I’ve been preaching on “Learning to be Thankful.” For me, the series was a timely reminder of a couple of things.
First, as we took a deep dive into the Old Testament, we found that ingratitude is the treasure of the heart, from which, much sin is born. We started with Adam and Eve and their ingratitude towards God. From there, we saw Cain’s ingratitude leading to the murder of his brother. We encountered David’s ingratitude at the heart of the prophet’s condemnation of his sin with Bathsheba. And the list continued on from there…
With a deep dive into what the scriptures teach about ingratitude, suddenly 1 Thessalonians and the apostle’s instructions came into focus. In chapter 4, he says that the will of God in Christ for us is sanctification – becoming holy (verse 3). Then when we come to chapter 5, we find out that God’s will for us is to be thankful (verse 18). How do we reconcile the two? There is a direct correlation between our thankfulness and our holiness. When we are thankful, we pursue holiness. Conversely, when we have hearts of ingratitude, we will often pursue sinfulness.
Second, having established the danger of ingratitude, we asked the question, “Where does thankfulness come from?” For that answer, we turned to Isaiah 12. There we learned that the key to thankfulness was remembering the salvation God has given to us. Specifically, we remember the salvation given to us in – the child born of a virgin, Prince of Peace, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, the root of Jesse – Jesus Christ!
But as I walk away from this series and into the “Thanksgiving” holiday, I feel the need to expound on just a couple of points. Thankfulness is just a piece of the puzzle…
If we go back to 1 Thessalonians 5, what we find is interesting. In the same passage we are told to be thankful, we are told to – “respect those who labor among us…be at peace with each other…admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient…do not repay evil for evil, but always seek to do good…rejoice always…pray without ceasing…give thanks in all circumstances.” (verses 12-18).
Then we turn back to Isaiah 12 and find more to the list than thankfulness. There we are told to “trust…not be afraid…joy…sing praise…shout and sing for joy.” (Isaiah 12:1-6).
For a moment, let’s put the two lists together – respectfulness, peace, admonishing others, encouraging, helping, patience, seeking good, rejoicing, praying, giving thanks, trusting, trust over fear, singing praise, and having joy. Is there a single word that might summarize all of these attributes? I would suggest there is…CONTENTMENT.
The definition of gratitude is “a state of happiness and satisfaction” (Webster’s Dictionary). Synonyms for contentment include: satisfaction, fulfillment, happiness, pleasure, cheerfulness, gladness, gratification, restfulness, well-being, and peace (among others).
What does the Bible say about contentment? In 2 Corinthians 12:10 Paul writes, “For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” The same apostle would write in Philippians 4:11, “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.” And again in 1 Timothy 6:8, “But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.” The preacher to the Hebrews would add a further note, “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’”
As I think about the Hebrew sermon, I marvel at the connection between his words and the struggles of our present society. As we consume the evening news, we find a society not at peace with one another, lovers of money, not admonishing one another to good works, seeking good, and so much more. In a word, we find a society that is full of people who have lost contentment. In the midst of all we have, we are often focused on what’s missing…or at least what we think is missing.
I read an old fable the other day of a devout Quaker and his new neighbor. The story goes that the Quaker stood and watched as his neighbor moved into his newly purchased house. He stocked it with all sorts of modern appliances, electronics, beautiful furniture, and colorful art. As one moving truck was replaced by another, the Quaker watched in silence. When evening came and the bustle of the final truck was leaving, the Quaker turned to his new neighbor and said, with a bit piety humor, “If you find you’re lacking anything, neighbor, let me know and I’ll show you how to live without it.”
Russell Conwell told of a much more sad story of contentment in his book, Acres of Diamonds. The story goes to tell about a man named Ali Hafed, a Persian, who owned orchards, grain fields, and gardens. Ali was about as wealthy as a man could be for his time. He seemed satisfied with the life he had built and the wealth he had amassed. But on one occasion he hosted a visitor who told him about diamond minds and Conwell writes, “Ali Hafed went to bed that night a poor man – poor because he was discontented.”
Desirous of even greater riches, he sold all of his property in search of a great diamond mine. He would go on to travel the globe in search of diamonds, but never finding them. The end of his story was that he committed suicide without a penny to his name. However, the story doesn’t end there…
One day, the man who purchased Ali’s farms led his camels into the garden to drink some water. When the camel began to drink, the man found a glimmer in the stream. As he pulled the small stone out of the stream, it reflected all of the beautiful colors of the rainbow…he had discovered the mind of Golconda, which would become the most prosperous diamond mine in the history of the world. Conwell concludes, “Had Ali Hafed remained at home and dug in his own garden, he would had acres of diamonds instead of experiencing death in a strange land. The more we want from a human perspective, the less we have.”
The story isn’t a lesson about staying or leaving, coming or going. Sometimes our contentment can’t be maintained in the location we are…Abram learned this lesson when he ventured to a land God didn’t want him to be in. The reality is that some situations become so disruptive to our spiritual health, we must exit. The story is a lesson about understanding what we do have and not allowing that to be lost in the pursuit of what we are missing – physically, economically, spiritually, emotionally, and spiritually. In this way, the Hebrew preacher reminded the listener of what he/she has – Christ.
Again, he writes, “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’” The key to being “free from love of money and being content”: REMEMBERING CHRIST. Christ was the one who promised to not leave us or forsake us. In Isaiah 12, the key to thankfulness was remembering Christ. In 1 Thessalonians, the force behind our gratitude and praise – remembering the promises of Christ.
So, if you find yourself in a little bit of a rut (we all do sometimes!), the scriptures would point us to a place of remembrance. Remember your salvation in Christ…suddenly nothing else seems to hold such value over you. Remember the gifts of Christ: entrance in His presence, peace with the Father, and the gift of joy…and all that you don’t have seems less important. Remember the sacrifice of Christ…and my sacrifices seem so insignificant. Remember the glory that awaits us…and the struggles of a present world fade into the distance.
RECLAIM CONTENTMENT…it’s an intentional choice to REMEMBER CHRIST.
Held by Grace, PC