Uniting Heaven and Earth: Christ in Philippians and Colossians

Reasons for Thanksgiving and Prayer

Lesson #2 for January 10, 2026

Scriptures: Philippians 1:1-18; Colossians 1:1-12;1 Corinthians 13:1-8; Jeremiah 17:9; 1 Peter 1:4; Psalm 119:105; Isaiah 30:21.

1. Did Paul and the church in Paul’s time have reasons for thanksgiving and prayer? Do we?

[From the Adult Teachers Sabbath School Bible Study Guide=T-BSG:] This … lesson emphasizes two major themes: [1] Gratitude and [2] prayer are inherently connected as are the two sides of a coin.

Gratitude and prayer, among other things, serve as tangible manifestations of God’s good work within us.—T-BSG* 26.^†‡

Colossians 1:3: We always give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you.—American Bible Society. (©1992). The Holy Bible: The Good News Translation^®* [GNT] (Today’s English Version) [TEV], Second Edition,Colossians 1:3). Philadelphia: American Bible Society [abbreviated as Good News Bible-TEV* or GNB-TEV*].^‡

[T-BSG:] Author D. A. Carson speculates on what is the greatest need of the Christian church today, hypothesizing different answers that people might offer to the question. Carson lists areas such as purity in sexual matters, financial integrity and generosity, evangelism, church planting, biblical thinking, and the genuine experience of corporate worship. He concludes, “There is a sense in which these urgent needs are merely symptomatic of a far more serious lack. The one thing we most urgently need in Western Christendom is a deeper knowledge of God. We need to know God better. . . . One of the foundational steps in knowing God, and one of the basic demonstrations that we do know God, is prayer—spiritual, persistent, biblically minded [sic] prayer.”—Carson, A Call to Spiritual Reformation: Priorities From Paul and His Prayers (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1992), pp. 15, 16.—T-BSG* 26.^†‡§

[From the writings of Ellen G. White=EGW:] All true obedience comes from the heart. It was heart work with Christ. And if we consent, He will so identify Himself with our thoughts and aims, so blend our hearts and minds into conformity to His will, that when obeying Him we shall be but carrying out our own impulses. The will, refined and sanctified, will find its highest delight in doing His service. When we know God as it is our privilege to know Him, our life will be a life of continual obedience. Through an appreciation of the character of Christ, through communion with God, sin will become hateful to us.—Ellen G. White, Desire of Ages* 668.3.*^†‡

[https://egwwritings.org/read?panels=p130.3287&index=0]^‡ [Pray for that!]^‡

2. As noted in the book of Philippians, for what was Paul thankful?

Philippians 1:3-8: ³ I thank my God for you every time I think of you; ⁴and every time I pray for you all, I pray with joy ⁵because of the way in which you have helped me in the work of the gospel from the very first day until now. ⁶And so I am sure that God, who began this good work in you, will carry it on until it is finished on the Day of Christ Jesus. ⁷You are always in my heart! And so it is only right for me to feel as I do about you. For you have all shared with me in this privilege that God has given me, both now that I am in prison and also while I was free to defend the gospel and establish it firmly. ⁸God is my witness that I tell the truth when I say that my deep feeling for you all comes from the heart of Christ Jesus himself.—GNB-TEV.*^†

3. Scholars understand that Philippians was the last book that Paul wrote during his first “house arrest” in Rome. It apparently was written after Paul had gotten some indications that he was about to be released. During his imprisonment, the Philippians, a fairly-wealthy church, had supported him by sending money.
4. What evidence do we have that the church members at Philippi were particularly good to Paul? Remember that Paul and his associates were very kindly invited to stay with Lydia and her household in Philippi while they were there. They must have developed a close friendship at that time. Lydia, a wealthy woman, may also have been one of those who donated and raised money to support Paul.
5. When we earlier readPhilippians 1:6, we mentioned that some think the “good work” which Paul was thankful for was the financial support. However, was it really much more?

[T-BSG:] The letter to the Philippians contains one of the most remarkable statements in all of Paul’s epistles: “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6, ESV). [When is the day of Jesus Christ?] Some readers may be tempted to interpret the “good work” narrowly, seeing it as a reference to the Philippians’ care and love for Paul, demonstrated through their financial support during his imprisonment. While their concern for Paul and the advancement of the gospel was certainly a result of God’s work in their hearts, Paul is referring to the broader concept of salvation through Christ.—T-BSG* 28.^†‡§

[T-BSG:] God is portrayed as the One who began the good work of salvation and will bring it to completion at Christ’s return. It is noteworthy that this thought is expressed within the thanksgiving section. In this sense, gratitude is seen as a powerful evidence of God’s work in one’s heart. Paul says something similar inPhilippians 2:12, 13: “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (NKJV, emphasis added).—T-BSG* 28-29.^‡§

[T-BSG*] Paul’s advice—to work out one’s own salvation—is intriguing, to say the least. After all, how do we do that? A good answer can be found inHebrews 12:2, wherein Jesus is depicted as “the author and finisher of our faith.” Thus, Paul asserts, we are supposed to run “the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus” (Heb. 12:1, 2, ESV). But that’s not all. We must also “lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us” (Heb. 12:1, NKJV). Passages, such asPhilippians 1:6 andHebrews 12:2, remind us that salvation is ultimately God’s work, not ours. Yet, we are still called to work out our own salvation or, in other words, to “run . . . the race that is set before us” (Heb. 12:2, NKJV) by living a life of prayer, seeking the Spirit-given Christian virtues (Phil. 1:9–11,Col. 1:4–8), and being grateful for God’s work in us (Phil. 1:3–6). In sum, we are supposed to “walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Col. 1:10, NKJV).—T-BSG* 29.^†‡§

[T-BSG:] We all love it when good things happen to us. Whether it’s buying a brand-new car, purchasing a house, graduating after years of arduous and intense studies, or escaping from a dangerous situation, we thank God for these things. These are significant milestones that fill our hearts with joy and gratitude. However, if we pay close attention to everything around us, we will find innumerable reasons to be grateful. Nothing, though, should inspire more gratitude than the recognition of God’s good work in us. [A shortened version of the paragraph below from Ellen White in That I May Know Him is then quoted.]—T-BSG* 29.^‡

[EGW:] There are many who think that it is impossible to escape from the power of sin, but the promise is that we may be filled with all the fullness of God. We aim too low. The mark is much higher. Our minds need expansion, that we may comprehend the significance of the provision of God. We are to reflect the highest attributes of the character of God. We should be thankful that we are not to be left to ourselves. The law of God is the exalted standard to which we are to attain.... We are not to walk according to our own ideas ..., but we are to follow in the footsteps of Christ.—Ellen G. White, That I May Know Him* 302.2.^†‡ [Is our standard set where it should be?]^‡

[https://egwwritings.org/read?panels=p126.1990&index=0]^‡

“The Larger View”

6. Shouldn’t we be most thankful for what Christ is doing for us right now in the heavenly sanctuary? What is Christ doing?
7. As Satan tries to accuse us in every possible way, Christ is defending us before the Father and the angels of heaven and the onlooking universe. (Daniel 7:9-10; Revelation 12:9-10) It is important to notice that Satan is the one who is condemned in this process as noted in Zechariah 3! This is what is happening in heaven right now!

Zechariah 3:1-5: ¹ In another vision the Lord showed me the High Priest Joshua standing before the angel of the Lord. And there beside Joshua stood Satan, ready to bring an accusation against him. ²The angel of the Lord said to Satan, “May the Lord condemn you, Satan! May the Lord, who loves Jerusalem, condemn you. This man is like a stick snatched from the fire.”

³ Joshua was standing there, wearing filthy clothes. ⁴The angel said to his heavenly attendants, “Take away the filthy clothes this man is wearing.” Then he said to Joshua, “I have taken away your sin and will give you new clothes to wear.” [Who has the authority to “take away sin”? (Romans 8:3)]

⁵ He commanded the attendants to put a clean turban on Joshua’s head. They did so, and then they put the new clothes on him while the angel of the Lord stood there.—Good News Bible-TEV.*^†‡ [ReviewJeremiah 31:31-34 and what it says about how God writes His law on our “hearts”/minds.]^‡

8. Review Leviticus 16 regarding what the Bible teaches about the Day of Atonement and what happened on that day.
9. Leviticus 16 states that when the high priest entered the most holy place, he was to wear only the pure white linen garment as was worn by the regular priests. Earlier, while officiating for the people in the holy place, he was to wear the golden high priest’s special garments which were then removed when he was ready to enter the most holy place. Finally, when he came out of the most holy place, he removed those “holy garments” and put on the “golden garments” for the evening sacrifices. Then he removed the “golden garments” and bathed himself for the final time and put on his personal garments. Each time he changed garments he needed to bathe.

[SDA Bible Commentary:] Whereas the high priest clad in his golden garments represented Christ to the people, in his “holy garments” he typified Christ in His mediatorial capacity as a representative of the people before God (GC 422).

The spotless white of the garments of the high priest upon the Day of Atonement typified the perfection of character he and the people sought through the rites of that day. As the high priest “came forth to the waiting congregation in his pontifical robes; so Christ will come the second time, clothed in garments of whitest white” (AA [sic] 33). And as at the close of the special services of that day the people were “clean” from all their sins (v. 30), so when Christ appears before His people they will be “without fault before the throne of God” (Rev. 14:5; Eph. 5:27; Col. 1:22; Jude 24;Rev. 19:8).—Article onLeviticus 16:4. In F. D. Nichol (Ed.), The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 1 (page 774). Washington, DC: Review and Herald Publishing Association (1955).^†‡ [What cleansed the people?]^‡

10. Is it really possible that God’s people will be faultless just before the second coming? How does that happen? SeeRevelation 14:5; Ephesians 5:27; Colossians 1:22; Jude 24; andRevelation 19:8.

Colossians 1:22: But now, by means of the physical death of his Son, God has made you his friends, in order to bring you, holy, pure, and faultless, into his presence.—Good News Bible-TEV.* [How does that happen?]^‡

11. Paul was always thankful for the lives and Christianity of all the people in the churches where he had had the opportunity to work.

Philippians 3:10: All I want is to know Christ and to experience the power of his resurrection, to share in his sufferings and become like him in his death.—Good News Bible-TEV.* [What do those final words mean?]^‡

12. Paul was apparently quite convinced that it would not be a long time before his head would be cut off by a Roman ax, and the next thing of which he would be aware would be the resurrection.

Finishing the Good Work & The Delay

13. What things could you imagine that Paul was thankful for?

[From the Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide=BSG:] Interestingly, Paul describes his prison setting quite positively—as providing opportunity for “the defense and confirmation of the gospel” (Phil. 1:7, NKJV). His use of these two legal terms suggests his trial is imminent, but also that Paul is actively engaging soldiers and visitors with the gospel. Defending it (Greek apologia) against attacks and confirming its eternal verities [truth] are both essential. Paul seems to care less about his own future than about vindication of the gospel itself. Whether he lives or dies, Paul is confident that God will finish the “good work” He has begun in all who trust in Him (Phil. 1:6).—BSG* for Sunday, January 4.^‡§ [How long are we to live?]^‡

14. Paul talks about how God will finish “the good work in you.” (Philippians 1:6) What does that mean in our day?
15. Is God waiting for the “144,000” to be ready before He comes again?

[EGW:] For forty years did unbelief, murmuring, and rebellion shut out ancient Israel from the land of Canaan. The same sins have delayed the entrance of modern Israel into the heavenly Canaan. In neither case were the promises of God at fault. It is the unbelief, the worldliness, unconsecration, and strife among the Lord’s professed people that have kept us in this world of sin and sorrow so many years.—Manuscript 4, 1883.—Ellen G. White, Evangelism* 696.2.^†‡

[https://egwwritings.org/read?panels=p30.3860&index=0]^‡

[EGW:] …. Had the church of Christ done her appointed work as the Lord ordained, the whole world would before this have been warned, and the Lord Jesus would have come to our earth in power and great glory.—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages* 633.3 [1898].^†‡

[https://egwwritings.org/read?panels=p130.3112&index=0]^‡

[Last Day Events 38.1-2 combines these two quotations.

https://egwwritings.org/read?panels=p39.199&index=0]^‡

16. In what ways might we today be guilty of the same things as ancient Israel wandering for 40 years in the wilderness?
17. What do you think the angels of God are saying about the fact that it has been 181 years since the Great Disappointment in 1844? And we are still here? How much longer does the great controversy need to continue?
18. Contemplate the reason for the delay of Jesus second coming. See especially the chapter, The Reason for the Delay, in Ellen White’s book, Evangelism pages 694-697. (https://egwwritings.org/read?panels=p30.3848&index=0)

Gratitude and Prayer Are Inherently Intertwined

[BSG:] Some years ago, there was a pastor who talked about prayers that revolve around me, me, me, and my needs or desires. He aptly characterized them as “selfish little prayers,” because God has bigger things in mind.—BSG* for Monday, January 5.^†‡§

[T-BSG:] A customary feature in Paul’s letters is the thanksgiving section, which essentially functions as an act of prayer. This idea can be more clearly illustrated in the following table [from T-BSG*-27].—T-BSG* 27.^‡

[T-BSG:] Three key observations can be drawn from the preceding table. First, for Paul, giving thanks is an act of prayer, as thanksgiving is consistently interwoven with prayer. Second, even when the thanksgiving section in certain letters of Paul does not mention the term “prayer,” it is important to realize that his gratitude is directed toward God (2 Thess. 1:3,1Tim. 1:12). Third, the repetition of the term “always” suggests that both prayer and thanksgiving were consistent, even integral, components in Paul’s life. It is important to note that Paul expected his audience to imitate him with regard to a life of thanksgiving and prayer. For Paul, a visible characteristic of ungodly men is their failure to honor or give thanks to God (Rom. 1:21).—T-BSG* 28.^†‡§

19. One example of Paul’s prayer of gratitude is in Philippians 1.

Philippians 1:9-11: ⁹ I pray that your love will keep on growing more and more, together with true knowledge and perfect judgement, ¹⁰so that you will be able to choose what is best. Then you will be free from all impurity and blame on the Day of Christ. ¹¹Your lives will be filled with the truly good qualities which only Jesus Christ can produce, for the glory and praise of God.—Good News Bible-TEV.*

20. One of the things for which Paul prayed was that the love among the churches would continue to grow more and more. Is that the experience you have had in your church?
21. Another example of the growth Paul talked about is found inEphesians 4:13-16.

Ephesians 4:13-16: ¹³And so we shall all come together to that oneness in our faith and in our knowledge of the Son of God; we shall become mature people, reaching to the very height of Christ’s full stature. ¹⁴Then we shall no longer be children, carried by the waves and blown about by every shifting wind of the teaching of deceitful people, who lead others into error by the tricks they invent. ¹⁵Instead, by speaking the truth in a spirit of love, we must grow up in every way to Christ, who is the head. ¹⁶Under his control all the different parts of the body fit together, and the whole body is held together by every joint with which it is provided. So when each separate part works as it should, the whole body grows and builds itself up through love.—Good News Bible-TEV.*

22. Paul wrote about several characteristics of Christians that are very important.
23. Having knowledge of spiritual thing through studying the Bible and spending time with God.
24. b) Having discernment which means being able to distinguish between what is right and what is wrong.
25. c) [BSG:] Being sincere. The word in Greek means “judged by the sunlight” and refers to an untainted purity of action.—BSG* for Monday.^†‡§

[EGW:] Everything that Christians do should be as transparent as the sunlight. Truth is of God; deception, in every one of its myriad forms, is of Satan; and whoever in any way departs from the straight line of truth is betraying himself into the power of the wicked one. Yet it is not a light or an easy thing to speak the exact truth. We cannot speak the truth unless we know the truth; and how often preconceived opinions, mental bias, imperfect knowledge, errors of judgment, prevent a right understanding of matters with which we have to do! We cannot speak the truth unless our minds are continually guided by Him who is truth.—Ellen G. White, Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing* 68.3 [1896].^†‡

[https://egwwritings.org/read?panels=p150.356&index=0]^‡

[Compare Reflecting Christ 71.5 and Sons and Daughters of God 64.5.]^‡

1. d) [BSG:] Not causing offense. This means not being a stumbling block, not saying or doing anything that would make it more difficult for a person to believe. [Can we be obnoxious and win people at the same time?]
2. e) Righteousness through Christ. Paul dwells at length on this in the epistles of Romans and Galatians and will expand on it also in Philippians 3. We have no righteousness of our own but only what we receive through Christ.—BSG* for Monday, January 5.^‡§
3. The Philippians were understandably distressed when they learned that Paul was in prison. However, fortunately for us while he was in prison, he wrote several “prison letters” and apparently converted some prison guards! Their pagan gods were always fighting!

Philippians 1:12-14: ¹² I want you to know, my friends, that the things that have happened to me have really helped the progress of the gospel. ¹³As a result, the whole palace guard and all the others here know that I am in prison because I am a servant of Christ. ¹⁴And my being in prison has given most of the believers more confidence in the Lord, so that they grow bolder all the time to preach the message fearlessly.—Good News Bible-TEV.*^†

24. Paul wrote a letter to the Philippians which he sent with Epaphroditus.

[BSG:] The message Paul sent back with him must have surprised the Philippians. Paul saw his circumstances through different eyes. His spiritual discernment led him to see his imprisonment as a good thing. It didn’t hinder his work at all but “actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel” (Phil. 1:12, NKJV). Where others saw only chains and bars, Paul saw his Roman guards as potential souls in God’s kingdom. He saw also that his imprisonment greatly encouraged others to be more active and more determined to spread the gospel, to speak boldly for Christ without fear of the consequences.—BSG* for Tuesday, January 6.^‡§ [It gave Paul time to write his “prison letters”! The Roman guards watched him write them!]^‡

[BSG:] It may be hard to imagine, but some actually thought to benefit from Paul’s imprisonment. Apparently, they thought his obscurity would lead to more attention for themselves and their own preaching of the gospel. What a powerful but sad example of human selfishness, even in the church. As Jeremiah said long before Paul: “ ‘The heart is deceitful above all things, / And desperately wicked; / Who can know it?’ ” (Jer. 17:9, NKJV).—BSG* for Tuesday, January 6.^‡§ [For more information on current persecution, see: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpgOUrlAsCzMAjh7BGlq5Q7WdCJTOaruK]^‡

25. If you heard that pastors were being persecuted in our day, would it make you more zealous to do what is right and to share the good news? Or, would you be afraid?
26. One thing that both Jesus and Paul encouraged us to do was to ask for the help of the Holy Spirit. People who are filled with the Holy Spirit help one another through prayers and mutual encouragement, to fill their lives with praises to God, expressing gratitude, submitting to one another in the fear of God; in this way, giving thanks to God is on the same level as singing praises to Him. It is an act of worship.
27. The records show that Paul never actually visited Colossae.

Colossians 2:1: Let me tell you how hard I have worked for you and for the people in Laodicea and for all others who do not know me personally.—GNB-TEV.*

28. In a number of different passages, Paul emphasized three important things that he was thankful for: Faith, hope, and love.

Colossians 1:5: When the true message, the Good News, first came to you, you heard about the hope it offers. So your faith and love are based on what you hope for, which is kept safe for you in heaven.—GNB-TEV.*

29. Is it not true that when we see the love God has for us, it leads us to faith in Christ, (Ephesians 2:4-8) and we receive the hope of heaven?
30. Paul emphasized that our hope is based on our trust in God’s Word, the Bible.

2 Corinthians 6:7: By our message of truth, and by the power of God. We have righteousness as our weapon, both to attack and to defend ourselves.—Good News Bible-TEV.* [How does our righteousness do that?]^‡

1 Thessalonians 2:13: And there is another reason why we always give thanks to God. When we brought you God’s message, you heard it and accepted it, not as a message from human beings but as God’s message, which indeed it is. For God is at work in you who believe.—Good News Bible-TEV.*

31. What kind of pagan religious beliefs did these formerly-pagan Christians have before they became Christians? Were they believers in the Roman or Greek pantheon? How did Paul present the truth of the Christian’s hope, faith, and love in opposition to those pagan ideas? In Christ all are to be brothers and sisters with love in the same family whereas even the Roman “gods” were often at war with each other! There was no future hope from the Roman pantheon. What a contrast to what Paul taught about the future life in heaven.
32. Paul suggested in several places that the gospel had reached all parts of the world within 30 years after Christ died. Is that really possible? Paul was probably focusing on the world as he knew it, the Mediterranean region.
33. Heaven is promised to those who comply with God’s plans even though we are not able to do anything to earn it! So, what were some of the things for which Paul suggested we should pray?

Colossians 1:9-10: ⁹ For this reason we have always prayed for you, ever since we heard about you. We ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will, with all the wisdom and understanding that his Spirit gives. ¹⁰Then you will be able to live as the Lord wants and will always do what pleases him. Your lives will produce all kinds of good deeds, and you will grow in your knowledge of God.—Good News Bible-TEV.*

34. Most of us would agree that if we could know for sure what God’s will for us is, that would be our objective or goal. So, how do we determine what God’s will for us is?
35. Four main sources for knowing God’s will are suggested in this lesson:

[BSG:] [1] The most important source of wisdom is the Bible. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Ps. 119:105, NKJV).—BSG* for Thursday, January 8.^‡§

Psalm 119:105: Your word is a lamp to guide me

and a light for my path.—Good News Bible-TEV.*

[BSG:] [2] God has given us special wisdom for the last days through the Spirit of Prophecy (Rev. 12:17,Rev. 19:10) as manifested through the writings of Ellen White. The Bible encourages us to “believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper” (2 Chron. 20:20, NKJV).—BSG* for Thursday, January 8.^‡§

Revelation 12:17: The dragon was furious with the woman and went off to fight against the rest of her descendants, all those who obey God’s commandments and are faithful to the truth revealed by Jesus.—Good News Bible-TEV.*

Revelation 19:10: I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “Don’t do it! I am a servant together with you and with other believers, all those who hold to the truth that Jesus revealed. Worship God!”

For the truth that Jesus revealed is what inspires the prophets.—Good News Bible-TEV.*

2 Chronicles 20:20: Early the next morning the people went out to the wild country near Tekoa. As they were starting out, Jehoshaphat addressed them with these words: “People of Judah and Jerusalem! Put your trust in the Lord your God, and you will stand your ground. Believe what his prophets tell you, and you will succeed.”—Good News Bible-TEV.*

[BSG:] [3] God’s will and leading may also be known through providential circumstances, by asking Him to open or close doors (seeCol. 4:3).—BSG* for Thursday, January 8.^‡§

Colossians 4:2: Be persistent in prayer, and keep alert as you pray, giving thanks to God.—Good News Bible-TEV.*

[BSG:] [4] The Holy Spirit guides us once we have learned to recognize His voice: “Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, / ‘This is [sic] the way, walk in it,’ / Whenever you turn to the right hand / Or whenever you turn to the left” (Isa. 30:21, NKJV).—BSG* for Thursday, January 8.^‡§

Isaiah 30:21: If you wander off the road to the right or the left, you will hear his voice behind you saying, “Here is the road. Follow it.”—GNB-TEV.*

36. When Paul talked about walking worthy of the Lord, (for example, seeColossians 1:10) what did he mean? It should be obvious that it at least means living in accordance with God’s law which Christians would probably recognize is only possible with the help of the Holy Spirit.

[EGW:] Many are unable to make definite plans for the future. Their life is unsettled. They cannot discern the outcome of affairs, and this often fills them with anxiety and unrest….

Too many, in planning for a brilliant future, make an utter failure. Let God plan for you…. God never leads His children otherwise than they would choose to be led, if they could see the end from the beginning and discern the glory of the purpose which they are fulfilling as co-workers with Him.—Ellen G. White, The Ministry of Healing* 478.3- 479.2.^†‡ [https://egwwritings.org/read?panels=p135.2516&index=0]^‡

37. How do you understand the statement above by Ellen White?
38. Have you ever stopped to ask yourself: “How many things can I name for which I am thankful in the last week?” Are you aware of God’s direct leading in your life?
39. Is it easy to know what is God’s will for you?
40. Do children show the thanks that they should for what their parents do for them?

God’s Work in Us

[T-BSG:] God expects us to bring a sincere attitude of gratitude into our prayers. In1 Thessalonians 5:17, 18, for instance, the instruction to “give thanks in all circumstances” comes right after the command to “pray without ceasing” (ESV). This notion implies not only that there is always a reason to be thankful but also that our prayers should regularly include expressions of gratitude to God. Notably, Paul does not say, “Give thanks for all circumstances” but “in all circumstances.” The fact that God gave us His only Son to die for us is reason enough to be thankful every day.—T-BSG* 29-30.^†‡§

82025, Kenneth Hart, MD, MA, MPH. Permission is hereby granted for any noncommercial use of these materials. Free distribution of all or of a portion of this material such as to a Bible study class is encouraged. *Electronic version. ^†Bold type is added. ^‡Text in brackets is added. ^§Italic type is in the source.                                  

Last Modified: December 3, 2025                                                                               Email: Info@theox.org