Articles
For All that You've Done I Will ...
While the ant scurries away, unworthy of the crumb it carries, I am aware of how I could bless (or overwhelm) its life with the entire cake I hold. Such is God’s grace to us. So, how should we respond? Probably like Paul did for the grace God showed the Christians in Corinth (1 Corinthians 1:4-9).
I. 2 Corinthians 8:3-7. A busy seaport city, Corinth was filled with immorality and idolatry, and despite the problems that Paul would address in his letters to them, he begins by giving thanks to God for the grace that He has shown them. He later urges them to show grace in giving like the churches in northern Greece have shown, letting them know that God has so much more from His abundance that He can give them (2 Corinthians 9:6-8). We, as they, might sing:
Thank You, Lord, for loving me And thank You, Lord, for blessing me. Thank You, Lord, for making me whole And saving my soul.
Let us all with one accord Sing praises to Christ the Lord. Let us all unite in song To praise Him all day long.
Please reveal Your will for me So I can serve You for eternity. Use my life in every way, Take hold of it today.
Thank You, Lord, for loving me. Thank You, Lord, for saving my soul.
II. 2 Peter 1:3-4. Paul was thankful to God that He continued to give to the Corinthians and would sustain them until the end. Since God has already given us His Son, all else is small in comparison (Romans 8:32). He gives all we need for life and godliness through His great and precious promises so we might participate in the divine nature with Him and escape this corrupt world. Our response should be a song of thankfulness from our hearts:
For all that You’ve done, I will thank You. For all that You’re going to do. For all that You’ve promised, and all that You are Is all that has carried me through, Jesus, I thank You!
And I thank You, thank You, Lord. And I thank You, thank You, Lord.
Thank You for loving and setting me free, (how I) Thank You for giving Your life just for me. How I thank You, Jesus, I thank You, gratefully thank You. Thank You.
III. Romans 7:21-25. Paul was also thankful that Jesus was able to present them guiltless (Jude 24) because God is faithful. And so, we can also trust in Jesus’ work in the gospel for us (2 Corinthians 5:21). Access to the Tree of Life that was denied mankind to live forever (Genesis 3:22) is now opened to those who obey the gospel (Revelation 22:14). Lamenting his struggle of the spiritual war waged within himself that we all share, Paul gave thanks to Jesus for his salvation:
How do you explain,
How do you describe,
A love that goes from east to west,
And runs and deep as it is wide?
You know all our hopes
Lord, you know all our fears
And words cannot express the love we feel
But we long for You to hear
So listen to our hearts (oh, Lord, please listen)
Hear our spirits sing (and hear us sing)
A song of praise that flows (a simple song of praise)
From those You have redeemed (from those You have redeemed)
We will use the words we know
To tell You what an awesome God You are
But words are not enough
To tell You of our love
So listen to our hearts
If words could fall like rain
From these lips of mine
And if I had a thousand years
I would still run out of time
So if You listen to my heart
Every beat would say,
“Thank You for the Life, thank You for the Truth,
Thank You for the Way.”
Is thankfulness the song of your heart? Do you reflect on all the ways that Jesus helps you and what He has given you? May you overflow with thanks to God for His grace that He’s already given You and love He’ll continue to shower you with.
