The Persistent Posture of Thanks
“All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.”
2 Corinthians 4:15 NIV
An attitude of gratitude
As the holiday passes and the supply of leftovers begins to wane, it is easy to shift gears from one busy holiday to the next. Going from Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, to Cyber Monday, or as we say in our household, Turkey Day to Tamale Day, we can effortlessly zoom by Thanksgiving and consequently go from an “attitude of gratitude” to “carnal consumerism” almost over night. How do we traverse these waters that culture seems to naturally set for us? I believe the Apostle Paul provides some two thousand-year-old insight in his second letter to the Corinthian church.
The fourth chapter of 2nd Corinthians has been a source of encouragement after a tumultuous year, especially when Paul writes that we are pressed but not crushed, persecuted but not abandoned, struck down but not destroyed (anyone else hear the song Trading My Sorrows by Darrell Evans when reading that?!). The truth is, the all surpassing power of Holy Spirit working in and through our lives (as outlined in chapter 3) was and is and continues to be at work in and through us as the humbled earthen vessels we are (verse 7). It is such an honor and blessing to know that the message of the Lordship of Jesus (verse 5) gives us entrance into a glorious union with Him through the Spirit. Now what does all this have to do with thanksgiving?
According to scriptures, there is purpose in our pain, and meaning to the malevolent seasons we experience. The Lord in His brilliance saw fit that we are as “jars of clay” — the vessels that contain and overflow with the glorious Spirit within. Not a titanium vessel, not something heavy duty like iron, nor is it vibranium or adamantium for the fellow comic book nerds among us. The inherent frailty of our created being is exactly the plan, why? Because it points us to our necessity of Him and the absolute necessity of the grace that He provides us. As great and powerful and marvelous as it is to host the Presence with us, we are constantly reminded and thus humbled by the fact that it is HIS power and HIS glory within us, HIS resurrection is our resurrection (Colossians 3:1). Jesus said it was better that He go to the Father “that we might have the Helper” (John 16:9) and we must constantly be reminded that it is by His grace that we have received such a glorious gift. Here’s where the thanksgiving kicks in…
Grace Produces Praise
Verse 15 summarizes by saying “all this is for your benefit” — all the pressing and the crushing — allows us to experience that radical grace that scripture says is immeasurable and abounding (2 Corinthians 9:8, Ephesians 2:7). This abounding grace on display in our lives does something wild; this grace “causes thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.” When the Lordship of Jesus is acknowledged in our lives, we see just how much has been done to accomplish union with Him, and the transformation of our lives from death to life. Think of it like this— as we interact with the abounding grace that He supplies each and every day, we act as a signpost to those around us that this grace is available to all and, consequently, this causes THANKSGIVING to overflow. Not only that, but this overflow of thanksgiving brings glory to God. In other words, the overflow of grace in our lives sings a symphony of gratitude to the Lord and increases the procession of praise! As someone who has lead groups and gatherings of people in worship to Jesus, this thought that unending praise continues in and through our day to day lives is mind blowing . Also, this means that you don’t need to have a bunch of musical skills or a great singing voice to “lead worship,” rather, it simply takes a heart that acknowledges the greatness of God in our necessity of Him, especially in the trials and tribulations of life, and receiving the grace He provides, allowing thanksgiving (aka worship) to effervesce from our being. Grace multiplies around us as it becomes real within us. The outcome? Thanksgiving overflows, and God is glorified.
This is what is believed to be the chief existence of humanity, made in the image and likeness of our Creator: to glorify God and enjoy Him forever (Westminster Shorter Catechism). In this context, we are simply invited to interact with the greatest gift of all time, and the outcome is the increase of gratitude. One can liken this to a parent giving a gift to his child with the following instructions: “hey kid, you see this gift here? I want you to have so much fun with this. Seriously kid, enjoy every bit of this gift I have for you!” The child grabs the gift and runs off in sheer excitement shouting the words THANK YOU, meanwhile the parent smiles knowing that this gift will produce a lasting and positive impact on the child. In this scenario, the Lord champions grace in our lives, and our reception of this beautiful gift produces a procession of praise to the One who is eternally worthy.
The most valuable free gift
Now this next part is essential — we must be thoroughly convinced that there is absolutely nothing we can do to earn the grace Jesus paid for. Grace is a gift (Ephesians 2:8, Ephesians 4:7, 2 Timothy 1:9) and it is not merely for forgiveness of sins and “getting to heaven”, rather grace is meant for the every waking moment of our existence. Since grace has been poured out generously, and since we cannot do a thing to earn it, we are left with simply receiving this immeasurable gift. The same way an individual matures from the childlike “what am I getting for Christmas” posture of the heart to the “what can I give someone else for Christmas” heart posture, the lavish gift of grace we receive from the Father through the Son by the Spirit matures in us and extends not to just what we can receive, but to what we can give. Paul writes further down in his second letter to the church in Corinth regarding a hardship he is walking through, that the grace of God is sufficient. That word sufficient is defined as: “to be possessed of unfailing strength, to be strong, to suffice, to be enough.” Its more that just having enough to get by, it is being in possession of unfailing strength to be strong. That’s what His grace does.
As we journey on in this holiday season, may our hearts be constantly reminded of His nearness in the challenging seasons of life. May we be reminded of His unfailing grace that never leaves us in want but is more than enough. May we let that grace unearth a wellspring of gratitude, causing a frequency of worship to emit from our being, inviting others to experience that same grace.
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