It’s so easy to become caught up in the pace of living that we forget why we are here. I’d like to begin by offering some thoughts on why it is important to sort out priorities and to give full credit where credit is due.
Author Ann Voskamp in her book, One Thousand Gifts, offers guidelines on how one can continually walk the correct path. Her premise is based on the biblical principle of Thanksgiving. My purpose is not to detract from her thesis but to compliment it.
Matthew 28:5-7 (NIV)
5 The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.
6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.
7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."
The hope of all humankind rests on that statement. Believe it, and you have the hope of Eternal Life; reject it and you can suffer the consequences.
John 3:16-18 (NIV)
16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.
On the day of Pentecost, the apostle Peter while addressing the very people who had crucified Jesus, preached:
Acts 2:36-39 (NIV)
36 "Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."
37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"
38 Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off--for all whom the Lord our God will call."
The apostle Paul said,
Romans 1:16-17 (NIV)
16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.
17 For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."
In Romans 8:1-3 (NIV) Paul states:
1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,
2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.
3 For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man,
Then he concludes this amazing chapter with:
Romans 8:37-39 (NIV)
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,
39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Philippians 2:5-11 (NIV)
5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross!
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
John concludes the apocalypse by saying,
Revelation 22:20-21 (NIV)
20 He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people. Amen.
Looking back to that Passover meal as Jesus reclined at the table with His disciples we find him using a couple of terms to express the attitude Christians should have while remembering his sacrifice on the cross. We typically partake of the Lord’s Super or Eucharist on Sunday mornings.
Author Ann Voskamp in her book, One Thousand Gifts suggests we do more than that. Her suggestion is to take the principle of eucharisteo and let that become the foundation of our daily living; take this grace (charis) which is bracketed by prefix and suffix, and allow this gift to become our motivating factor in living.
I would like to take a moment to compare two words that are used in the Gospels and in Corinthians to examine the roots of a Christian’s view toward being thankful. That discussion follows:
We see two Greek terms with similar meanings translated in much the same way: eulogeô and eucharisteô.
In the scriptures from Matthew and Luke, our text is looking forward to Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, while the passages in 1 Corinthians are looking back toward the cross. So what do they have in common? Each is offering up thanksgiving, praise and gratitude for that single sacrifice that Jesus Christ made on the Cross of Calvary that we might have Eternal Life.
First, we have the Transliterated Word: eulogeô
In the NIV Jesus says, in Matthew 26:26 (NIV)
26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body."
This is the equivalent of eulogy, or to speak well of or praise
Also, 1 Corinthians 10:16 (NIV)
16 Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? Greek Word: εὐλογέω GK 2127
Definition: to speak well of, praise: other works include; bless (9), blessed (25), blessing (3), giving a blessing (1), praise (1), praising (1), surely* (1). New American Standard Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible.
Next we have the Transliterated Word: eucharisteô
Luke 22:17-19 (NIV)
17 After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, "Take this and divide it among you.
18 For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes."
19 And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me."
Here the word for gave thanks means to be thankful
And Paul writes in
1 Corinthians 11:24 (NIV)
24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." Greek Word: εὐχαριστέω GK2168
Transliterated Word: eucharisteô GK 2168
Definition: to be thankful: other words include: gave thanks (2), give...thanks (1), give thanks (8), given thanks (6), gives thanks (2), giving thanks (7), thank (9), thanked (1), thanks (1), thanks may be given (1). New American Standard Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible.
Whether our intent is to speak well of or praise Jesus or; to to be thankful for His sacrifice the point matters little. To me the meaning of all of this is that HE becomes our All. Jesus moves into our lives and becomes the very center of all that we are and who we can be.
