your congregation, “What are you thankful for?” The question ignites your organic search engine to launch a scan of your recent history for any events or circumstances that rise to the level of thanks-worthiness. Pastors always hope that the question will open a floodgate of thanksgiving, and sometimes it does. When it doesn’t, we resort to coaxing, restating the question again and again into the uncomfortable silence. Of course, we pastors could break the silence with our own expressions of thanks.

I do not believe that those uncomfortable silences indicate that we are a bunch of ungrateful wretches. Rather, it is our human nature to reserve “thank you” for kindnesses received and outcomes desired. Other life experiences we place either in the column of deserved reward, no thanks required, or undeserved hardship, no thanks warranted. All the rest of our life experiences are ordinary, the clutter of life automatically relegated to the giant catch-bin of the mundane.

God’s Word introduces a different accounting, exhorting Christians to, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Such an exhortation runs counterintuitive to our evaluation standard. There are some circumstances for which we are not thankful at all, that we wished never happened. Hence those uncomfortable silences that resist any pastoral coaxing.

The exhortation requires that we introduce into our evaluation of thanks-worthiness some new, significant truths, particularly, “God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Ponder that. Because of his grace toward you in Christ, God has not destined you to what you deserve, his just wrath for eternity. Instead, he has given you salvation in Christ by his grace alone. That is worthy of unending thanks to God!

Further, the eternal life you now have in Christ, is not merely a life with no end, it is a new life. It is Christ’s life lived out in your body. It is a life of promised ongoing change evermore into the likeness of Christ, so that you may think like Christ and live a holy life like Christ.

The undesired hardships we endure, God sovereignly allows, applying the fires of adversity to our lives to purge out the dross of sin and to forge in us Christlikeness. Hardships also remind us that, behind sin’s appeal, are only sorrow and loss, and that this sin-corrupted world is temporary; don’t set your affections on it. Is God’s faithful concern for our good not worthy of unending thanks?

Christian, if you think it strange to give thanks in all circumstances, how much more will those who do not know Christ when they hear you give thanks in adversity? This is part of our witness of Christ to the world, not a life without adversity, but a thankful heart in the face of adversity.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving!

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