Scripture Reading:
1 Cor. 15:57; 2 Cor. 1:11; 2:14; 4:15; 8:16; 9:11,15; Eph. 5:20; Phil. 4:6; Col. 4:2; 1 Thess 3:9; 5:18; 1 Tim. 4:3
“Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable Gift.” (2 Corinthians 9:15)
Throughout the writings of the apostle Paul, we find him talking about being thankful. In the above Scripture, Paul is talking about the Lord Jesus as the wonderful gift. He was thankful that Jesus died on the cross to become his Saviour. As we have seen in previous lessons Paul was a religious man, but not saved until the day that the Lord called him on the road to Damascus.
In each of the verses above in our Scripture Reading, Paul speaks of being thankful. In 1 Corinthians 15:57 we read,
“But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
This is a wonderful Scripture. Whatever problems we may have, whether we be young or old, the victory can come when we have the Lord Jesus Christ. He took care of our victory when He died on the cross. We can even have victory over sin because of the cross. 2 Corinthians 2:14, goes well with this Scripture, too. It tells of our triumph in Christ for which we are thankful. Also, in Philippians 4:6 we read,
“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”
Here we are told to pray with thanksgiving instead of worrying about problems. The following verse shows the peace we can have when we commit all things to our Lord. Peace is one of the greatest gifts we can have, and is also a great victory. Even with trouble all around us, we can have this wonderful peace in our hearts and lives.
In Ephesians 5:20, we are told to give thanks always for all things unto God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Some things may be hard to be thankful for, but if they are according to the will of the Lord, we should be thankful. Many things may be hard to go through or even understand, and yet sometimes one can be a better person for having gone through the experience.
I wonder how many times we ask the Lord for things and never remember to thank Him for answering our prayers. I wonder how often have we thanked Him for our salvation. I wonder how often we thank Him for His Word which is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our pathway. I wonder how often we thank Him that we, today, are complete in Christ when we are in Him and He in us. We have so many spiritual blessings today that we should be thankful always to our wonderful Lord. Then we can have victory and peace through Him.
“In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
“Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God upon every remembrance of you.” (Philippians 1:2-3)
