Someone who says “thank you” in a timely and respectful manner enriches our lives! That stands out as being true, because, too often, we experience indifference or insincerity in our daily lives.
It is especially gratifying to watch young families in which their children are taught and then reminded to say, “thank you.” This is such a simple practice to instill as a part of parenting, and the lesson can have a broad impact on the overall character of a person throughout his or her life.
Saying “thank you” can help instill and then build an enduring sense of true gratitude and thankfulness. It is especially important that we acknowledge God to show our appreciation for His guidance and blessings in our lives. Sadly, very few people are truly mindful of God. The Apostle Paul writes, “…because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened” (Romans 1:21).
Jesus Christ did many miraculous things, including healing people, but His mighty works were taken for granted at times. Ten men who were lepers asked Jesus to heal them, and He did. Consider their reactions:
“And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. So Jesus answered and said, ‘Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?’” (Luke 17:15-18).
How, then, was God glorified by the one who was healed? It was done because he was thankful and expressed it. King David also glorified God through praise and thanksgiving, and his Psalms virtually ring out with his worship of God. In celebration of having the Ark of God placed in the tabernacle he had set up, David wrote a Psalm which contains these words:
“Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever” (1 Chronicles 16:34).
Several of the later Psalms begin with these beautiful words of praise (See Psalms 106, 107, 118, 136 (comp. Jeremiah 33:11). David was thankful, and he did not forget to praise God for His mercy and blessings. We are also reminded to honor God by glorifying Him with our thanksgiving, as the Apostle Paul writes:
“And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Colossians 3:17).
