Eph. 5: 20 KJV
Session 16
"Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;"
The life of a child of God ought to be marked by:
Following God 5:1
Loving people 5:2
Walking in light 5:8
Redeeming the time 5:16
Understanding the will of God 5:17
Filled with the Spirit 5:18
Singing, praising God 5:19
Thankful 5:20
Already, we have mentioned the importance of praise, thanksgiving and gratitude in the lifestyle of God's people. We cannot be truly thankful people when we constantly compare ourselves with others. We cannot be thankful as long as we are not content with God's management of our life.
The issue is management not provision.
No matter who we are, where we live, what we have, or what we accomplish; there will always be those with more than we have in these areas, and also those with less than we have in these areas of life.
Humans are equal in value to God, and ought to be equal in value to us. Humans are not equal in status, station, and attainment.
Socialism and ultimately communism cultivate a hideous deceptive notion humanity can attain equally in station and status. Reality of such a form of living would bring an end to humanity on earth.
Everywhere it has been attempted it has brought poverty, oppression, tyranny and eventually: revolution and war.
Capitalism, on the other hand unrestrained, breeds greed, lust for power, and yes oppression of those with less.
I have never known a Christian with no personal, material needs. I have known numerous Christians who lived in a state of gratitude and thankfulness in spite of the obvious realities of need.
Is there something else? Is there something between the extremes of communism and capitalism?
The Bible promotes contentment as the preferable idealism.
Contentment is satisfaction not only with God's provision of our needs. It is satisfaction with God's management of our life.
Contented Christians believe God is sovereign over every facet of life. We believe, "all things work together for good;" because God manages the details of our life.
Contented Christians are thankful God knows better than us regarding provision, protection, and providence. Our lives are lived praising, and glorifying Christ.
We feel safe. We feel nurtured. We feel protected. What more could we hope for than what God is providing?
Thankfulness, I believe is not bestowed, it's learned. It's developed over time and experiences.
"...always..."
I'm not here yet. I can't say I'm always thankful. Often, I'm ashamed of how I react to circumstances that involve loss, or setbacks, or physical pain. I can say, God is very patient with me, and continues to teach me his perspective of my experiences. Eventually, I generally do come around to being at least somewhat thankful as I begin to see the wisdom and perfection of his care of me.
"...in all things..."
Nope. That's not my default response either. Have you heard someone say after a prayer is answered in the affirmative: "God is so good! He is blessing me right now!"
Is God not good when he says no? Does he fail to bless when he calls us to suffer loss, setbacks, or pain?
You know this: "GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME. AND ALL THE TIME, GOD IS GOOD."
We ought to be thankful as Paul says, "Always, and in all things..."
"...unto God, and the Father..."
Here, Paul clearly the indicates Jesus is God. He says, "unto God, and the Father..." Throughout the Pauline writings, as also is found in the other New Testament authors: The triune Godhead is revealed in synchronized operation. God initiates, the Son facilitates, the Spirit distributes.
The Father does everything he does for us, through Jesus his Son. The Spirit serves these divine provisions to us personally, and individually. Thus the Trinity is involved in every one of our lives everyday.
"...in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Putting this in terms we can easily understand today, Paul is saying, all divine bestowment to us ward is written on the name of Jesus. He's the authorized signature releasing the blessings of God unto us.
Yes, our Lord "finances" our personal, spiritual renovation. He pays for everything. But there is much more to this verse than the costs and payments of our renovation. Paul is declaring that Christ has already signed off full authorization for every need we shall ever encounter even long after our renovation is complete.
Our thankfulness is more than gratitude over costs covered. We should be thankful our Lord has covered all of the costs for the duration of our life on earth. Thus we can be content, and rest in his perfect management of our entire journey in this world from the moment of our salvation to the moment we step into eternal bliss in heaven.
Contentment is a vital achievement in the process towards spiritual maturity.
We become content with his promises.
We become content with his sovereignty.
We become content with his provision.
We become content with his management of our life.
This state of Contentment produces a new, vital level of trust in him. Now that we are content, we are ready and willing to submit our will, our spirit, and our body to his authority.
In our next session, we are going to take up the issue of submission. Submission is generally an issue unpleasant topic. Perhaps the reason we are so uncomfortable and reluctant with submission is because we haven't considered the matter from God's perspective. That's just ahead of us in verse 21.