Shall God be Thanked by Us?

© 2019 by Tom Boynton (editing by Kathy Boynton)

The apostle Paul loved God so much that he became a willing slave of the Lord Jesus Christ.  In his letter to the Roman Christians, he greets them with the following words.

“Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,…” (Romans 1:1) 

In that greeting, the Greek word translated “servant” is “doulos” which also means “slave.”  Paul had been a rising star in the religious system of Israel.  As such, he viciously persecuted believers in Christ.  Then, much to his surprise, while on yet another rampage against Christians, the risen Lord confronted him, struck him with blindness, and changed his heart.  As Paul writes to the Roman Christians, he is basking in the love of his Savior who has rescued him from eternal condemnation.  Paul’s life became centered around praising God and preaching the Gospel of Christ wherever he went.

A little later in his letter, Paul gives thanks to God.  In the words that follow, notice why he is thankful.

“But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.  Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.” (Romans 6:17-18)

Paul gives thanks to God for delivering the recipients of his letter in the same way God had delivered him.

If you’re a fellow Christian, I ask the following question to both myself and to you.  What is the focus of our lives?  Is it dedicated primarily to things of this world with only our leftover energy being used to serve our Savior?  With how many people each day do we come in contact without ever breathing a word about what Christ has done for us?  Do we ever address them either verbally or in writing with the good news that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners?  Paul expressed it this way.

“This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.” (1 Timothy 1:15)

It was the work of God in Paul’s heart, and in the hearts of those that he addressed, that filled him with such thanksgiving.

This year, what will fill our hearts with thanksgiving?  Football?  Food?  Or, redemption from sin?

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