I Thessalonians 5:18 "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
Thankfulness is clearly a command and expectation of the Apostle Paul in his letter to the church at Thessalonica. These words are written in the group of exhortations of how exactly we should live in the "last days" as we anticipate Jesus Christ's return. "Watch and wait." "Be mindful of relationships with believers." "Be joyful always." "Pray continually." As I said in an earlier post, it would seem that Paul believes that minding our hearts, our relationships, our choices, our attitudes, and our behavior is going to contribute largely to the way we deal with end times. Interesting.
But back to thankfulness...
Thankful for everything? Seriously? It kind of reminds me of the Peanuts comic in today's paper. We can think of some reasons to be thankful, but then it interferes with the bottom line, and that is how we want things to be. So we may be thankful for a moment or two, but then remember, "Oh yeah, this isn't the way I want things to be," so we revert back to unthankfulness...again.
We often say around here, "God is good, and if He is good then His plan is good." If we remember that, then thankfulness could come easier. Let's get practical with how that would work, shall we?
My car breaks down. What am I thankful for? "Thank You, Lord, that I have the money to fix it. Thank You, Lord, that I wasn't on the freeway when the car broke down. Thank You, Lord, that you sent someone to help me. Thank You, Lord, that my joy does not depend on my car running well."
This doesn't mean I don't get the car towed to the mechanic. Doesn't mean I don't try to get it fixed. I do the practical things, but with a thankful heart.
I go to the ER because I have a terrible pain in my stomach. What am I thankful for? "I thank You, Lord, for doctors. I thank You, Lord, that You are with me even when I am sick. I thank You, Lord, for medical insurance...(or even) I thank You that even though I have no insurance You will meet the need."
This doesn't mean you must enjoy the pain. It only means that in the midst of the pain, you are thankful, if for no other reason, for God's presence with you.
My children are being rebellious. What am I thankful for? "Thank You, Lord, for the strength you will provide me to get through this. I thank You that you are giving me wisdom to deal with the situation. I thank You that you are going to bring good out of this. I thank You that You are at work in our family. I thank You, Lord, that you love my children even more than I do and that You in Your wisdom can draw them back to You."
Yes, you might still cry and you will probably not enjoy their rebellion, but you can be thankful in the midst of all of it because you know that God is sustaining you and giving you wisdom.
Remember the Veggie Tales song? The chorus goes something like this:
A thankful heart is a happy heart!
I'm glad for what I have. Thats an easy way to start!
For the love that He shares,
'Cause He listens to my prayers,
That's why I say thanks every day!
Thankfulness focuses on God. When we focus on God, we become intensely aware of His power and His love for us. That may bring immense peace and joy in our lives, which causes even further thankfulness.
Food for thought!
Tell me what you think. How's it working for you this week? Post a comment. (If you don't know how, call me and I'll walk you through it!)
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I liked your illustration about the two kinds of mustangs and their reaction when saddled the first time. One snorts and bucks and gets angry, much like some people who rail at God and shake their fists in His face. The other trembles and freezes in his tracks, much like some who feel alone and afraid and forget that God is with them.
ReplyDeleteI want to be one that doesn't get angry at God or my circumstances, and also doesn't feel afraid. I want to trust Him completely, and know that He is God...so I will both accept and not be afraid.
I really loved the illustration of the Master painter with the helper painter working on "their master piece". How often in my life have I looked at the blob of paint that was just thrown on the painting that I felt was looking pretty good and not known that God threw that paint there in order to rescue me from something, prevent something, create something. He knew what it was about and many times it was only is retrospect that I have seen the beauty that God created out of something that felt to me like a total mistake at the time.
ReplyDeleteMy challenge is to trust Him that He is in control of the picture of my life and not hesitate to give Him the thanks for what He is doing or allowing in my life, even when it doesn't feel good at the moment!
I really needed to hear "We are to 'Be Thankful'". I'm always the: positive person; the glass is half full; look on the bright side; the one that points out the good in things to those around me when they are down. In the last couple of months, I've been sad and over looking the good in everything. I've been feeling overwhelmed and can cry even if I feel happy. I've had a sadness that I don't understand. During and after the sermon, all the things that are heavy on my heart, seemed to lift as I was thinking about them and praying for the good in each situation and I thank God for this. For the rest of the day, if I started to feel down, I could pray to God and seek the good and be thankful. I will continue to focus on that; I'm feeling so much better and God knew that I needed to hear Pastor John's sermon, as though it was written just for me.
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