Thankworthy
Today’s Verse:
For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. ~1 Peter 2:19
As we approach the Thanksgiving season, the Lord led me to reflect on the “thankworthy” that is used by Peter in I Peter 2. This word is so important it is also used in verse 20. It is a word that is used 8 other times in I Peter and at least 165 times in the New Testament. Let us consider thanksgiving according to Peter and reflect on some important gifts God has given us that we should be thankful for.
We see the trend.
“For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,” 2 Tim. 3:2. The time we live in is marked by a much unthankfulness. It reminds me of a story I recently read. Two old friends met each other on the street one day. One looked forlorn, almost on the verge of tears. His friend asked, “What has the world done to you, my old friend?” The sad fellow said, “Let me tell you: three weeks ago, my uncle died and left me forty thousand dollars.” “That’s a lot of money.” “But you see, two weeks ago, a cousin I never even knew died, and left me eighty-five thousand dollars, free and clear.” “Sounds to me that you’ve been very blessed.” “You don’t understand!” he interrupted. “Last week my great-aunt passed away. I inherited almost a quarter of a million from her.” Now the man’s friend was really confused. “Then, why do you look so glum?” “This week . . . nothing!”[1] Have we gotten to the place where we have become unthankful?
We see the truth.
The word “thankworthy” is used twice in two verses and 8 other times in 1 Peter. The believers he was writing to were in a situation similar to people recently displaced by the wild fires. They were referred to as the diaspora. Their situation compelled Peter to write about having a good conscience before God and man. This word, thankworthy, is the word “charis.” It is translated “acceptable” in verse 20. Charis is more popularly translated the word “grace!” In using the word “thankworthy,” it is saying, “This is God’s grace in action” Thankfulness and thanksgiving always have their roots in the grace of God! The more thankful you are, the more you are filled with his grace! Thanksgiving is the outflow of God’s grace in the life of a believer!
Here are several blessings found in I Peter that we should thank the Lord for all the time. First, there is our salvation (1:3-5). Second, there is our Savior (2:6-7). Third, there is our selection (2:9-10). Fourth, there are our siblings (2:17, 3:8-9). Fifth, there is our suffering (1:7-8; 2:19-20). Sixth, there is our stewardship (4:9-11). Seventh, there is His sympathy (5:7). Eight, there is His sufficiency (5:10).
We see the tribute.
“It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High,” Psalm 92:1. We would do well to make being thankworthy a part of every day. One year when Christmas Day fell on a Sunday, a farmer decided to go to church (Like some people, he thought he was fulfilling his religious obligation by going to church twice a year—at Christmas and Easter!). The sermon that day was preached from the text, “The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider” (Isaiah 1:3). Isaiah is saying that man is dumber than the animals. After church the farmer returned home and stood among his cows. One of them began to lick his hand—a practical demonstration of the sermon he had just heard. Strong man though he was, the farmer began to weep as he thought, “God did much for me, and yet I never thanked Him. My cow is far more grateful than I am. What do I ever give her other than grass and water?”[2]
Being thankworthy is remembering we have many things that are worthy of our thanks.
Have a thankworthy God Morning!
[1] Lectionary Levity: The Use of Humor in Preaching, Ian S. Markham, Samantha R.E. Gottlich. Church Publishing. 2017. Page 81.
Bible Reading Schedule: Acts 11-13