A great quality we can develop as Christians is thankfulness. In one of his earliest letters to the Thessalonians, Paul wrote, “We always give thanks to God for you and pray to God for you” (I Thessalonians 1:3). In his last letter, he writes to Timothy, “How I thank God for you, Timothy” (2 Timothy 1:3). In between, Paul often—almost always—gives thanks to God. In Ephesians, he says, “Always give thanks for everything to our God and Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20). Paul learned to be thankful in all situations and conditions of life (Philippians 4:11-12). We live in a land of unbelievable prosperity; but few are thankful, truly thankful, to the One who made it all possible. This is too bad because thankfulness is a virtue and a gift of the Spirit of God.

Thankfulness in All Circumstances

Our text for this blog is from Second Timothy. Second Timothy is not a book many of us read; however, it is a surprisingly important letter. While researching this passage, I came upon the following quote from John Calvin:

“This book has been more profitable to me than any other book of Scripture—and it is more profitable to me every day. If anyone examines this book carefully, there can be no doubt they will experience the same effect.”  [1]

 

Second Timothy is very likely Paul’s last letter.  He was in prison, probably in Rome, where he would soon be martyred. [2]  Almost alone and nearing the end of his life, he wrote this letter to Timothy. Timothy was an important person in the New Testament Church. He is listed as the co-writer with Paul of Second Corinthians, Philippians, First Thessalonians, Second Thessalonians, and Philemon. In addition, two letters, First and Second Timothy are addressed to Timothy. These two pastoral letters contain Paul’s most intimate conversation about the church and its leadership.

Many Christians believe Paul converted Timothy’s family.  At least be discipled Timothy. Timothy joined Paul during his Second Missionary Journey (Acts 16:1-3) and was a partner of Paul’s from that time foreword. During the Third Missionary Journey, Timothy was active in helping the Macedonian church (Acts 17:14). When Paul went on to Athens, Timothy later joined him there (18:5). Timothy was with Paul at least a part of the time he was imprisoned in Rome (Col.1: 1; Phil. 1:1; Phile. 1). At the end of Second Timothy, Paul gives his most touching personal invitation for Timothy to come quickly before winter (4:21). Paul seems to foresee that his death is immanent, and most scholars believe Second Timothy to be his last letter. Timothy was like a son to Paul, a son in Jesus Christ.

Here is how Paul begins the letter:

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, in keeping with the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus, To Timothy, my dear son: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. I thank God, whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God (2 Timothy 1:1-8, NIV).

Paul: An Apostle of Thankfulness

Second Timothy really is a wonderful book. Throughout the book, it is obvious that Paul is suffering. He is a prisoner in Rome, and many people he knew and loved have deserted him (4:9), betrayed and harmed him (4:14), and are ashamed of him (1:8). He is so beaten down that he believes that his life is being poured out like a drink offering  (4:6). He knows that he will soon die (4:17). Nevertheless, Paul is thankful for Timothy, for Christ, for the church, and for what he has been given to do by Christ.

This thankfulness of Paul is not a new thing. Paul is almost always thankful. I read the beginning of First Thessalonians at the beginning of this sermon. Most scholars believe that First Thessalonians is the earliest of Paul’s letters. In between First Thessalonians and Second Timothy, we have thirteen or so letters of Paul. Of those letters, Paul expresses thanksgiving in some way in all but three. [3] Most often, Paul ties thanksgiving with his prayers for the people of the church, as if Paul’s thankfulness derives from his prayer life—something we might emulate. [4] Prayer almost always results in thankfulness.

Paul is thankful in prison, in times of stress, when he is abandoned, when the Gospel has been betrayed, and because he has developed this quality he can say, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want” (Philippians 4:12). We need to develop this kind of thankfulness.

Real Blessings

There are things that may appear to be blessings that are not really blessings at all. So much time in our culture is spent on thinking that blessings are things or accomplishments, or pleasurable experiences. It is a blessing to have some things, but there are things that are not blessings at all—food is a blessing, but too much food is not, wine is a blessing, but too much wine is not, physical health and the ability to exercise is a blessing, but too much exercise is not. Money, possessions, pleasure—all the things that our society worships—are not necessarily blessings. In fact they can be the reverse.

In connection with Salt & Light, I’ve been doing a study of blessings and what constitutes the blessed life. I think almost everyone wants to live the blessed life, but few people in our day and time have any idea what it means to be blessed or to live the blessed life. Blessings and the blessed life have their root in God. Over and over again in the Old Testament fellowship with God, following God, and imitating God are connected to blessing and the blessed life. Listen to how Psalms begins:

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers (Psalm 1:1-3, ESV).

 

God is the source of blessings, which is why we have a hymn entitled, “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing.” [5] God is the author not just of some of our blessings, or of our spiritual blessings, God is the fount of every blessing. It is God who created the world, gave us the gift of life, sustained us until today, sent his Son to show us the way to fellowship with the Father, and gave himself for us on the Cross.

We live the blessed life when we live out the life of a disciples and are thankful for God, for the Good News that God loves all human beings and wants them to live with him forever, for the gift of life, for our families and loved ones, for our faith, for the fellowship we have in our church and in the Christian community, for the sense of purpose in life, for the hope we have because of the cross of Christ and for the promise of the resurrection. The blessed life is a thankful life!

Consequences of Losing our Thankfulness

One of the saddest things about our nation is the loss of thankfulness for our ancestors, for the faith that sustained them, and for the blessings we have even though we do not have everything we could each imagine having. Recent disregard for our Constitution and for the sacrifices others made for our freedoms because of perceived flaws in their beliefs or behavior are symptoms of this lack of thankfulness for the past achievements of our ancestors, as we have the capacity to do better, which it is likely we do not!

As we have become increasingly secular, increasingly materialistic, increasingly hedonistic, and increasing therapeutic as a society, we have become obsessively self-centered and increasingly unbalanced. During a conversation this week the pastors were talking about our increasingly narcissistic society—a society in which everyone is focused on themselves and they desires. A narcissistic, self-centered society cannot possibly be a happy, blessed, our even stable society. [6]

You might ask what would a narcissistic society look like? The answer is, “It would look a lot like our society.” The consequence of losing our humility and our sense that our blessings come from God results in a culture of self-centeredness, in which people seek their own happiness at the expense of others. A narcissistic society is a society alienated from God and from others. A narcissistic society is one in which there are many broken relationships as people focus on themselves. A narcissistic society is a society in which there is discord caused by various class and social conflicts as each part of society feels “entitled” to more. A narcissistic society is a society in which there is violence, both domestic and social, caused by the anger at not having others recognize our “right” to money, power, and pleasure. A narcissistic society is a society very much like the one we are creating and have been busy creating for many years.

Conclusion: Salt & Light

When I was writing this month’s church newsletter I mentioned that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I have unusually fond memories of Thanksgivings as a child, a youth, and an adult. It so happens that my most vivid memory is of Thanksgiving 2000, my father’s last Thanksgiving. It was not a perfect day, but we had a nice meal, talking, and played our traditional hard fought game of World Domination. My brother, as usual, won.

I mentioned another memory in the newsletter. This is a memory of a picture I saw at a family reunion many years ago of my Shepherd uncles and part of my Mother’s family celebrating Thanksgiving 1945. The picture was taken of my mother and her cousins. It is an old black and white photo. The men are still in their uniforms. It was a cloudy day. The farmland is cold, dark, and bleak. However, the smiles on their faces say it all—they are just so thankful that the war is over and the family is together again.

My mother was born in 1921. She grew up in a home in which she was abused by her mother. By the time she was eight, our nation was in the midst of the Great Depression. By the time she turned twenty-one, America was in World War II. When the boys got home, that is by Thanksgiving 1945, it was pretty obvious that the world was not going back to the way it once was. Of the six young people in the picture, exactly one would be able to survive on the family farms. The rest would leave and start over.

The suffering was not over: there would be Korea, health issues, accidents, Vietnam, several recessions, the drug culture, and children who fell into bad habits. Nevertheless, I cannot remember a Thanksgiving in which both my parents were not thankful. At the end of Mom’s life, she was still thankful despite all the bad things she endured.

My mother and father were not overtly religious most of the time, but inside they had a deep and abiding faith that kept them thankful and going on. We need to develop these same qualities in our day. Like Paul, we need to develop a thankfulness that is not dependent upon current circumstances. We need to remember that true blessings may take a generation or more, even many generations, to fully emerge. We need to remember that we are only tenants of this good earth, not its permanent owners. We need to remember that our hope is with God, who we will enjoy forever. In remembering our blessings, we will become a truly thankful people.

Copyright, 2015, G. Christopher Scruggs, All Rights Reserved