ALWAYS AND FOR ALL THINGS – Charles Spurgeon
“Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 5:20)
The position of our text in the Epistle is worthy of observation. It follows the precept regarding sacred song, in which believers are instructed to speak to themselves and one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in their hearts to the Lord. If they cannot be always singing, they are always to maintain the spirit of song. If they must occasionally desist from outward expressions of praise, they should never refrain from inwardly giving thanks.
The apostle, having touched upon the act of singing in public worship, now points out the essential part of it, which lies not in classic music and thrilling harmonies, but in the melody of the heart. Thanksgiving is the soul of all acceptable singing. Note that this verse immediately precedes the apostle’s exhortations to believers concerning the common duties of ordinary life. The saints are to give thanks to God always, and then fulfill their duties to their fellow men. The apostle writes, “Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God,” and follows with various branches of holy walking, which concern wives and husbands, children and parents, servants and masters. It would seem that thanksgiving is the preface to a holy life, the foundation of obedience, and the entryway of sanctity.
The Foundation of Obedience
He who would serve God must begin by praising God, for a grateful heart is the mainspring of obedience. We must offer the salt of gratitude with the sacrifice of obedience; our lives should be anointed with the precious oil of thankfulness. As soldiers march to music, so, while we walk in the paths of righteousness, we should keep step to the notes of thanksgiving. Larks sing as they mount, and so should we magnify the Lord for His mercies while we are ringing our way to heaven.
Relevance to Our Current Circumstances
My text is a very appropriate one for this cold morning when wind and snow conspire against our comfort. Let it peek up like the golden cup of the crocus out of the wintry waste. When the weather is unusually dull and dreary, we should resolve to set a stout heart against the pelting storm and determine that, if we shiver in body, we will at least be warm in heart. Our thanksgiving is not a swallow that is gone with the summer. The birds within our bosom sing all year round, and on such a morning as this, their song is doubly welcome.
The fire of gratitude will help to warm us—heap on the big logs of loving memories. No cold shall freeze the genial current of the soul; our praise shall flow on even when brooks and rivers are bound in chains of ice. Let us see which among us can best rejoice in the Lord in bad weather.
The Pleasant Duty of Giving Thanks
I. The Pleasant Duty
First, let us think of the pleasant duty which is here both prescribed and described. Think of what it is—giving thanks. By this, we mean the emotion of gratitude and its expression, either by song, grateful speech, a thankful look, or any other method. Sometimes we have been so overcome by the devout emotion of gratitude to God for His mercy that we could not help but weep. Strangely, the same floodgates which furnish vent for our sorrows also supply a channel for the overflow of our joys. We may weep to God’s praise if we feel it to be most natural.
We are to give thanks in our spirit, feeling not only resigned, acquiescent, and content, but also grateful for all that God does to us and for us. We are bound to show this gratitude by our actions, for obedience is the most sincere and acceptable method of giving thanks. To cheerfully go about irksome and laborious duty is to thank God; to bear sickness and pain patiently, because it is according to His will, is to thank God; to sympathize with suffering saints for love of Jesus is to bless God; and to love the cause of God, defending it for Christ’s sake, is to thank God.
Gratitude Through Obedience
The angels, when they praise God, not only sing “Hallelujah, Hallelujah,” but they obey, “doing His commandments, hearkening to the voice of His Word.” We must give thanks to God in every shape that is expressive of our hearts and suitable to the occasion. Changing the mode of thanksgiving, we may continue without cessation to give thanks unto God, even the Father.
After all, beloved, it is but a light thing to render to our heavenly Father our poor thanks, after He has given us our lives, maintained us in being, saved our souls through the precious redemption of Jesus Christ, and made us heirs of eternal glory. What are our thanks in the presence of all these priceless favors? If we gave our God a thousand lives, and could spend each one in perpetual martyrdom, it would still be a small return for what He has bestowed upon us. Yet to give Him thanks is the least we can do—shall we be slack in that?
The Universal Call to Thanksgiving
He gives us breath—shall we not breathe out His praise? He fills our mouth with good things—shall we not speak well of His name? “Words are but air, and tongues but clay, and His compassions are divine.” Shall we fail even with words and tongues? God forbid. We will praise the name of the Lord, for His mercy endures forever.
None of us will say, “I pray You have me excused.” The poorest, weakest, and least-gifted person can give thanks. The work of thanksgiving does not belong only to the person of large utterance, for even those who can hardly put two words together can give thanks. It is not confined to the person of great wealth, for the woman who had but two mites gave substantial thanks. The smoking flax may give thanks that it is not quenched, and the bruised reed may give thanks that it is not broken. Even the dumb may give thanks; their countenance can smile a psalm. And the dying can give thanks, their placid brow beaming forth a hymn. Therefore, no Christian can honestly say, “I am unable to exercise the delightful privilege of giving thanks.”
Giving Thanks Always
Now, as we have considered what it is we are to do, let us notice when we are to do it. The core of the precept lies in the two “alls” in the text—“always for all things.” We are to give thanks always. To give thanks sometimes is easy enough; any mill will grind when the wind blows. Brethren, we scarcely need exhorting to do this when the wine and oil increase, for we cannot help it. There are glad days when, if we did not thank God, we would be something worse than fallen men—only fit to be compared with devils.
Anyone can give God thanks when the harvests are plentiful, the stalls full of fat cattle, and the meadows covered with increasing herds. When the fig tree blossoms, and the fruit is in the vines, when the labor of the olive fails not, and the fields yield abundance, then it is natural to give thanks. When health enjoys life, and wealth adorns it, who will not say, “I thank God”? But to give thanks always, to bless the Lord in all winds and weathers, and praise Him for losses and pains—this is a work of a different character.
The Challenge of Thanking God in Difficult Times
“O,” you say, “we cannot always praise God with our lips.” I have already said that vocal thanksgiving is not essential. Perhaps the most doubtful form of praising God is that performed by the tongue. The most sure and truthful way of giving thanks is through actions in daily life. But we are to be always praising God under some shape or other—the heart is always to be full of gratitude. At all times of the day, we should be grateful. Our first waking thought should be, “Bless the Lord.” Our last before we sleep should be, “Praise be to the God of love, who gives a pillow for my weary head.”
At all times of life, we should give thanks. In youth, we should praise God for godly parents and early grace. In mid-life, we should thank Him for strength, household joys, and His loving kindness. In mature years, when the head, like the golden grain, bows with ripeness, the aged saint should begin the employment of heaven by always giving thanks.
Gratefulness in Every Situation
We should give God thanks when our wealth increases and when it melts away, when it flows in and when it ebbs out. We must bless Him in success and also in disaster. We must give Him thanks when health departs; when the tabernacle falls apart due to gradual decay; and even in the expiring moments when the sigh of earth is hushed by the song of heaven.
It is easy to stand here and tell you this, but I have not always found it easy to practice the duty. I confess this to my shame. When suffering extreme pain some time ago, a brother in Christ asked, “Have you thanked God for this?” I replied that I desired to be patient and would be thankful to recover. He responded, “‘In everything give thanks’—not after it is over, but while you are still in it. Perhaps, when you are enabled to give thanks for the severe pain, it will cease.”
Conclusion: Thankfulness in All Circumstances
I believe there is much force in that good advice. It may have sounded strange at the time, but if there is grace in our hearts, we acknowledge the correctness of it. We struggle after the holy joy of heart that it depicts, and by God’s grace, we are eventually able to give thanks to God unceasingly. We shall never come to a time in which we will say, “I will thank God no more.” A thousand times NO! We could sooner cease to live than cease to give thanks.
This solemn determination enables believers to gloriously live out their faith. Was it not grand on Job’s part to say, “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord,” even when he tore his mantle and shaved his head in grief? Was it not noble on Paul and Silas’ part, when they were thrust into the inner dungeon, to sing praises at midnight, their backs bleeding, their feet in the stocks?
This is what it means to praise God rightly—to bless Him in the dead of night, to bless Him with bleeding backs, and to bless Him with feet in the stocks! To feel that nothing in this life, and nothing in death, shall make us cease to bless the Lord while thought and being last! This is grace indeed.
Giving Thanks for All Things
The text also tells us why we give thanks—“for all things.” For the things of greatest importance, we should always be grateful—our new birth, the pardon of sin, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, all covenant mercies, the blessings of the cross and the crown. A Christian has infinite cause for gratitude. When I first looked to Christ and was lightened, I thought that if I never received another mercy except that of being delivered from my load of guilt, I would praise God forever.
But you have not received one spiritual mercy only, nor two, nor twenty—you have had them strewn along your path in richest profusion. The stars above are not more numerous, nor the sands beneath more innumerable. Every hour, yes, every moment, has brought a favor upon its wings. Look downward and give thanks, for you are saved from hell. Look on the right hand and give thanks, for you are enriched with gracious gifts. Look on the left hand and give thanks, for you are shielded from deadly ills. Look above you and give thanks, for heaven awaits you.
Thankfulness for the Little Things
We should also give thanks for the minor and temporary benefits. For instance, there should not be a loaf of bread brought into the house without thanksgiving. Nor should we cast a coal upon the fire without gratitude. We eat like dogs if we sit down to our meals without devoutly blessing God. We live like serpents if we never rise to devout recognition of the Lord’s kindness. We should not put on our garments without adoring God, or rest in our beds without praising Him.
Each breath of air should inspire us with thanks, and the blood in our veins should circulate gratitude throughout our system. O, how sacred would our temporal mercies be to us if we were always thanking God for them!
Gratefulness for the Unseen Mercies
We often complain because we have not more, but we have a position which, in God’s sight, is the best for us. We could not have been better off than we are now, all things being considered—eternal things as well as present things—and yet we murmur as though God had dealt harshly with us. The worst of all is that sometimes the poorest are the most thankful. Those dear souls who are always sick and never have a moment free from pain are often the happiest and most grateful. While people with wealth, health, strength, and comfort are often the most dissatisfied.
May God save us from ever falling into a murmuring spirit. Let us give thanks always for all things, recognizing that even the blessings we cannot see are often the most significant.
Giving Thanks in All Circumstances
We ought to thank God for both the seen and unseen mercies, recognizing the many hidden blessings that surround us. Even in moments of trial and suffering, let us continue to bless God, for He leads us through the wilderness to fit us for the promised land. In all circumstances, let our hearts continually offer “Deo gratias!”—thanks be to God.
Finally, the text reminds us that all thanksgiving is to be given to God the Father, for He is the source of all blessings. Our gratitude should extend beyond men to the Creator of all things, who is the Sustainer and Preserver of our lives.
Let us offer thanks to God always, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Through Him, our praises find acceptance before the Father.
The Christian’s Duty of Thanksgiving
As though we stood where Jesus once stood when He said on earth, “I thank You, O Father.” You Christian people are sent into the world as Christ was sent into the world. Christ’s office was to glorify God, and such is your office for His sake, and in His name. Think—how would Jesus have given thanks? How would He have praised God? In what sort of spirit would the ever adorable Son, whose meat and drink it was to serve His Father, have praised God? After that fashion and in that same way you are to give thanks unto God and the Father. It is a high position for a poor son of man to occupy, but if the Lord has called you to it, by His grace be not slack in the performance of the heavenly service.
The Future Fulfillment of Thanksgiving
The day will come when we shall fulfill our text in the widest sense. Then we shall give thanks to God at the winding up of the drama of human history for everything that has happened—from the fall, even to the destruction of the wicked. We may not be able to do so now. Our eyes see the gigantic evil and do not see the overruling good which, like a boundless sea, rolls over all. The dreadful mysteries of evil make us tremble as we think of them, but the day will come when, with the Lord Jesus, we will not only bless God for electing love but will even say, “I thank You, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hid these things from the wise and prudent.”
Understanding Divine Providence
The day will come when even the darkest side of the divine decrees and the most profound depths of the divine action shall cause us to adore with gratitude. And then that which can least be understood in providence shall no longer be the subject of awe-struck wonder, but of unspeakable delight. We shall trace the line of perfection along the course of the divine decrees, and though the way of the Lord may have seemed inscrutable to us, we shall then adore Him for that wondrous display of all His attributes—justice, love, truth, faithfulness, omnipotence—which shall blaze forth with tenfold splendor. In heaven, we shall give thanks unto God always for all things, without exception, and throughout eternity we shall magnify His holy name through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Let us do it as best we can today, God’s Spirit helping us.
The Spiritual Prerequisites for Giving Thanks
II. The Spiritual Prerequisites
Now, briefly, let me speak to you about the spiritual prerequisites which are necessary for the performance of this very pleasant work. And let it be solemnly remembered that no man can give thanks always to God through Jesus Christ till he has a new heart. The old heart is an ungrateful one, and even if a man should try with an unrenewed nature to give thanks to God, it would be like the impossible supposition of the dead struggling to make themselves alive, which cannot be. The old heart is a putrid fountain, it cannot send forth sweet streams; it is opposed to God, and it cannot bless Him in a way that He can accept.
Looking at this fair and lovely duty, I would say to all who wish to practice it, “You must be born again.” Unless you are made new creatures in Christ Jesus, you can never give thanks to God always for all things.
The Importance of a True Sense of God
Next, I would remind you that in order to perform this duty aright, a man must have a sense of God. To give thanks to God aright, a man must believe that there is a God. He must go further than that, he must feel that God is the author of the good things which he receives. And, to give thanks always, he must advance yet further and believe that even in seeming evil, love is at work. He must also come to believe in God as present to hear his thanks, or he will soon tire of presenting them.
“You God see me” must be printed on the new-born heart, or else there will be no constant giving of thanks to God. Let me ask you, dear friend, you believe in God, and you do well, but have you done better than the devils who also believe in God? They tremble—have you gone as far as that? There are some who have not. Devils cannot, however, love God and give Him thanks; have you gone beyond the trembling of a devil up to the giving thanks and the adoration of a truly loving heir of heaven?
Answer that question—is God as real to you as your wife or child? Is He as real as yourself? He must be so, and you must know Him to be always present with you, or else you will never continue praising Him.
Reconciliation with God
A man who gives thanks to God always, for all things, must have a sense of complete reconciliation to God. You cannot bless God till you have heard Him say, “I have blotted out your sins like a cloud, and like a thick cloud, your transgressions.” Lean and false are the thanks which come from an unforgiven heart. A soul condemned for its unbelief is not a soul that can be accepted for its gratitude—it cannot be condemned for one thing, and accepted for another.
As I came here this morning, I was thinking very joyfully of another morning many years ago, which was, as to snow and cold, precisely like it. I remember when the family to which I belonged felt unable to go up to the house of God because the snow was deep and falling heavily as it is now. I, too, was unable to go to the place of worship where our household usually attended, and by reason of the snow, I was drifted into the little Methodist chapel where I heard of Jesus and found peace with God.
The Power of Thanksgiving
I have learned to bless His name since then—but before that, though I could have sung as others sing, there was no giving thanks unto God by Jesus Christ in my heart. I wondered, as I came along, whether God might not lead someone to this place whom He would bring to Himself this morning—someone for whom this cold day should become as memorable as that day of snow was to me. That morning in that Methodist chapel, there was a good work done, for though there were but few of us, one at least was called, and that one God has made the spiritual parent of many thousands of His children.
I am surprised to find this place so full today, and it is clear proof that you love to hear the gospel. It encourages me to hope that there may be one here whom God shall make eminently useful when He has saved him. Whoever it may be, if he is reconciled to God by the death of God’s dear Son, he will give thanks to God indeed, and of a truth. If nobody else does so, he or she will from this day forward sing,
“I will praise You every day
Now Your anger’s turned away!
Comfortable thoughts arise
From the bleeding sacrifice.”
The Necessity of the Mediator
We cannot give thanks to God through Jesus Christ unless we have accepted the Mediator! All the thanks commanded in the text are to come up to God through Jesus Christ. If we reject Him, or if we associate Him as a Mediator with somebody else, we have gone contrary to God’s way, and we cannot praise God. Virgins, saints, and martyrs must never be made rivals to Jesus Christ. To praise God, even the Father, does it not strike you that we must feel the spirit of adoption?
Who could praise a person as father whom he does not recognize as father? But he who feels, “Yes, I am the Lord’s child, erring though I am, and my heart says, ‘Abba,’” he can praise God indeed.
The Subordination of Our Will to God
To the fullest performance of this duty, there must be a subordination of ourselves to the will of God. We must not desire to have our own way; we must be content to say, “Not my will, but Yours be done.” I cannot give thanks to God always for all things till my old self is put down. While self rules, the hungry horseleech is in the heart, and that is fatal to gratitude. Self and discontent are mother and child. But when you say in your heart, “I am perfectly resigned to the will of God, my will consents to His will,” then shall your praise be as the continual sacrifice, and your thanksgiving shall rise before Him as incense.
The Eminent Excellences of Thanksgiving
III. The Eminent Excellences of Thanksgiving
I only want your attention a few minutes more while I speak upon the eminent excellences of continually giving thanks to God, even the Father. The first excellence is that it honors God. A thankful spirit glorifies the Most High. “Whoever offers praise, glorifies Me,” says the Lord. We might have imagined that whether we grumbled or complained, it would make no difference to God. It would be of no consequence to any one of us what might be the opinion of a little community of ants about us, but God is infinitely more superior to us than we are to ants! He considers that our praising and blessing Him renders glory to His name. Let us render it to Him, then, without stint.
Obedience and Restraint
There is no higher commendation for any course of action, or for any virtue to a Christian, than to tell him that it will honor God. Will it dishonor God? He will shrink from it, though mines of gold should tempt him. Will it honor God? The believer rushes forward to it, though floods and flames lie in his way. A grateful spirit is a blessed and yet a cheap way of honoring God, for it brings to us its own return.
Like mercy, it is “twice blessed.” It blesses us in the giving, and honors God in the receiving. Let the Christian see to it that he abounds in it. Obedience to our text will tend to check us from sin—“Giving thanks always for all things.” Very well, then, there are some places that we must not enter, for it would be blasphemous to be giving thanks there.
Thanksgiving in the Face of Sin
There are some things which I must not do, for I could not give God thanks for them. Suppose I have ground down the poor—how can I give God thanks for the miserable shillings which are the blood of these men? Suppose I have gained my living by an evil trade—how can I give thanks to God for the gold as I hear it chink in my bag? Suppose every day my prosperity brings misery to others—how can I give thanks for it? To give thanks for the fruit of sin were practically to blaspheme the thrice Holy God. O, no! If the Christian is always to give thanks, he must always be where he can give thanks—and if he is to give God thanks for all things, he must not touch that which he cannot give God thanks for.
The Calming Power of Thanksgiving
I must never grasp the fruit of covetousness, the gain of dishonesty, the profit of Sabbath-breaking, and the result of oppression—for if I do, I have that for which I may weep and howl before God, but certainly not that for which I can give Him thanks. Brethren, I say that if we looked well to our text, it would, by the power of God’s Holy Spirit, restrain us from sin.
But one of the truest excellences of a spirit of perpetual thanksgiving is this, that it calms us when we are glad, and it cheers us when we are sorrowful—a double benefit; it allays the feverish heat at the same time that it mitigates the rigorous cold. If a man is rich, and God has given him a thankful spirit, he cannot be too rich. If he will give thanks to God, he may be worth millions, and they will never hurt him. On the other hand, if a man has learned to give thanks to God, and he becomes poor, he cannot be too poor; he will be able to bear up under the severest poverty.
The Effect of Thankfulness on Others
The rich man should learn to find God in all things; the poor man should learn to find all things in God—and there is not much difference when you come to the bottom of these two causes. One child of God will be as grateful and as happy, as blessed and as rejoicing as another, if he is but satisfied to still give God thanks.
There is no overcoming a man who has climbed into this spirit. “I will banish you,” said a persecutor of the saints. “But you cannot do that,” the saint said, “for I am at home everywhere where Christ is.” “I shall take away all your property,” he said. “But I have none,” said the other, “and if I had any, you could not take away Christ from me, and as long as He is left, I shall be rich.” “I will take away your good name,” cried the persecutor. “That is gone already,” said the Christian, “and I count it joy to be counted the off-scouring of all things for Christ’s sake.” “But I will put you in prison.” “You may do as you please, but I shall be always free, for where Christ is, there is liberty.” “But I shall take away your life,” said he. “Yes, well,” said the other, “then I shall be in heaven, which is the truest life, so that you cannot hurt me.”
Living a Life of Thankfulness
This was a brave defiance to throw down at the feet of the foe. It is not in the power of the enemy to injure the men of God when once self is dethroned, and the heart has learned to be resigned to the will of God. O, you are great, you are strong, you are rich, and you are mighty when you have bowed yourselves to the will of the Most High! Stoop that you may conquer! Bow that you may triumph! Yield that you may get the mastery. It is when we are nothing that we are everything—when we are weak that we are strong. It is when we have utterly become annihilated as to self, and God is all in all, it is then that we are filled with all the fullness of God.
The Influence of Thanksgiving on Others
May the Holy Spirit conduct us into this spirit of perpetual thankfulness. One thing I am sure of: the more we have of this, the more useful we shall assuredly become. Nothing has had a greater effect upon the minds of thoughtless men than the continued thankfulness of true Christians. There are sick beds which have been more fruitful in conversions than pulpits. I have known women confined to their chambers by the space of 20 years whose remarkable cheerfulness of spirit has been the talk of the entire district. Many there have been who have called to see poor Sarah in her cottage, knowing that she has scarcely been a single day without distressing pain, and have heard her voice, and looked into that dear smiling face, and have learned the reality of godliness.
The Evangelistic Power of Gratitude
The bedridden saint has been a power throughout all the district, and many have turned to God, saying, “What is this which enables the Christian to give thanks always, to God?” Beloved, our crusty tempers and sour faces will never be evangelists. They may become messengers of Satan, but they will never become helpers of the gospel. To labor to make other people happy is one of the grand things a Christian should always try to do.
In little things, we ought not to be forever worrying, fidgeting, finding little difficulties, and spying out faults in others. I believe that to a faulty man, everybody is faulty; but there are better people in the world than you have dreamed of, sir, and when you are better, you will find them out. If you were always grateful to God, you would thank Him that people are as good as they are.
The Call to Gratitude and a New Heart
If you would be thankful when you meet with bad people—thankful that they are not worse than they are—and try to get hold of the best points in them, and not their worst points, you would be much more likely to gain your purpose if your purpose is to glorify God by doing them good. If you want to catch flies, try honey—they will be more readily caught with that than with vinegar—at least if they are human flies.
Put into your speech, love, rather than bitterness, and you will prevail. But there are times when you must speak with all the sternness of an Elijah. There are proper seasons when there must be no holding back of the most terrible truths. But for all that, let the general current of your life, the natural outflow of your entire being, be thankfulness to God which makes you loving towards men. I am sure in this way, when you come to speak of Jesus, you will get a more attentive ear, and when you tell your experience, you will recommend the gospel by your own conversation.
The Call to Those Who Have Not Yet Given Thanks
Beloved, I pray the Lord will give us a thankful spirit always, and when we talk to each other, let it not be our habit, as it is ordinarily with Englishmen, to complain of this and that, but let us thank God and testify of His goodness. I have heard that farmers are greatly given to grumbling. Well, if they are more apt at complaining than tradespeople, they are very far gone in it, for generally wherever I go, I hear that trade is bad—it always has been ever since I have been in London, and commerce has been constantly going to ruin.
I have known some who have lost money every month and yet are richer every year. How is this? Had not we better change our way of talking and dwell not upon our miseries but our mercies? Let us speak much of what God has given rather than of that which He has in love withheld from us. Let us bless Him rather than speak ill of our neighbors or complain of our circumstances.
The Need for New Hearts
But alas, there are some to whom I speak who will never undertake this duty until, as I have already said, they have new hearts and right spirits and have become reconciled to God by Jesus Christ. Now, to you, this one word—you are guilty and must be punished unless you find forgiveness. There is before you this morning, an altar of sacrifice in the person of Jesus Christ. There are four horns on the altar, looking all ways, and whoever touches the horns of this altar shall live, and live forever.
The Offer of Salvation
Jesus Christ is the great altar of sacrifice; a touch of Him at this moment will save you. It is the whole gospel. Believe, trust, and live, for “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ, is born of God”—whoever trusts in Christ shall be saved. Come to the altar, where His blood was spilt. Come now, and lay your hands upon its horn—you can but perish there. No, I must correct myself—you cannot perish there—you will perish anywhere else! Come, then, and rest in Jesus, and the Lord bless you for His dear name’s sake. Amen.