First, Give Thanks!

November 6, 2025

First, Give Thanks!

One of the easiest things to overlook is to give thanks for the people near us. 

It’s easy to take our friends or family or co-workers or classmates for granted.  It’s not that we do not appreciate them, care about them, or love them.  We do!  It’s that we just begin to believe they will always be there!

Most of the time, we probably just forget to give thanks.  We can forget to tell the other person thank you for being part of our life.  We can forget to tell Jesus thank you the other person is part of our network.  We can forget to tell ourselves how thankful we are the other person is part of our circle of friends.

I had not visited one of my friends for several months.  There are considerable miles that separate us so it is not always easy to sit together and visit.  But, there had been a few opportunities along the way when I had not made the effort to call for a time to visit. 

When I finally made the time to reach out, my heart was lighter; there was joy and excitement!  There was also gratitude for my friend.  When we finally got together, I told him I was thankful for our friendship.  He responded in a like manner.

In those moments when we gave thanks for our friendship and for our shared faith in Jesus, our friendship took another step deeper.  Shared friendship and shared faith in Jesus are some of God’s most precious gifts in life.

The Apostle Paul was aware of the importance of giving thanks for our friends, especially our friends with whom we share a common faith in Jesus.  In his letter to the churches in Rome, Paul begins with some words of greeting. 

As Paul moves into the body of his letter, the first thing he says is that he gives thanks to Jesus for the people in the churches in Rome.  In Romans 1:8 Paul writes; “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed throughout the world.”

The first thing Paul wants the Christ-followers in Rome to know is he is giving thanks to God for them.  The most important things are friendship and faith, not theological correction, not instructions on how to live a life of holiness, not practical tips on how to endure religious persecution, not how to avoid compromising with culture, etc. 

Instead, the first thing Paul wants the Christ-followers in Rome to know is that he is giving thanks to God for them.  He cherishes their friendship, he treasures their faith in Jesus, and he admires how they are sharing the Gospel in the world.  So, Paul gives thanks for them!

The Bible calls us to give thanks for other people; for who they are and for what they are doing!

In I Thessalonians 1:2 we hear; “We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly.”

In Isaiah 12:4 we hear; “And you will say on that day: ‘Give thanks to the Lord; call on his name; make known his deeds among the nations; proclaim that his name is exalted.’”

In Psalm 9:1 we hear; “I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.”

Sometimes it is easy to forget to give thanks for the people God has arranged in our lives.  We can get busy and not make the time.  We can focus on the other person’s imperfections and make excuses not to call.  We can miss how important it is for the other person to know we are grateful for them, for what they are doing, and for their faith in Jesus.

+For whom in your circle have you failed to give thanks to God in the last several months?

+Is there a person you care about who would be blessed by knowing you are thanking Jesus for them?

+Are you willing to pray the Holy Spirit will give you the opportunity and the boldness to invite a person to coffee this week so you can tell them face-to-face you are giving thanks to Jesus for them?

For the Apostle Paul, the thing of first importance as he writes his letter to the churches in Rome was to tell them he was giving thanks to the Lord for them in his prayers.  Imagine you setting a similar priority today so you can tell someone you are praying for them and you are giving thanks to Jesus for them!  

If you dare to tell them, imagine the delight that will fill their heart…and your heart, too!

Take Delight In The Lord!

Doug