Being Content Purpose

The Cyclical Pattern of Thanks

“You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.”

– 2 Cor. 9:11

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©iStockphoto.com/Mari

There is a graphic making the rounds on Facebook that reminds us of how truly manufactured our season of thanks can  be. Contrasting our day of giving thanks for all that we have with the increasingly frenetic tendency to spend the next day acquiring what we don’t, the image helps us see that perhaps our day of thanks has become a habit rather than a heart-check. After all, if we were truly thankful for the many blessings that we enjoy, would people literally get trampled the very next day in order to beat their fellow man in saving a few dollars on a blu-ray player at Wal-Mart? The reports of the Black Friday injuries have seemingly become just as proliferate as the ads announcing the sales.

For the Christian, however, the focus on thanksgiving shouldn’t happen on just one day, or even in just one month. Our lives should be characterized by a spirit of gratitude because we stand in daily recognition that everything that we have has been given to us by our Heavenly Father (I Cor. 4:7). Because of this, because He supplies our needs and often gives in abundance beyond that, we can, and should give in kind to others. Our gratitude should produce generosity. We have been given much, and therefore we should give much in return (2 Cor. 9:6-8).

The truly exceptional thing about this is that as our gratitude prompts us to give generously to others, the inclination to give thanks will likely increase in their own lives as well. In other words, there is a cyclical pattern of thanks. God is generous with us, which prompts us to give thanks and extend that generosity to others, which then prompts them to give thanks to God for our generosity.  Our giving becomes a conduit by which God receives what He is due – increasing praise and thanks.

Because of this, we should desire to give all the more. After all, as Christians, we should take satisfaction in our God receiving the adoration and gratitude He is due. The fact that He allows us to be a part of that process, the fact that He uses the generosity He has extended to us to propel our generosity towards others, and that results in greater thanksgiving to Him, should engender even greater thanksgiving in our lives. Because of this cyclical pattern of thanks, our giving takes on heavenly significance. What is temporal has been redeemed for eternity.

So as we enter this season of thanksgiving, let us not only think about how we can thanks but how the gratitude that we have should prompt us to extend the generosity that we have experienced to others. May we do so in increasing measure and as a result, may our Heavenly Father receive even more of the thanks that He so richly deserves.

 

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Growth

Absent of Thanks

Sunday School graduates are familiar with the story of how Jesus healed 10 lepers (Luke 17:11-16). After giving them instructions that would lead to the removal of their affliction, and then finding that following Christ’s instructions accomplished just that, only one of the ten returned to thank Him. The one is commended but the comparison is stark. Although 10 were given life-altering reprieves, only one expressed gratitude for the transformation.

Every time I revisit the story I find myself pondering what happened to the other nine. Did they have intentions of returning but were distracted by the joy they found in their revived societal standing? Did they think that a thank you note would be sufficient but didn’t have Christ’s forwarding address? Did they ever look down at their newly cleansed skin and feel guilt over the fact that a simple “thank you” was never proffered? Were they embarrassed at the time delay and that’s why they never (as far as we know) sought Christ out again?

I don’t know the answers to these questions. Christ does indicate that the nine who didn’t express their thanks were just as healed as the one who did. And while we may marvel at God’s mercy in healing even those who don’t take to say thank you, Evan S. Coslett reminds us that we have the opportunity to extend similar type of grace among those whom we serve. As he states:

“There were ten lepers healed, and only one turned back to give thanks, but it is to be noticed that our Lord did not recall His gift from the other nine because of their lack of gratitude. When we begin to lessen our acts of kindness and helpfulness because we think those who receive do not properly appreciate what is done for them, it is time to question our own motives.”

In other words, if our willingness to serve is based on the expression of thanks that we expect to receive, than our service will be incomplete. Instead, we must emulate Christ’s example and serve not because of what we expect in return, but because of the need that we see. Whether people express their appreciation appropriately is not the barometer for the effectiveness of our service. Instead it’s the degree of obedience to what God has called us to do. Even if others don’t appreciate the sacrifice, we can trust that God applauds it and that He will work through it to bring about His plan and good purpose.

It can be hard to serve when the efforts go unnoticed or the sacrifice seems unappreciated. However, in reality our service to man should not be because of who they are, but because of Who God is, and because of how He desires His children to live. Whether the people who are the recipients of our kindness every thank us appropriately is not the issue. The issue is whether our lives are lived in an expression of gratitude for all He has done for us.

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