This post was last updated on September 27, 2025

Day 249, Year 1

The Darkness of Not Giving Thanks to God

“For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.” (Romans 1:21 NASB)

Today’s verse reveals a very substantial truth: Giving thanks to God can bring about life transformation. Thanking God can enable us, believers, to shift our perspectives from the ephemeral life, events, or circumstances to the eternal God, and subsequently understand what we have encountered and experienced through an eternal perspective. If we give thanks to God in everything and continue to view our circumstances with His glorious mindset, we can be open to Him, affirming His sovereignty over us. We can then continue to receive His thoughts, guidance, and His work, thus going on to thank Him.

This mentality of putting God first can prevent us from the vanity of human mindsets and the failure of our plans. In God’s design, our human minds are to receive His guidance, His light, and His power from time to time, so that our minds can receive His spiritual energy. Therefore, giving thanks to God is a vital practice for believers to continually receive His energy in our hearts and minds. However, some might ask: Could Jesus do a bit more to make it easier for people to thank Him? In fact, the preceding verses mention that the divinity of God can easily be felt in His creation (Romans 1:19-20). So, it is a blessing for humans to be able to thank God with our mouths. Feeling or knowing God from creation and subsequently giving thanks does not require us to have a close relationship or many personal experiences with Him. And those who feel honored can already glorify God wholeheartedly, while those who feel grateful can also give thanks to Him.

On the contrary, knowing God without giving thanks to Him corrupts the mind. The word “futile” in today’s verse, mataioo in Greek, means “to make empty, vain, or foolish.” People who do not invite God into their hearts and minds become empty and foolish, and they are ultimately doomed to failure regardless of how much success they have experienced on earth. This failure can be described as “darkened,” which is spiritual darkness. Following the verse, the scriptures say that this darkness will lead to moral corruption, which involves the work of evil spirits. Conversely, believers should give thanks to God in everything that happens to us and view ourselves along with everything from His perspective. This helps us purify our hearts and minds, casting out the power of darkness and evil spirits within us, and allowing us to live in a state of being unceasingly blessed by God.

Reflection questions:

1) Do you find it easy to give thanks to God when you know or feel His presence? If you have difficulty giving thanks to God, what might be the reason behind it?

2) When you give thanks and glorify God with all your heart and mind, do you find it easier to follow His guidance and be blessed?