Ephesians 5:15-21
Having dealt with the meaning of the divine command to be filled with the Spirit, a fair question that anyone may be asking is this: “How can I really know if I am walking in step with the Spirit and realizing His fullness?” The apostle answers this with three clear evidences for judging the Holy Spirit’s full operation in a believer’s life. These can be found in verses 19 to 21 of our text and are, namely, singing to the Lord; giving thanks to God the Father; and submitting to other believers. Today, we are going to consider only the second consequence of being Spirit-filled, that is, Giving Thanks to God the Father.
According to Ephesians 5:20, when a believer is truly filled with the Spirit, he will be thankful toward God. Gratitude has long been recognized by many devout Christians as the single greatest act of personal worship we can render to God. According to William Hendriksen, in his New Testament Commentary on Ephesians, “The expression of gratitude is therefore a most blessed response to favours undeserved. While it lasts, worries tend to disappear, complaints vanish, courage to face the future is increased, virtuous resolutions are formed, peace is experienced, and God is glorified” (Ephesians, New Testament Commentary [Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1967], 241).
Another Christian writer, William Law, in his book A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life, wrote, “Would you know who is the greatest saint in the world? It is not he who prays most or fasts most, it is not he who gives most alms, or is more eminent for temperance, chastity, or justice; but it is he who is always thankful to God, who wills everything that God willeth, who receives everything as an instance of God’s goodness, and has a heart always ready to praise God for it.” Genuine thankfulness sees beyond the difficult or baffling circumstance to the sovereign plan and purpose of God (see Rom. 8:28-29— “28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers”).
The Apostle Paul makes it clear to the Ephesians and also to us that thankfulness toward God is to be a well-rounded, complete response that affects all areas of life. But how do we accomplish this? First, the Spirit-filled person will be thankful always and at all times. In Ephesians and elsewhere, Paul makes it crystal clear that this is the Lord’s will for every believer: “In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thess. 5:18; cf. Eph. 5:17; James 1:2-5). Such a consistent, no-exceptions-permitted reaction to what the Lord brings into your life is not easy or even possible in your own strength. But it will become your response all the time if you are living the Spirit-filled life.
The Holy Spirit works graciously and mercifully to enable you to respond with thanksgiving no matter when blessings or challenges come. Sometimes He blesses you unexpectedly, which makes it easy to give thanks. The gratitude and praise of Moses and the Israelites after God delivered them by parting the Red Sea is one major example of that (Ex. 14-15). At other times, the Holy Spirit gives you the opportunity to be thankful before a certain event happens. If the anticipation is for something pleasant, like a vacation or reunion with a loved one, thankfulness is again easy to display. But if the anticipation is more difficult or frightening, then it becomes a test of your faith. In 2 Chronicles 20, King Jehoshaphat and his people passed this test prior to a battle against the Ammonites and Moabites. When it was reported to King Jehoshaphat that a large army was coming against Judah, he immediately asked the Lord for help. The Spirit of the Lord then revealed His encouragement through the prophet Jahaziel, and the Levites and all the people worshiped and thanked God prior to their success against the enemy (2 Chron. 20:1-23).
Finally, God may choose to bring a trial or test into your life unexpectedly. Then you will be challenged to give thanks in the midst of the battle when it is the most difficult to respond righteously. Jonah, in spite of all his sinful shortcomings, is an excellent example of how to have the right response. After he was swallowed by the giant fish, Jonah prayed this to the Lord: “7 “When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, LORD, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple. 8 “Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. 9 But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the LORD.” (Jonah 2:7-9). God honoured Jonah’s prayer and delivered him from the fish, right to the location he was supposed to be. You may never be as severely tried as Jonah was, but God in His providence may allow unexpected hardships. If you respond with true thanks in the midst of such times, that will prove you are a mature Christian filled with the Spirit.
Second, the Spirit-filled believer is thankful for all things. There are dozens of positive things that Scripture reminds us to be thankful for. Some of the major ones include: the goodness and mercy of God (Psa. 106:1; 107:1; 136:1-3), the gift of Christ (2 Cor. 9:15), the triumph of the gospel (2 Cor. 2:14), victory over death and the grave (1 Cor. 15:57), the reception and effectual working of God’s Word in others (1 Thess. 2:13; 3:9), and the supply of our bodily wants (Rom. 14:6-7; 1 Tim. 4:3-4). Each of these categories contains many more specific items for which you can be grateful, so the point is that those filled by the Spirit know no limits or distinctions on what to thank God for.
But there are also difficult matters for which we must give thanks because of the benefits that we stand to gain from experiencing them (see again James 1:2-5— “2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him;” cf. Heb. 12:3-13; 1 Peter 2:20-21).
In southern Alabama is the town of Enterprise, in Coffee County. There they have erected a monument to an insect, honouring the Mexican boll weevil. In 1895 the boll weevil began to destroy the major crop of the county, cotton. In desperation to survive, the farmers had to diversify, and by 1919 the county’s peanut crop was many times what cotton had been at its height. In that year of prosperity, a fountain and monument were built. The inscription reads: “In profound appreciation of the boll weevil and what it has done as the herald of prosperity this monument was erected by the citizens of Enterprise, Coffee County, Alabama.” Out of a time of struggle and crisis had come new growth and success. Out of adversity had come blessing.
Finally, those who are filled with the Spirit will give thanks to God the Father in the name of Christ. That means, first of all, you couldn’t be thankful at all if it weren’t for Jesus Christ and what He has done for you. “In the name of Christ” simply means consistent with His character and His deeds. An excerpt from Paul’s opening chapter to the Ephesians summarizes the concept well: “He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon us. In all wisdom and insight…also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ should be to the praise of His glory” (Eph. 1:5-8, 11-12).
No matter what happens you can give thanks because of what Jesus means to you, and you can know that because of God’s sovereignty, whatever happens will turn out for your good and His glory. The object of Spirit-filled thanksgiving is God the Father. This name for God emphasizes His loving benevolence toward His children and the constant stream of gifts that flow to us from His all-powerful hands. James 1:17 reminds us of that when the apostle says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
If James is right—and he is—it is hard to imagine how believers could ever fail to give all their thanks to God. Long before either James or Paul instructed Christians about thankfulness, the psalmist did so many times to God’s people (see Pss. 30, 50, 103, 107, etc.). One of the most famous passages is Psalm 100:4-5, which declares, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” The psalmist knew that thankfulness was a vital expression of faith in God’s goodness and enduring love.
Gratitude helps us acknowledge God’s sovereignty, even in challenging circumstances. When we express thanks, especially in moments of uncertainty or hardship, we affirm our trust in God’s plan. As Paul wrote in Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Our ability to give thanks in all things, then, stems from our confidence in God’s wisdom and provision, recognizing that He is always working for our ultimate good.
In conclusion, thankfulness is not just a response to blessings; it is a posture of the heart, a continual recognition of God’s hand in every aspect of our lives. When we are filled with the Spirit, thankfulness flows naturally, and we can offer it at all times, in all things, and always through Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father.
Rev. Kayode Ilupeju,
Good News Baptist Church,
47/49, Olufemi Road,
Off Ogunlana Drive,
Surulere, Lagos.
Tel.: 0803-302-1008
