“. . . giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.” (Colossians 1:12)
Here’s the last bullet point from Paul’s short list of “what God wants from a growing Christian.” He wants us to say thanks. Strike that. He wants us to “give thanks.”
No, the God of all creation is NOT a glorified Miss Manners. He doesn’t care which fork you use for the salad. This isn’t about being polite. I think a lot of us skip giving thanks because we think of it as nothing more than saying “excuse me” after a good belch. It’s not really “doing” anything, is it?
Apparently, judging by how often it comes up in the Bible, giving thanks is doing something truly significant in God’s eyes. To Him, thanks is a gift bestowed on the one who does something truly great for us like, say, qualifying us “to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.”
Think: How often do you give thanks to God? What do you thank Him for most often? Do you think you sometimes skip it because it doesn’t seem like it should matter to Him?
Pray: Take this verse and turn it into a prayer of thanksgiving to the Father.
Do: Make a quick list of 1,000 things you could thank God for today. Okay, just start with 10.