Siphila ezweni, where thankfulness is often hard to find, including the thankfulness of the sons of God. Many Christians are not thankful even when they say they are thankful. But their words and actions in life say something else. There are Christians, who are disappointed because their lives don’t correspond with their desires, image, and expectations of life, and many times blame God or other people for that. Other Christians have problems or are stuck in situations they want to get out of. There are Christians, who are never satisfied and only want more. They always look at their lack and what they are missing instead of looking at what they have. And there are Christians, who always look at others, who are successful, good-looking, or famous. They envy their lives, looks, success, and possessions and are not happy with their own lives. There are many more examples of why Christians are unthankful and therefore become demotivated and sometimes even depressed in life. Instead of being thankful to God for their lives and what they have and thanking God for what God has given them, they murmur, whine, and complain against people and God. It’s just like the people of Israel, who murmured and complained despite God’s care and provision and were never satisfied. Because of that they didn’t see all the blessings of God and didn’t enter the promised land. What does the Bible say about thankfulness and the thankfulness of the sons of God?
The people of God murmured and complained
The way the people of God were redeemed from the power of Pharaoh was a great miracle in itself. When the people left Egypt and stood in front of the Red Sea and didn’t see a way out, God showed His greatness again, through the faith and obedience of Moses, and another great miracle took place. God divided the Red Sea, so His people could go through and continue their journey under God’s leading and protection in freedom and enter the wilderness.
The people of God were thankful, happy, and joyful. They showed their thankfulness and joy by singing and dancing (Eksodusi 15:1-21).
But their joy was only an expression of their flesh and was more a feeling than an attitude. Therefore their joy was only temporary and didn’t last long.
In a short matter of time, their feelings of thankfulness, joy, and gladness changed into unthankfulness, discontent, murmur, and complaint.
One moment they sang and danced for God and a few days later they sang and danced for the golden calf, they had made.
All because the people had created an expectation and image of their God that didn’t correspond with the true God, the Creator of heaven and earth.
They had certain expectations of God and God didn’t meet their will and their expectations. Therefore they became disappointed and began to murmur and complain.
It didn’t take long before they had forgotten the redemption from the power of Pharaoh. They were not happy with the freedom that God had given them and for all God’s provisions in the wilderness.
They wanted to have the same things and the same life as the Egyptians, including the same god(s) as the Egyptians. How can we tell? Because when Moses left the people for a short period of time to be with God and the people were led by someone else, they went astray and broke their promises to God and did something, which was an abomination to God (Funda futhi: Many leaders are leading the people back to Egypt).
God’s way is not the way of the old man, who is carnal
But God’s way is not the way of fallen man, ohamba ngokwenyama. Ngakho-ke, many of the people of God were unthankful and murmured and complained all the time and blamed God for their lives.
They were not thankful for the food from Heaven, which they received from God daily. They were not thankful for the water God provided. They were not thankful for their clothes and shoes that didn’t wear out. They were not thankful for the victories from God over the pagan people.
They were not thankful for Moses and Aaron, whom God had appointed as leaders and high priests of the people.
They were not thankful for God’s redemption. They were not thankful for God’s leading, protection, and freedom God had given them.
But above all, they were not thankful for the relationship they had with their living God, contrary to the dead Egyptian gods.
Every day and night, God showed Himself to them and led His people by His Word, the cloud and fire through the wilderness into the promised land.
Although God Himself was not a visible God in the form of a carved image as His people were used to from the Egyptians, their God was a living God, Whose presence and power were visible in the natural realm.
Zikhathi zonke, God gave His words to Moses, Moses made the words of God known to His people. But God’s unthankful people often didn’t believe the words of God, okwakhulunywa ngomlomo kaMozisi. Therefore they rejected His words. They rather listened to the words of the same-minded people, who spoke after the will of their flesh and fulfilled the wishes, izinkanuko, and desires of the flesh with their words.
40 Days became 40 years
And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, ethi, How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which murmur against Me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against Me. Say unto them, As truly as I live, isho iNkosi, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you: Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against Me, Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun. But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised. But as for you, your carcases, they shall fall in this wilderness. And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness. After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know My breach of promise. I the Lord have said, I will surely do it unto all this evil congregation, that are gathered together against Me: in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die (Numbers 14:26-35)
Because of the iniquities of the people, including their whining, murmuring, and complaining, the people didn’t stay in the wilderness for 40 days but 40 years. 40 years were needed to destroy a generation of murmurers and complainers.
People’s murmur and complain don’t please God
And when the people complained, it displeased the Lord: and the Lord heard it; and His anger was kindled; and the fire of the Lord burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp (Numbers 11:1)
The people’s murmur and complaints didn’t please God. On the contrary, the anger of the Lord was kindled because of their murmuring and complaining. Because of their behavior, many didn’t make it to the promised land but were consumed by the fire of the Lord.
God didn’t fulfill their will and their needs. God was not good enough. Their leader, whom God had appointed was not good enough.
All because they had created a wrong image and expectation of their God during their lives in pagan Egypt, that didn’t correspond with God and His Kingdom.
And as a matter of fact, nothing has really changed throughout the years in the generation of fallen man.
Because many Christians are not happy and are not thankful for their lives.
Many Christians are dissatisfied and murmur and complain all the time. They are never satisfied and always look for something new and something else to please their ‘self’ (their flesh). They commit spiritual adultery by adapting habits, amasiko, and methods from pagan religions and philosophies and applying them to their lives.
They look at the world and those, who belong to the world and are loaded with all the (material) provisions of the world and envy them and want that too. Their eyes are focused on the (material) provisions instead of the Provider
Their expectations of blessings do not correspond with the blessings, which are mentioned in the Bible. Therefore many become disappointed in God.
Thankfulness in the life of Daniel
All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counsellors, and the captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions. Manje, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not. Wherefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree. Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime. Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God (UDaniyeli 6:7-11)
Daniel belonged to the generation of fallen man. But although Daniel belonged to the generation of fallen man, who walked after the flesh, Daniel’s heart belonged to God.
Daniel yielded himself to God’s will instead of his will. Therefore his life stood in the service of God, instead of God standing in the service of Daniel.
When the people were commanded that they were not allowed to consult and ask a petition of any other than Darius, Daniel stayed faithful to God. Daniel didn’t compromise with the world. Daniel didn’t bow out of fear for people and for the will of people. Daniel didn’t leave God by ceasing to pray.
Kunalokho, Daniel stayed faithful to God despite the persecution and the threat of the den of lions.
Daniel didn’t fear man, but Daniel feared God. Therefore Daniel continued to bow down before his God thrice a day with open windows and pray to God as Daniel always had done. And in his situation Daniel prayed and thanked his God; the Creator of Heaven and earth and stayed faithful to Him.
Thankfulness in the life of Jesus
One of the characteristics of Jesus was His thankfulness to the Father. Jesus thanked God the Father in every situation. Despite the situations, difficulties, resistance, ukwenqatshwa, persecutions, inhlebo, false accusations, and the difficult way Jesus had to go, Jesus remained thankful to His Father.
Jesus did, what His Father had told Jesus to do and nothing withheld Jesus to accomplish and finish the work of the Father.
When Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit to the wilderness, just like the people of God, who were led by God to the wilderness, Jesus wasn’t unthankful and didn’t complain and murmur.
Contrary to the people of God (Israyeli), who were unthankful to God, while they were taken care of in the wilderness by God’s provisions and murmured and complained, which caused them to stay in the wilderness for 40 years, Jesus was thankful in the wilderness and therefore Jesus stayed 40 days in the wilderness.
His flesh didn’t hold Jesus in the wilderness. And His flesh didn’t stop Jesus later on, by letting Jesus murmur and complain in situations.
Jesus walked after the Spirit and ruled over His flesh. Therefore He was able to accomplish the work of the Father.
Many believers say, “but Jesus was the Son of God and we are not.” But that’s not a valid excuse. Since the Word says, that everyone who is born again in Jesus Christ has become a son of God and has received the same authority and the same Spirit as Jesus Christ. Because Jesus was the Firstborn of the new creations.
Jesus came to the earth in the flesh and He had the ability to become disobedient to God. Just like Adam and just like Lucifer, usathane.
The disobedience of Lucifer and Adam
Lucifer was perfectly created and was one of the archangels of God. Lucifer was positioned in heaven in God’s garden of Eden and served God before he fell from his position and became the adversary of God. Lucifer was a leader and had been given a place of authority in the heavenlies by God and served God.
But because of his ukungalaleli uNkulunkulu, Lucifer fell from his position as archangel. Lucifer became a fallen angel, just like the third part of all the angels of God, who were appointed under Lucifer’s authority and stayed loyal to their leader. Just like their leader Lucifer, the angels were cast on the earth and became fallen angels.
Adam was perfectly created by God. Adam was the son of God and was appointed by God as a ruler on the earth. There was no evil present in man until man got involved with the wrong one (the serpent).
Man listened, believed, and acted upon the words of the serpent. By believing and acting upon the words of the serpent man rejected the words of God and became disobedient to God. Because of man’s disobedience to God, man fell from his position (Funda futhi: ‘UJesu wabuyisela isikhundla somuntu owile‘).
But Jesus loved His Father with His whole heart and loved His Father above everyone and everything. Therefore Jesus stayed faithful to His Father and didn’t leave the words of the Father. Jesus was thankful in every situation (Funda futhi: ‘Ingabe uyamthanda uNkulunkulu ngenhliziyo yakho yonke? futhi ‘What did Jesus mean by the authority to lay down His life and take it again?).
The thankfulness of the sons of God in every situation
Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you (1 Thesalonika 5:18)
The sons of God are just like Jesus thankful in every situation. The sons of God are spiritual and walk after the Spirit and are not dependent upon natural elements in order to be thankful to God. The sons of God don’t walk after the flesh and therefore the thankfulness of the sons of God is not dependent upon other people, circumstances, situations, or surroundings. The thankfulness of the sons of God toward God doesn’t come and go, but is rooted and always present in their hearts.
The sons of God are no complainers, but they are thankful and have a victor mentality. They go through every situation in life with a victor’s mentality while being thankful to God. They stay faithful to God’s Word and because they serve Him alone, they will come out of every situation and every battle as victors.
Take Paul for example. When Paul was taken captive and led as a prisoner to Rome, Paul was shipwrecked. But instead of murmuring and complaining, Paul encouraged the others and took the bread, broke it and prayed to God, and thanked God in the situation in the presence of the others (IzEnzo 27:35).
Unthankfulness is a work of the flesh
Being unthankful is a work of the flesh. The sons of the devil are unthankful. Unthankfulness is the result when the will of the ‘self’ is not met. As long as you are not born again and the ‘self’ (inyama) is not crucified and laid done, you will be led by your senses, imizwa, imizwelo, izinkanuko, and desires. You shall always depend upon natural elements, like other people, people’s behavior, situations, circumstances, and environments, that should satisfy your will, your expectation, and your needs in order to be and remain thankful.
If you walk after the flesh, you shall always be unthankful. It doesn’t matter how much you receive and how God will provide, your eyes shall always focus on the lack. Because the lust of the eyes shall never be satisfied.
Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied (Izaga 27:20)
But when you are born again in Christ and have laid down your flesh and yielded your life to God, then you shall be thankful to Him.
Even when you are led by Him to the wilderness and drink the cup of the Lord, you shall drink the cup of the Lord with thankfulness towards God, njengoJesu (Mathewu 26:27, Maka 14:23, Luka 22:17).
You shall thank God in every situation. Because your life belongs to God. You shall be focused on Him and His Kingdom and please Him instead of yourself. You shall honor, exalt and glorify the Father through Jesus Christ.
When you start thanking God for all He has done and what He has given you, your murmur, complaint, and whining shall change into joy and gladness and the thankfulness shall return in your life.
Thankfulness is not a feeling but an attitude
Thankfulness is not a feeling, but it is a continuous attitude of the sons of God to God and people. Thankfulness doesn’t depend upon natural elements, such as other people, people’s behavior, (future) situations, and provisions. Because even the richest people in the world can be the most unthankful people. But true thankfulness is always present in the hearts of the sons of God, who walk after the Spirit and don’t rely upon natural elements, like the carnal man, ohamba ngokwenyama.
As a son of God, you are always thankful to God. You are thankful for what God was done for you and the inheritance He has given you in Jesus Christ. You are thankful for His Holy Spirit and your relationship with Him. You are thankful for all the provisions and all power, He has entrusted you with.
If you want to please your Father then you should always be thankful. Because it is an abomination to the Father when you murmur, complain, and whine.
When you walk as a son of God, you shall no longer be focused upon yourself, but upon Jesus and the Father. You shall be thankful and out of your thankfulness, you shall walk, and please and exalt the Father and glorify Jesus with your life.
‘Yiba usawoti womhlaba’
