Living with a Heart Full of Thankfulness

This is an excerpt from the Grateful - Bible Study book.

Often in prayer, we use this direct communication with God to simply check off all our requests—good health, guidance, forgiveness, and so forth—without remembering to thank the Giver for His presence in our lives and the blessings He gives us. Scripture clearly tells us it is good for us to present our requests to God, but we are to do so with thanksgiving. (See Phil. 4:6; Col. 1:3.) Praying and worshiping with thanksgiving protects our hearts from developing a demanding and grumbling spirit.

God doesn’t always answer our requests in the ways we desire, but when we communicate with a thankful heart, He will give us peace that passes all understanding to humbly accept His will. Philippians is considered one of the prison epistles, traditionally dated as written during Paul’s first Roman imprisonment. Paul also wrote Colossians during this time.

In Colossians 3, Paul told the Colossians to put to death the sinful characteristics of the old man—sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and so forth. He also told them to put off things like malice, anger, slander, and lying. Then in verses 12-17, he instructed the believers to “put on” virtues indicative of Christian living—such as compassion, kindness, and humility.

In order to show compassion, we must see others, recognize they are hurting, and desire to help them. Similar to how these virtues are exhibited through interaction with others, Paul encouraged the Colossians to be thankful together.

In verses 16-17, Paul instructed them to give thanks as they taught and encouraged one another through singing to God. This passage helps us see that a grateful heart and the act of thanksgiving undergird our worship. He understood that thankful hearts are those that are ready and able to fully rejoice in the peace of Christ and praise of God.

The theme of thankfulness runs throughout the letter to the Colossians. Despite his clearly difficult circumstances of imprisonment, Paul began the letter with gratitude.

Before he instructed the readers of this letter to practice gratitude in 3:12-17, Paul showed what a thankful heart looks like. Sometimes it feels difficult to rejoice and be grateful in our everyday walk with Christ when life’s current circumstances feel unbearable. Just because Paul said he was grateful and joyful doesn’t mean he was simply putting on a happy exterior that somehow allowed him to ignore all human feelings of suffering. In 2 Corinthians 11:16-33, Paul didn’t shy away from listing several horrible things he endured—beatings, a multitude of dangers, hunger, and coldness, just to name a few. On top of the physical hardship he endured, he said he faced “daily pressure” with his concern for all the churches (v. 28, emphasis added). Yet throughout his epistles, Paul always expressed an attitude of thankfulness and exhorted his readers to do the same

Paul believed the trio of faith, hope, and love was eternally united, and this message shows up again and again in his teaching. (See Rom. 5:1-5; Gal. 5:5-6; 1 Thess. 1:3; 5:8.) Paul was thankful for the Colossians’ faith in Christ and love for all the saints—both known because of their hope in eternity. As this triad figured prominently in Paul’s view of good Christian character and conduct, he was thankful the believers understood the value of these great Christian virtues as well.

No one in this broken world is spared from suffering and trials, but as believers, we can worship God with thanksgiving because of the foundational hope we have of an eternity free from sin and heartache (Rev. 21:4). Being grateful doesn’t mean forgoing lament. Being grateful means upholding a humble consciousness of the relational faith, eternally significant hope, and unifying love we find through God’s presence every day.