I had taken a small group of teens out for a quick lunch and returned them to campus at my office building. They went on their way to their next activity, and I went back to work. But as I entered the building, I heard the door behind me re-open. It was one of the teens—peeling away from the group and returning alone to tell me something:

“Thank you, by the way.”

That was all. It barely took any time. But it really stood out to me. It also immediately reminded me of an account in Luke 17. In it, Christ heals ten men of leprosy—a horrible plague that attacks the nervous system, can horribly deform the skin, and even lead to the loss of appendages. Being healed of it would be truly life changing. However, while ten were healed, only one returned to thank Christ (verses 15-18).

How many times have we unknowingly forgotten to say “thank you” for an act of kindness? Those other nine lepers with Christ probably thought they were thankful. But it slipped from their minds—and it can for us too.

Do I Have to Say ‘Thank You?’

The Imperial Academy Code of Conduct says: “Always say thank you when a teacher gives you something … There is no excuse for not showing appreciation.”

The IA code of conduct has many valuable rules about respecting teachers, completing homework, caring for school property, being honest, etc. But this one about saying “thank you” is listed first—at the very top! So it must be important.

1. Does God command us, in the Bible, to be thankful? Colossians 2:6-7; 3:15.

The Bible says we should say “thank you.” That’s reason enough!

2. What kinds of things should we be thankful for? Ephesians 5:20; 1 Thessalonians 5:18.

These scriptures tell us to thank God for all things. Of course, it’s easy to be thankful for things we like, but what about things we don’t like? Are we thankful for our least favorite class in school? Or that task at work or at home we dread doing? What about personal trials? Being with people we don’t click with? Those also fall under “all things.” That takes hard work!

Coincidentally, the English word “thank” has the same etymology as our words “think” and “thought.” If we are going to be thanking God for all things in literally everything that we do, it really takes gratitude being a part of who we are. You’ll never tell someone “thank you” without thinking about it first.

That means we have to make it a habit.

Where to Start

Most of the occurrences of the words “thank” or “thanks” in the Bible are about thanking God. We are also explicitly commanded to thank God (Psalm 100:4). Getting in this habit can get us in the habit of thanking others around us more.

1. When making requests in prayer, what must be coupled with those supplications? Philippians 4:6. Why might God refuse to fulfill one of those requests? James 4:3.

We should be making requests to God every day. However, when we make those requests, we are commanded to also thank God for what He has already given us. God doesn’t want to answer selfish prayers.

We are to open our prayers with praising God: This is an excellent place to give Him thanks. Thank Him for the opportunity to talk to Him and thank Him for listening. Thank Him for His incredible master plan. Thank Him for revealing His law and truth (Matthew 11:25). Thank Him for giving us prophecies, revealing them, and fulfilling them. Thank Him for His protection (Psalm 18:48-49). Thank Him for the Sabbath, holy days, and other occasions where we get to fellowship with His Family. Thank Him for the level of detail He put into the physical creation.

At the close of John’s Gospel—The Love of God, Mr. Flurry says to “Thank God every day for being a son of God and the Bride of Christ” (emphasis his). While all men have the potential to be in God’s family, only a very small group get the chance to be the Bride of Christ—to get to rule. While it can be easy to forget, Mr. Flurry says to thank God for this every day.

Even when we’re being un-grateful, the merciful God still wants to bless us (Luke 6:35). That alone is something to be grateful for.

2. What one particular trait of God’s is singled out over and over again for a reason to thank Him? 1 Chronicles 16:34, 41; Ezra 3:11; Psalm 106:1; Psalm 107:1; Psalm 118:1, 29; Psalm 136.

We’ve all made awful mistakes, sometimes in a lot of rebellion. Yet consider how much mercy God has shown us over the years. How often does God bless us with gifts that we have very obviously disqualified ourselves for? The very fact that any of us are still here—despite the countless times we have disappointed Him, despite our frustrating flaws that never seem to go away—is reason enough to give continual thanks to God.

Mr. Flurry tells us in the Zechariah booklet that we should thank God daily for Christ’s brutal and bloody sacrifice, which is what makes God’s forgiveness and mercy possible. This should also be a daily prayer.

3. Was Daniel in the habit of thanking God, even when his life was in mortal danger? Daniel 2:23; Daniel 6:10.

In the first example, the king had issued the arrest and execution of all his advisors because they couldn’t tell him what he had dreamed the night before. God then revealed it to Daniel. His life was on the line—surely he would want to rush to the king as quickly as possible. But before going to the king, Daniel thanked God. Even in life-or-death situations, thanking God comes first.

In the second example, the king’s advisors had tricked him into throwing anyone who prayed to God into a lions’ den. Daniel knew this, but he still prayed anyway. Even in trial, he had plenty to thank God for. Being thankful is one of the best ways to conquer discouragement.

4. Was Paul in the habit for thanking God for other brethren? Romans 1:8; Ephesians 1:16; 1 Thessalonians 1:2; Philemon 1:4.

Are we in the habit of thanking God for other brethren in our congregation? What about visitors—especially visiting ministers? Do we thank God for His government and the ministers over us? What about thanking Him for the opportunity to fellowship with the brethren? Paul was even in the habit of thanking God for field members he seldom saw.

5. Did Christ set an example for giving thanks for a meal before eating it? Matthew 15:36; John 6:11. Did Paul do the same thing? Acts 27:35.

In a developed society, it can be easy to take a ready supply of food for granted. But Christ’s example shows that we should be in the habit of thanking God before partaking of a meal. This might be a regular habit with the family at the home, but what about when we eat alone or go out to a restaurant? We don’t want to make a show, but it doesn’t attract much attention to simply sit there for a short moment and offer a silent prayer of thanks.

6. In what way did King David institutionalize thanksgiving? 1 Chronicles 16:4; 23:30. How did David’s lyrics for this group’s first song begin and end? 1 Chronicles 16:8, 35.

Being grateful to God was so important to David that he appointed certain Levites to make that their job. How well would we do in a job like that?

Giving Thanksgiving the Giving Way

1. Is there a wrong way to say “thank you?” Luke 18:10-14.

While we may never pray this exact prayer, we need to be on guard against this attitude. It can be easy to hear about some heinous crime on the news or the like and think, I’m so thankful I would never do something like that. That kind of thinking puts focus on the self, not the Being who blesses us. Rather, we should be saying: Thank God for His law, because without Him, I would do the exact same thing!

As a contrast in this parable, while the publican is never quoted as saying “thank you,” he is humbly appealing to God’s mercy. You can imagine how grateful he would be upon receiving that forgiveness, and how grateful he would be to others as a result.

Focusing on the self leads us to thinking about others less and rarely thanking them. Sincere gratitude takes the focus off the self and puts it on someone else, causing us to thank them more. It never comes at someone else’s expense.

2. When God told David he couldn’t build Him a temple, what attitude did he have? 1 Chronicles 29:13-14.

For David, taking this kind of correction could have been really hard. But he did the next best thing—starting a building fund for his son to build the temple. And through it all, David had an extremely grateful attitude: a “who am I” attitude.

“Who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort?” This attitude that David had in giving offerings is what we need to have in our thanksgiving.

3. In Ancient Israel, what was supposed to motivate giving a “thanksgiving offering?” Leviticus 22:29. How quickly did the meat in a thanksgiving offering have to be eaten? Leviticus 7:15.

Many cows can yield over 100 cuts of steaks: including 8 T-bone steaks, 20 ribeyes, 10 sirloins, 8 strip steaks, 15 filet mignons, and much more. That’s a lot of meat for a single day. While part of the animal was reserved for the priests, the rest of the animal was to be consumed by the offeror—plus any other friends or family he could invite that day. Giving a thanksgiving offering meant providing a lot of meat to a lot of people. In some ways, a day with a thanksgiving offering would feel a lot like a modern “Thanksgiving” meal. And it was offered up of one’s own free will.

This drove home the lesson to ancient Israel: Being grateful is a way to give to others.

Giving thanks gets us thinking about how others have given to us, which in turn puts us in a giving spirit toward others. And as Herbert W. Armstrong taught, the way of give is what God’s way of life is all about. That’s why being grateful is an important part of God’s way of life.

If anything, let’s be thankful that we have so much to be thankful for.