Be Thankful

Col 3:15-17

 

1. Thanksgiving Day is the American tradition from the Puritan fathers, and this is the season of thanksgiving after annual harvest. However, thanksgiving should be our life always because everything we have is given by God and those who love us. We are the existence under grace. We are wholly surrounded by the grace of God. We have enough air to breathe and live, so fresh and crisp air especially in Michigan. My son Paul who now teaches in a Thai university recently came home and stayed a week. Do you know what he most appreciated and enjoyed: so crisp air! We are so blessed! Whatever condition you live, we all have enough reason to thank God even with one reason that we live in America and especially in Michigan. Beautiful spring with blossoming flowers, clean summer with wonderful nature, amazing autumn with fantastic colors, and pure winter with graceful snow and cold winds! We can see, smell, touch, and feel the loving grace of God anywhere in any moment!

2. Therefore, Paul admonishes us: “Be thankful!” or “Be a thankful person!”(15c) Also, he asked us: “Give thanks in all circumstances”(1 Thess 5:18) and “Always give thanks to God the Father for everything.”(Eph 5:20) Why and how and when can we thank God always for everything? First, it happens when “the peace of Christ rules in your hearts.”(15a) When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the angels sang a beautiful song: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” Christ brought the heavenly peace to this sinful world of endless selfish struggles one another. The peace of Christ is the peace when we are given when we welcome Him to our heart and our life. Our heart is freed from guilt and anxiety, disorder and wandering, and finally we have peace with God and with other peoples. It is the peace when we walk our lives together with Him as our Lord and Savior. He is our Shepherd and King who guide and protect us from any danger. Our heart is peaceful with Him. Therefore He is our peace! But we often try to control our life with our method. Then, we lose peace of mind and become anxious enough not to be thankful to God. Let the peace of Christ rule your hearts and then you will live peacefully and joyfully with constant gratitude to God. It is the secret and key to be a thankful person and live happily.

3.  You have to let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, “since as members of one body you were called to peace.”(15b) When God let us born in this world, it was a mission and calling to accomplish our task. And, you were called to peace, to be the instrument of peace, the peace-maker in this sinful world of fights and struggles for selfish reasons. To be the instrument of God, you should be first of all a man of peace who lives, speaks and behaves peacefully after the peace of Christ. He did not try to solve any problem by force or power but by the peaceful way of cross and suffering. He pursued peaceful way but this hostile world did not permit it and he was simply suffered. But it was the only way of true victory. True peace is acquired only by the way of peace. We are called to peace but not individually but “as members of one body”, the church, the body of Christ. We are peaceful and thankful when we really belong to the church, where the peace of Christ rules richly. We are a small immigrant church in a small city, but we are peaceful and secure in this community of the saints. We are loved and comforted, guided and protected, touched by God and moved by the Holy Spirit in this church. In this year, God richly blessed our church. God sent almost 30 new brothers and sisters and 2 new lives so far. God brought 4 deacons back to our council and installed 4 pastors for our congregation. God restored our college group. God inspired and invigorated our community worship. God gave our passion to repair the house of God. God blessed our church to faithfully participate in the Kingdom work in foreign missions as well as mercy work for the poor with Kalamazoo Deacons Conference. God gave us vision and wrote mission statement through Vision Conference. God let us to reorganize so that all the members of the church participate in ministry and faithfully function in every department. God blessed our consistory to serve in beautiful harmony and our whole congregation to have fellowship in warm care and genuine love. The peace of Christ rules in our church and in our hearts! We are thankful for the wonderful blessings He gave to our congregation.

4. Second, it happens when “the word of Christ dwells in you richly.”(16a) Our word and language are so corrupted and sinful. We easily complain, criticize, and speak dirty and negatively. So, Paul said: “Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.”(Eph 5:4) It is because sinful words are full inside of us. We have to cleanse our hearts with the word of Christ continuously to be a thankful person. We should constantly read and listen to the word of Christ who is the Truth. But, it is not enough to passively listen or read. To be a thankful person, we have to speak out the word of Christ in two ways! One is to “teach and admonish one another with all wisdom.”(16b) Among Christians, always refer the word of Christ in our talks. Let it be our principle and guideline, our way and our method, and we will be able to be thankful always for everything. Another way is to “sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.”(16c) Sing out of your heart loud so that God can hear and be pleased in worship services and in everyday life. Then, you will have a thankful heart!

5. Paul concludes: “whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”(17) We are dead in Christ. What I am now is a new creature in Christ. He is our Lord. But we often forget our true identity and our old ego attempts to regain us. Whatever we do, in word or deed, we do as a servant of Christ. So, whatever we do, whether we achieve or fail, is the business of Christ, not ours. Therefore, our life should be always with Christ and in the name of the Lord Jesus. It is the life of “giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Our life is the grace of God. Whatever we do or whatever we confront in our life to follow Jesus, we believe and know that our Lord Jesus is our faithful shepherd and God loves us so much and forever. Therefore, “we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”(Rom 8:28) So, we can offer thanksgiving to God even in suffering. I remember what deaconess Jung told me in the midst of cancer treatment: “Pastor, how foolish I have been that I have not recognized how many things God blessed me!” Whatever it is, we all live in some kinds of suffering in this world. But just like a woman joyfully follows her husband wherever he leads only with the conviction that he loves her, only the fact that God loves me so much forever and He is my shepherd in this dangerous life is enough to thank God always and follow Him, wherever He leads, with trust and joy!