Give Thanks

Why do we, How do we, When do we?


Luke 17:11-19 Ten Healed of Leprosy

Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”

When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

Even in the miraculous history of the Jews, healings from leprosy were rare. Moses’ sister Miriam had leprosy for a week, and Elisha healed a military commander. Leprosy was a death sentence and exile all in one. So it’s not clear what the lepers could have hoped for when they cried out to Jesus.

1) What are excuses that the nine lepers might have made about why they didn’t go back?



2) Were the nine lepers healed or not? What does the last phrase mean?



Why?
3) What’s an example of deep gratitude you’ve felt towards a person? What was the cause?



Some reasons for Thanksgiving:
• Thanksgiving praises God. We’re called to worship God – commanded to – and giving thanks is worshipful.
• Madame Blueberry learned that “A grateful heart is a happy heart.” Focusing on with what we have been blessed helps us know how blessed we are.
• It helps us remember that God is good. In the psalms they’re still thanking God for the Exodus. By thanking Him, it helps us remember all he’s done. It fights against taking God for granted.
• It trains us to look forward to continued blessings. God who has done mighty things for us, will continue to do mighty things for us.
4) Have you experienced any of these benefits? Are there other benefits you’ve received from giving thanks?


5) Do you make a distinction between praising God, worshipping God and giving thanks to God?



How?
6) When someone thanks you, what tells you if it’s genuine gratitude or politeness?



7) Does that apply to us giving thanks to God?


8) The two most frequent descriptions of thanksgiving in the bible are giving thanks (1) with song and (2) with praise. How does that help us give thanks?


When?
Paul tells us to “Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Eph 5:19-20); “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.” (Col 3:17); “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thes 5:16-18)

Why Paul’s emphasis on everything? One Bible study says: “It couldn’t get any simpler or plainer. The verse means exactly what it says, “In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God.” Period. By giving thanks to God for everything, I give Him credit for everything. I give Him all the praise and glory. My focus is on Him. That’s what He wants. He wants my undivided attention. … If the tire goes flat, I’m to thank the Lord. If the weather cancels out an important event, I’m to thank the Lord. If I get fired from my job, I’m to thank the Lord. If I get sick, I’m to thank the Lord. When the Lord says “everything,” He literally means “everything,” regardless of the lightness or severity of the situation.”

9) How do you interpret “give thanks in all circumstances”?


Many psalms are good training for thanks giving, in particular 100, 106, 107, 118, and 136.

Psalm 136

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever.
to him who alone does great wonders, His love endures forever.
who by his understanding made the heavens, His love endures forever.
who spread out the earth upon the waters, His love endures forever.
who made the great lights – His love endures forever.
the sun to govern the day, His love endures forever.
the moon and stars to govern the night; His love endures forever.
to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt. His love endures forever.
and brought Israel out from among them; His love endures forever.
with a mighty hand and outstretched arm; His love endures forever.
to him who divided the Red Sea [a] asunder His love endures forever.
and brought Israel through the midst of it, His love endures forever.
but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea; His love endures forever.
to him who led his people through the desert, His love endures forever.
who struck down great kings, His love endures forever.
and killed mighty kings – His love endures forever.
Sihon king of the Amorites. His love endures forever.
and Og king of Bashan – His love endures forever.
and gave their land as an inheritance, His love endures forever.
an inheritance to his servant Israel; His love endures forever.
to the One who remembered us in our low estate. His love endures forever.
and freed us from our enemies, His love endures forever.
and who gives food to every creature. His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures forever.

10) What verses would you add to this great hymn?


Like the old church response goes - Let us bless the Lord: Thanks be to God!

Bonus:  One of the greatest stories of thanks I have ever heard is from Corey ten Boom, who had reason during the Holocaust to be thankful for fleas.  Read this story, which is an excerpt from her book The Hiding Place.

Reference:
http://www.morninglightministries.org/commentary/in-everything-give-thanks.asp
Photo by shannonkringen @ Flickr

The middle school study this week will be a subset of this men's study.

Giving Thanks (Youth Group version)
Why do we, How do we, When do we?

Luke 17:11-19 Ten Healed of Leprosy

1) Why do you think Luke makes a point of the thankful man being a Samaritan?

2) Would your instinct have been to go back to Jesus or keep going to the priests or something else?

3) What are excuses that the nine lepers might have made about why they didn’t go back?

4) Were the nine lepers healed or not? What does the last phrase mean?

Why?
God doesn’t need us to give thanks, and He doesn’t do good for us to get thanks. He asks us to give thanks because it’s good for us! Some reasons for Thanksgiving:
• Thanksgiving praises God. We’re called to worship God – commanded to – and giving thanks is worshipful.
• Madame Blueberry learned that “A grateful heart is a happy heart.” Focusing on how we have been blessed helps us know how blessed we are.
• It helps us remember that God is good. In the psalms they’re still thanking God for the Exodus. By thanking Him, it helps us remember all he’s done. It fights against taking God for granted.
• It trains us to look forward to continued blessings. God who has done mighty things for us, will continue to do mighty things for us.

5) Have you experienced any of these benefits? Can you think of any other reason it’s good for us to give thanks?

How?
6) When someone thanks you, what tells you if it’s genuine gratitude or politeness?

7) What does that mean about how we should give thanks to God?

When?
Paul tells us to “Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Eph 5:19-20); “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.” (Col 3:17); “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thes 5:16-18)

8) How do you interpret “give thanks in all circumstances”? Are we supposed to give thanks when things are terrible?


Many psalms are good training for thanks giving, in particular 100, 106, 107, 118, and 136.

Psalm 136

9) What verses would you add to this great hymn?

Like we say in church… Let us bless the Lord: Thanks be to God!