Put Off, Put On: Part Three

The Steady Joy of a Thankful Christian

One of the clearest marks of Christian maturity is gratitude. A thankful believer is a healthy believer. Paul repeats this theme in Colossians 3, “be thankful,” “with thankfulness,” “giving thanks”, because thankfulness should flavor everything a Christian does. Gratitude orients us toward God. It isn’t some vague positivity or a modern “attitude of gratitude.” It is directed thanksgiving: to the Father, through the Son, by the Spirit. The world celebrates Thanksgiving as a general mood, but Christians give thanks to Someone. Our gratitude is worship.

Where gratitude disappears, something is spiritually off. A thankless Christian is like a tree without sap. It might stand upright for a while, but it isn’t alive. When we forget God’s benefits, when worry fills our hearts or pride blinds us to grace, our faith grows brittle. Thanksgiving revives it. Faith breathes gratitude; unbelief exhales complaint. That’s why Paul ties thankfulness to peace, to the Word, and to every action of life. These three form the rhythm of a mature Christian: the peace of Christ ruling the heart, the Word of Christ dwelling richly in the mind, and every deed done in the name of Christ.

Paul writes, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.” That’s not a suggestion, it’s a command. The word Paul uses has the sense of “see to it that it happens.” Peace is meant to be the ruling principle of your inner life. The image is of an umpire making a call—peace is supposed to call the shots in your heart. The opposite umpire is anxiety. When anxiety rules, gratitude dies. When Christ’s peace rules, gratitude grows.

This peace isn’t private. Paul says we were “called in one body.” It’s corporate peace. The peace of Christ steadies both our hearts and our relationships. Anxiety and pride divide a church; peace knits it together. Nothing kills thanksgiving like worry. When we fixate on what might go wrong, we lose sight of what’s already gone right. That’s why Paul connects peace and gratitude. Gratitude drives out anxiety, and anxiety smothers gratitude. If you want peace, start by giving thanks. Thank God for what’s right in front of you: the people, provisions, and promises He’s already given. Peace isn’t found by staring at your fears but by remembering God’s faithfulness.

Paul then says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” Again, that’s not a passive “let it happen.” It’s a command; see to it that it does. The Word must live in you. You don’t drift into biblical maturity. You have to open the Book and welcome it in. When Scripture takes up residence in your life, it changes not only your thinking but your relationships. It spills over into “teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom.” Paul doesn’t limit this to pastors or teachers. Every Christian is to know the Word well enough to help a brother or sister walk faithfully.

Many believers read the Bible only to get personal inspiration, but Paul’s vision is larger. Read not just to grow yourself, but so you’ll have something to give. Almost every week, God uses something from His Word that you recently read to help someone else: a friend, a child, a coworker. God’s Word is meant to be shared. A church where only the pastor knows the Bible is a weak church. A strong church is one where the people feed on Scripture together and build one another up with it.

Paul connects the Word to song. “Singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” When the Word dwells richly in God’s people, it produces singing. Worship isn’t filler between the sermon and the benediction; it’s one of the ways God presses His Word deeper into our hearts. That’s why the words of our songs matter. They should be true, biblical, and full of substance. Music helps the truth stick.

You see this every time a child learns a new hymn. They may not be able to quote a verse you read at dinner, but they’ll sing the song they heard on Sunday. God designed music that way. Song is a divine teaching tool. It trains the heart through beauty and repetition. If your home is quiet of song, it’s often a sign that the air has gone stale. A thankful home sings. Whether in church or around the house, fill your life with songs that lift your eyes to God. When the Word of Christ lives in your heart, it finds its way out through your voice.

Paul ends the section by saying, “Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” That covers the whole of life. “Whatever you do” means exactly that, everything. There is no sacred-secular divide in the Christian life. Christ’s name covers it all: your work, your parenting, your conversations, your rest. There’s nothing neutral in life; everything belongs to Him.

To act “in the name of Jesus” doesn’t mean tacking on a religious phrase like a magic charm. It means that everything you do is done in dependence on Him and for His glory. The Westminster Larger Catechism explains that to pray “in the name of Christ” means to obey His command, trust His promises, and draw our boldness and hope from His mediation. That’s the same posture Paul has in mind here. To live in His name is to live out of His grace, to let your whole life flow from His strength and redound to His praise.

And again, Paul ends with thanksgiving: “giving thanks to God the Father through him.” All of this leads back to gratitude. Every grace we receive comes through Christ, and so every “thank you” we offer should return through Christ to the Father. We thank the Father because He gave us to the Son. We thank the Son because He redeemed and sustains us. We thank the Spirit because He applies grace to our hearts. Thanksgiving is Trinitarian. It’s communion with the living God.

The mature Christian life is marked by peace ruling the heart, the Word dwelling in the mind, and the name of Christ defining everything. The result is gratitude. Peace kills anxiety. The Word kills ignorance. Christ’s name kills pride. And what rises in their place is thanksgiving. If you find yourself sliding into worry, cynicism, or complaint, don’t just grit your teeth and try to feel better. Start thanking God. Remember His promises. Sing His Word. Speak it to others. Gratitude is both the fruit of faith and one of its best fertilizers.

Paul’s vision is plain: let the peace of Christ rule your heart, let His Word live in your mind, and let His name set the course of your life… until gratitude overflows to the Father through Him. That is mature, Spirit-filled living. Not complex. Not showy. A steady, glad, thankful faith that keeps its eyes up.