Paul's Gratitude

Paul wrote to the Saints at Thessalonica saying, “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).  He similarly encouraged the Colossians saying, “Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving” (Colossians 4:2).  Paul admonished a spirit of thanks to the Philippians in these words: “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God” (Philippians 4:6).  To the Colossians the apostle encouraged them to be “rooted and built up in [Christ]” and “abounding therein with thanksgiving” (Colossians 2:7).  In his letter to the Hebrews Paul preached expressing consistent thanks to God in these words: “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name” (Hebrews 13:15).  Throughout his epistles he taught the Saints that we should be full of gratitude for God, and he showed through his words that he, despite the enormous struggles and challenges he faced, was one who indeed lived with thanksgiving.

               In his expressions of thanks Paul wrote to the Saints about his gratitude for God’s help in his own life.  He exclaimed to the Romans, “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 7:24-25).  He knew that deliverance came through Christ and expressed thanks for that, saying to the Corinthians, “But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57).  He said again to them, “Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place” (2 Corinthians 2:14).  He expressed his “many thanksgivings unto God” for the abundant blessings of the Lord to the saints and to him (2 Corinthians 9:12).  Clearly he felt deep gratitude to the Lord for His bounteous blessings, and most importantly he gave “Thanks… unto God for his unspeakable gift” (2 Corinthians 9:15). 

            In addition to expressing his gratitude for the Lord’s goodness, Paul expressed his thanks for others whom he loved again and again.  For example, he told the Corinthians, “I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 1:4).  To the Ephesians he expressed his love for them in these words, “I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers” (Ephesians 1:15-16).  He spoke in similar terms to the Thessalonians, saying, “For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe” (1 Thessalonians 2:13).  Paul was full of gratitude when those he taught accepted the gospel, telling them again in the next letter, “We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly” (2 Thessalonians 1:3).  He told Philemon, “I thank my God, making mention of thee always in my prayers,” and to Timothy he said, “I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day” (Philemon 1:4, 2 Timothy 1:3).  Paul taught to live a life of thanksgiving to God and then he lived that same way, and even though he was stoned, wrongfully imprisoned, shipwrecked, and faced many other challenges, he still had a heart full of gratitude to the Lord.