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“In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18
I believe Scripture substantiates the fact that God expects us to thank Him for His blessings in our lives. We see this particularly in the passage in Luke 15:15-17 when one lone ex-leper returned to thank Jesus: "One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him--and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?"
God not only deserves our thanks, but I believe He also desires it. He wants us to be grateful for His goodness rather than take it all for granted. How many times during this past year did we re-count our blessings and thank God for everything He’s done for us? As we prepare to have Thanksgiving this month, let us understand that God doesn’t want our Thanksgiving to be limited to one Thursday in November. God wants us to continually thank Him. He wants us to live a life of thankfulness.
Look what Paul has to say about it all: "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." (I Th 5:18). In Ephesians 5:19-20, he says: "Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." In Philippians 4:4, he writes: "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!"
Paul made it clear that our giving of thanks is to be continual, not contingent; it is to be ongoing despite our circumstances, not just when everything is going well. Even though he faced some very devastating circumstances, Paul was able to maintain an attitude of gratitude because he held onto a proper perspective of both God and His circumstances. He knew that God was good all the time and consequently, he knew that a good God would only allow circumstances that would ultimately result in something good.
The question I pose during this Thanksgiving season is this. As followers of Christ, are we maintaining an attitude of gratitude each day we live for Christ? Do we truly focus on God and not our circumstances knowing that God has a purpose for our lives? It is my prayer that we live thankful lives and we display that in the way we live out our lives before God and others.
I am truly thankful for how God is allowing me to serve the churches in our Network. I thank God for our Pastors and churches and I’m thankful for how He is working in our churches. I pray each of you are blessed richly during this season and every day that you serve our Lord!
Bro. Gary
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