The Effects of Thanksgiving

Colossians 2:6-7 teaches us that just as we have been saved by grace, so we are to live each day by grace.  If we are to be unmovably grounded in faith, we must be “abounding in thanksgiving.”  The way to grow in faith is to be thankful for what we have already received from God.  Giving thanks to God is acknowledging our dependence on Him.  We are commanded to give thanks to God for all things (Ephesians 5:20), because He is the source of all good.  In Romans 6:17, Paul rejoices that those who were once the helpless slaves of sin have become wholeheartedly obedient to the gospel.  You must not miss the fact that the great apostle does not thank the Romans themselves, for doing this.  He thanks God—the implications of which are staggering!  The Lord is to be thanked when we obey Him, because without His grace we could not sincerely obey a single command.  Our faith will not grow strong and firm if our hearts are not filled with the humble realization that we owe everything to God.  Such a heart will overflow with thanksgiving.