1 Thessalonians 5:18 An Attitude of Gratitude

1 Thessalonians 5:18 An Attitude of Gratitude

On a bus, a man got up and offered his seat to a woman. The woman fainted. Reviving the woman, the man asked the woman why she fainted. The woman replied, “Because a man offered me his seat.” Then the woman said, “Thanks.” Unaccustomed to gratitude, the man had a heart attack and died.

When was the last time someone thanked you for something you did? How recently have you demonstrated an attitude of gratitude by showing appreciation to people who lived outside of themselves and helped or encouraged you?

Thinking on thanks and, in the context of being joyful (1 Thessalonians 5:16) and prayerful (1 Thessalonians 5:17), Paul wrote, “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18; NKJV).  It is not often that God says directly: “This is the will of God” (see 1 Thessalonians 4:3; 1 Peter 2:15).

A man stood on a Florida beach feeding some seagulls. He was Captain Eddie Rickenbacker. During World War II, Captain Eddie Rickenbacker was shot down in the Pacific Ocean and floated for days on a raft. He was thirsty and starving. If he didn’t drink and eat soon, he would die.

Several weeks into his ordeal, a seagull landed on his head. He killed it, ate its flesh, and drank its blood. Several days later, he was rescued.

After the war, to the end of his days, Captain Eddie Rickenbacker could be seen walking along a lonely stretch of Florida seacoast, around sunset every day, carrying a bucket of fish for seagulls. If you would watch closely, you would see the Eastern Florida sky fill with tiny dashing dots as growing numbers of seagulls would come to fed by a man who never forgot the sacrifice that one gull had made for him.

The greatest gift anyone has ever given is the gift of salvation. We like to think of the ‘gift charts’ as including evangelism, administration, and helps. But our most neglected gift is the one for which we should give thanks the most: redemption through Jesus Christ. So, sometime soon, in the privacy of our your ‘beach walk’, say these words from 2 Corinthians 9:15, “Thanks be to God for the inexpressible gift of salvation through Jesus Christ.”

Appreciate the Christ of Calvary. Tell Him thanks. Show others how thankful you are for salvation by living each day for Him.