Beyond Thank You

A 3:16 Study

               How are we doing with living out gratitude? Is thankfulness honestly motivating us? Or is life, as usual, challenging our best efforts?

               When circumstances become frustrating and situations are difficult, I want to give up gratitude because it doesn’t feel genuine. I forget to be thankful for my reliable car when gas costs so much. Meanwhile, I’m glad that it’s not my responsibility as a renter for problems like plumbing or maintenance, but wouldn’t it be amazing to have a yard for Yoshi or to use nails to hang my paintings instead of unreliable command strips? The list goes on, and it’s as if there are scales that need balancing, thanks and complaints on opposite sides, but the troubles are much heavier than the blessings. Yet, we know that’s not reality at all.

               When I researched The Other Three Sixteens , I discovered a passage in Colossians that’s really big on thankfulness. It even offers practical action steps, which I always appreciate. I mean, how many times do we encounter amazing concepts in God’s Word, but are not entirely sure how to follow them? Colossians 3:16 has us covered.

               “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.” (Colossians 3:16)

               It’s beautiful to imagine a community singing together with grateful hearts. Let’s emerge from our imaginations and make Colossians 3:16 reality. There are a few important ideas we need to highlight in order to practically step into this.

               Dwell- This means that the message of Christ exists in us always. Not sporadically, not occasionally, and not compartmentalized apart from other things. Christ must be integrated into every part of our lives.

               Teach- We are constantly learning as God helps us grow in faith. However, those lessons were never intended to be hoarded or kept quietly to ourselves. Though it might sound intimidating to be a teacher, what this means is that we share what we have learned. We can all do that.

               Admonish- To advise earnestly or warn firmly. When done in love, this is accountability we all need as disciples of Christ.

               Wisdom- James 1:5 tells us that God gives us wisdom when we ask. The Lord is the source of ultimate wisdom, and it just so happens that He’s also our loving Heavenly Father. When we apply the wisdom He generously gives, it helps us teach and admonish well in love.

               Music from the Spirit- We mistakenly think that making music is only for those we deem “talented.” The truth? Music is a gift from God, allowing all of us to express beyond what words alone can say. When we are led by the Holy Spirit, the songs we sing are beautiful, joyful worship.

               Gratitude- Gratitude includes a healthy perspective as we humbly acknowledge God’s gifts, then are moved to action. (In case you missed this.)

               Heart- None of this is surface level or going through the motions. Every bit is sincere to our core.

               Alright, so Colossians 3:16 makes sense, but how do we live it? Verse 17 gives us some guidance:

               “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Colossians 3:17)

               There’s thankfulness again, and it’s in Christ. We’re motivated by gratitude, which is rooted in the extravagant love of Jesus. That’s powerful. So now that we have the foundation needed to live out Colossians 3:16, all we need are a few detailed steps. Don’t worry, verses 12-15 are ready to help!

               “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” (Colossians 3:12-15)

               Ok, that’s a lot for us to work with and plenty to practice. We’ve got to wear these virtues like clothing, practicing them all the time. Don’t worry if the effort seems overwhelming. These things come from the Holy Spirit in us- we don’t manufacture them ourselves. However, that means we’ve got to be walking with the Spirit. Again, it all comes from the love of Christ, and we’ve got lots of that.

               Take a moment and slowly read through that passage once more. Let the words sink in, thinking about which come easier and which need a little bit more assistance from the Holy Spirit. Then check out that very last sentence.

               “And be thankful.”

               We begin with gratitude, are full of gratitude, and the result is gratitude. Let’s take Colossians 3:16 off the page and into our lives, experiencing the thankfulness that naturally comes from God’s abundant love.

               Want to dig deeper into the 3:16s in each book of the Bible? There are treasures on the pages! You can find The Other Three Sixteens on Amazon, Bookshop (affiliate), Christianbook, and other retailers.