Colossians 2:7 Having been rooted and being built up in Him, and being established in the faith even as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving 3:17 And whatever you do in word or in deed, do all things in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
The way to be established in the faith is by abounding in thanksgiving. When we are right with the Lord and in fellowship with Him, we are filled with thanksgiving. But when we are not right with the Lord, we are not able to give thanks.
If we claim to have good fellowship with the Lord but cannot render thanks to Him, then our claim is false. According to this verse, the words “abounding in thanksgiving” are related to “being established in the faith.” This indicates that whether or not we have been established in the faith depends on whether or not we are abounding in thanksgiving.
If we do a certain thing in fellowship with the Lord, we shall be filled with thanksgiving. However, if we do anything that is apart from Him, we shall not be able to give thanks. For example, are you able to thank the Lord when you participate in a particular form of worldly entertainment?
You may claim to be happy, but you cannot honestly thank the Lord. Sometimes it seems that we can thank the Lord for a certain thing, but after a little while we repent of the very thing for which we have given thanks. We must not deceive ourselves.
Instead, we should check if we are abounding in thanksgiving. If we are, then we are being established in the faith.