Ephesians 5:20 Giving thanks always for all things to God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Every Christian life is like a psalm. Just as in those grand old Hebrew psalms you may hear different voices; as you may hear, now the broken voice of the broken and contrite heart as it sobs out its confession of sin, and now the soft cooing as of the infant falling asleep in perfect peace upon its mother's bosom; just as you may hear, now the dull groan of anguish wrung from the heart almost overburdened with sorrow, and now the peal of laughter, as of one who is bounding over the mountain side, breathing God's pure air, and rejoicing in God's glad sunshine; as you may hear, now the sharp cry of pain as of a soldier who has been hit by the archers, and now the shouts of triumph rising from the throats of those who have been victors in the fight; and yet in all the psalms, running like an accompaniment, you may detect the perpetual sense of God's nearness and of God's love: so we shall not fail to find many varied experiences in the Christian life, some joyful and some painful — many voices in one psalm; and yet, if that life is what it should be, the accompaniment of every experience will be the music of a thankful heart. 1. Thankfulness is the harmony of contentment and aspiration. 2. Thankfulness is the harmony between the deep sense of obligation, and the joy of perfect freedom. (W. V. Robinson, B. A.) Parallel Verses KJV: Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; |
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