Thanksgetting

PhilosophicalPragmatic
Written By Edward Wolfe

We refer to “giving” thanks, and yet we benefit a great deal from being thankful. In a way, we might even refer to it as “thanksgetting.” Think about it: how hard is it to be unhappy and thankful at the same time? Therefore, our focus needs to be more on thanks than on other, less happy mindsets.

A simple search for the word “thanks” at Bible Gateway yields 110 passages in the Old and New Testaments. The word “thanksgiving” yields even more. Since many of these are commands, we might say that the Bible emphasizes choosing thankfulness, even in hard circumstances.

Barriers to being thankful include feeling entitled, or disappointed, or jealous, or regretful. None of these are particularly desirable frames of mind, and so shifting to thanksgiving may be the readiest cure.

What are some of the reasons to be thankful? The scripture bursts with grist for the thankful mill:

God’s sometimes miraculous provision in our lives (Luke 2:38)

Release from sin (Romans 6:17)

God’s whole, magnificent plan of salvation (Romans 7:25)

God’s grace (1 Corinthians 1:4)

God’s provision of food (Matthew 14:19)

God’s righteousness (Psalm 7:17)

The splendor of God’s holiness (2 Chronicles 20:21)

God’s goodness and love (2 Chronicles 7:3)

Remembering Christ in the Lord’s Supper is an act of thanksgiving (1 Corinthians 10:16)

Our victory in life, despite appearances (1 Corinthians 15:57)

All circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

And many more.

For a beautiful musical setting of thanksgiving, see the last post and the lyrics of the song.

We have so many reasons to be thankful. No wonder our nation has a long history of emphasizing thankfulness to God! It’s for our own good that we thank God.

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Edward Wolfe

Edward Wolfe has been a fan of Christian apologetics since his teenage years, when he began seriously to question the truth of the Bible and the reality of Jesus. About twenty years ago, he started noticing that Christian evidences roughly fell into five categories, the five featured on this website.
Although much of his professional life has been in Christian circles (12 years on the faculties of Pacific Christian College, now a part of Hope International University, and Manhattan Christian College and also 12 years at First Christian Church of Tempe), much of his professional life has been in public institutions (4 years at the University of Colorado and 19 years at Tempe Preparatory Academy).
His formal academic preparation has been in the field of music. His bachelor degree was in Church Music with a minor in Bible where he studied with Roger Koerner, Sue Magnusson, Russel Squire, and John Rowe; his master’s was in Choral Conducting where he studied with Howard Swan, Gordon Paine, and Roger Ardrey; and his doctorate was in Piano Performance, Pedagogy, and Literature, where he also studied group dynamics, humanistic psychology, and Gestalt theory with Guy Duckworth.
He and his wife Louise have four grown children and six grandchildren.

https://WolfeMusicEd.com
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