We do good deeds not to be praised or repaid, but to be good examples of God’s grace to others (Matthew 6:1-4, Luke 14:12-14). Still, it’s a nice gesture to say thank you when someone does something to help us.
I have often used the scene of the ten lepers in Luke 17:11-19, to illustrate the importance of saying thank you. But you’ll notice the Samaritan who returns doesn’t so much say thank you as declare Jesus’ greatness and worship God. “When he saw that he had been healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice, and he fell on his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him.”
This subtle truth convinced me to dig a little deeper, and I discovered that when people in the Bible say thank you, their thankfulness is expressed more to God than to the doer of the good deed. They don’t merely send a thank you note, they offer a prayer of thanks TO God, FOR the work of the other person. In this way, they recognize that God is the provider of all good blessings, and human beings merely the conduit through whom they are provided.
Just to show you what I mean, here are a few examples of Paul saying thank you:
I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world (Romans 1:8).
I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now (Philippians 1:3-5).
We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers; constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father (1 Thessalonians1:2-3).
I’d print them all, but there’s no room. Paul says thank you a lot! If you want to look for yourself, here’s every other place: Romans 16:4, 1 Corinthians 1:4, Ephesians 1:15-17, Colossians 1:3-4, 1 Thessalonians 2:13, 2 Thessalonians 1:3, 2:13, Philemon 1:4-5.
And this is the simple point that I would like to make through this bulletin article—let us learn to insert the phrase “God for” between the words “thank” and “you” when we recognize someone’s good work. At least sometimes. God deserves the credit
Paul didn’t say, “I thank you Priscilla and Aquila”; he said, “I thank God for you, Priscilla and Aquila.” Paul didn’t say, “I thank you Colossians for obeying the gospel”; he said, “I thank God for you Colossians when I heard you obeyed the gospel.” Paul didn’t say, “I thank you Philemon for being so loving toward our brethren”; he said, “I thank God for you, Philemon, for being so loving toward our brethren.”
By all means, offer words of thanks, by notes and in person! It’s not only good manners, but it builds up our brethren. They still deserve recognition. But recognize God’s sovereign role in providing a body of believers who are motivated to serve by God’s example.
Above all, let’s indeed be thankful.
Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
Be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God (Ephesians 5:18-20).
Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father (Colossians 3:17).