03/15/2024 – Be thankful
Colossians 3: 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful
One of the commands of the new covenant is the command to be grateful. The old covenant commandments told people what to do. The New Covenant tells us who we need to be. To say thank you all you have to be is polite. To be thankful requires a transformation.
The Greek word in the Bible for this command is Eucharistos – it means not only to give thanks, but to BE grateful. Gratitude is more than what you say. It is who you are. Only Christ can make this possible. Humans are marked by ingratitude. While we ask for what we need and seek it naturally, we must be taught to express gratitude from early childhood. Parents must use techniques such as “the magic word”. Ingratitude is much more than bad manners. It is a radical sin.
Glorifying God, thanking God is not a Christian invention. It is the primary debt of every person to the God who gave them life, and who gave His Son to die for them!
Christ revealed the Father to us. He has given us the perfect knowledge of God. But He also revealed to us the gratitude that God requires. The life of Christ is an example of gratitude.
Christ revealed to us in His teachings and with His life example the gratitude that each of us must manifest to God.