Today, in America, we celebrate a holiday called Thanksgiving. Many will celebrate today with family and friends by eating a meal where they will indulge themselves on foods that they don’t eat, but once a year. They will eat far more than their body needs, proclaiming they are so full they won’t eat again for days, only to return in a few hours to devour the leftovers. While this is a part of our celebration it is not the focal point of our day. After our family meal we take time to share and reflect on what God has done in our lives in the past year, and what we want Him to do in the coming year, and truly thank Him for everything, even the bad times. Yes, even the bad times, because those are usually the ones that cause us to grow closer to Him.
On this day of Thanksgiving, who will you thank? What are you thankful for, and why are you thankful? Paul in Romans 1:8 answers all three of these questions.
First, he thanked God. He is the object of all good gifts. It is proper and right to thank the one who is responsible for extending his mercies upon us. For allowing us to have another breath of life. He is the one from which all blessings flow, especially the blessing of salvation.
Romans 1:8 “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.”
James 1:17 “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”
Notice that Paul thanks God through Jesus Christ. Often in the New Testament, thanks are given “through” Jesus Christ. Christ is the mediator between a holy God and us. We depend on Jesus to present our cause before the mercy seat. He pleads for us and has made God accessible to us. Only through Jesus are we able to approach God.
Ephesians 5:20 “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;”
Hebrews 13:15 “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.”
John 14:14 “If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it”
Paul then presents the object of his thankfulness. It is those in the Roman church. He is grateful for the Christians that have remained true to the gift of salvation they have received. Paul planted the churches of Thessalonica, Corinth, and Ephesus, which are within the Roman Empire, but he did not plant the church in Rome. However, he is now expressing his thanks to them.
Paul expresses his thankfulness for their faith. They had believed in Jesus and had exercised that faith by serving and staying true to the gospel. In Romans 16:19, he reaffirms their true religion. They had accepted it readily, they had embraced it and followed closely.
Romans 16:19 “For your obedience is come abroad unto all men. I am glad therefore on your behalf: but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil.”
They had been faithful, so much so, that people everywhere in the region knew about them. They were not ashamed to boldly proclaim and live out their faith.
Today, who will you thank? You may say, my parents or family. May I remind you that God gave you those who are around you? Anything you have to be thankful for was a gift from God. You may be one of those people who thanks God, but you have never been saved. If that is the case save your words because until you accept His Son as your Savior, he will not hear you. You are thanking the air, because that is as high as your prayer, or words will climb. However, that does not have to be the case. You can repent today, ask Him into your heart, and then enjoy a real Thanksgiving!
John 9:31 “Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth”
