THANKSGIVING

‭‭1 Corinthians 1:4-7 NLT‬
[4] “I always thank my God for you and for the gracious gifts he has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus. [5] Through him, God has enriched your church in every way—with all of your eloquent words and all of your knowledge. [6] This confirms that what I told you about Christ is true. [7] Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Don’t you love the way Paul begins most of his letters? Despite the errors of doctrine and practice that inevitably creep into a group of new believers, especially those who have come out of paganism, Paul thanks God for them and for the uniqueness of their qualities.

No church life will run smoothly. Inevitably, something will happen to disturb its progress towards maturity. The people in the Corinthian congregation had an array of spiritual gifts, the use of which needed some guidance to maintain order in the church.

Despite some of the problems in the church, Paul was quick to acknowledge the giftedness of the people. He begins his letter with positive affirmation. How better to create the correct atmosphere for his task of rebuking and correcting the misunderstandings that produced unacceptable behaviour? He was much more likely to get their attention by recognising their good points first rather than by diving into a stream of accusations and corrections.

Yes, they did this or that which was contrary to God’s way but…first, the fact that the people displayed many spiritual gifts was confirmation that God had indeed worked by His grace in their hearts. They were equipped to function in a pagan environment with powerful evidence of the Holy Spirit’s work in and through them.

Therefore, Paul was confident of their position in Christ. Despite their false thinking leading to sinful behaviour, they belonged to God through Jesus. Paul could help them to return to God’s way by reminding them that they were His possession.

We need to take a leaf out of Paul’s book. Thanksgiving for what is good is always the best way to begin our prayers for others. Unless the person or situation for which we pray has no merits, there will always be something about them for which to thank God. When we find qualities in others we can value and appreciate, we create a loving atmosphere for our prayers that is the springboard for gracious praying.

How often we approach the Father with guns blazing. We have crossed purposes with fellow believers. We use our prayers to get at them instead of praying for mercy, for them and us, in an attitude of humility. We want God to fix them instead of recognising that we also need fixing!

Gratitude for the good in others moves our attention away from ourselves towards the needs of others, not in judgment but in grace.

So, let’s follow Paul’s example by thanking God for the good in others before we focus on what went wrong. Let our thanksgiving temper our attitude and motive for the way we intercede for others. As in our words in human conversation, so in our words in prayer, let our speech be seasoned with salt, that which heals and preserves from putrefaction and decay.