“I don’t say THANK YOU for not being a hypocrite.” Is this statement biblical?

Some time ago someone said to me, “I’m not saying THANK YOU, because I don’t want to be a hypocrite.” I think that this thought can occur to each of us and it will be very beneficial to write an article on this topic.

First…

Satisfaction or lack of it shows the state of the heart

The Bible says:

Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father (Colossians 3:16-17 NASB).

Satisfaction must live first and foremost in the heart. Jesus said:

The good person out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil person out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart (Luke 6:45 NASB).

The mouth speaks from the depths of our heart. If our heart is full of gratitude and thankfulness, it will be seen in our words and deeds. If our heart is full of bitterness and dissatisfaction, it will come out in our words and deeds. The mouth speaks from the heart.

Saying THANK YOU is an attitude expressed in action

When Jesus healed the 10 lepers in Luke 17, only one of them returned to give thanks. For that leper, gratitude was not just words but an action that, in fact, showed an attitude of heart. He turned from his way to come and fall at the feet of the Lord Jesus and thank Him. So we see that being thankful is more than just saying “thank you.” It is an attitude, seen in deeds. Jesus said that the leper who returned and thanked, in fact, by his thanksgiving, gave glory to God.

Interestingly, looking back at the Old Testament, sacrifices of praise often went hand in hand with sacrifices of thanksgiving. So gratitude is expressed in praise. By the way, this is also the meaning of the word “grateful” – someone who recognizes a service, a good that has been done to him, who is grateful to someone. The Bible teaches us to be thankful when it says:

Let the peace of Christ, to which you were indeed called in one body, rule in your hearts; and be thankful (Colossians 3:15 NASB).

When the apostle Paul was in prison in Rome, he wrote to Timothy that all in Asia had left him, but Paul, who had learned to be grateful, greatly appreciated the attitude and actions of one of his disciples, named Onosiphorus. Paul writes of him as follows:

The Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains; but when he was in Rome, he eagerly searched for me and found me— the Lord grant to him to find mercy from the Lord on that day—and you know very well what services he rendered at Ephesus (2 Timothy 1:16-18 NASB).

Looking at the example of Onisiphorus, we see that his gratitude to Paul was not just an expression of “thank you.” He showed his gratitude by taking special care of his teacher, and when it was hard for Paul and he was in need, Onisiphorus came to comfort him. Interestingly, in these verses we also see Paul’s heart. Receiving help and comfort from Onisiphorus, he did not hesitate to thank him.

Satisfaction is a skill that is learned

No one is born happy. Satisfaction is learned. A heart changed and cleansed by the blood of the Lord Jesus teaches to be thankful first to God and then to those who have made a contribution in their lives. Paul wrote about himself:

Not that I speak from need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am (Philippians 4:11 NASB).

Satisfaction is a habit and you learn it every day.

Paul commanded the believers in Ephesus:

But sexual immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be mentioned among you, as is proper among saints; and there must be no filthiness or foolish talk, or vulgar joking, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks (Ephesians 5:3-4 NASB).

I want to draw your attention to the fact that these words of thanks were not only to God but also to the believers. When you truly learn to be thankful to God, you cannot be dissatisfied with the people God has used and is using in your life to do you good.

If the Bible commands us, “Give thanks to God for all things” (1 Thessalonians 5:18), which means both good and “bad” things that happen in our lives, then how can you forget all the good things that we do? Didn’t God do it through his people? How can you be unhappy? This, in fact, shows the state of the heart: for out of the abundance of the heart speaks the mouth.

Conclusion

My dear, you do not have to say THANK YOU to anyone, not even to God, if this is not the state of your heart. In this case, such a thank you, yes, is hypocrisy. But if your heart is full of discontent, this is a serious problem, just as serious as hypocrisy. Therefore, let us be very careful, because the Bible warns us that in the last days, “people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, disgraceful, without godliness (2 Timothy 3: 1-2).

The heart that is not full of gratitude never remains empty, it will inevitably be filled with other things, but unfortunately, they do not bring joy to you or to God.

All the days of the needy are bad, but a cheerful heart has a continual feast (Proverbs 15:15 NASB).

Translated by Didina Vicliuc