Once again Thanksgiving Day has come and gone but God's Word tells us to "in everything give thanks!" Honestly, I can't do that on my own. Stuff happens and my thankful heart is gone. But by God's grace and His Spirit's work in me, He helps me realize that I am not thinking correctly once again. I confess the sin (1 John 1:9) and recover and God in His grace helps me to "in everything give thanks" again.
How is this possible? Lots and lots of reasons. But here are just a few. I know and claim the promises in God's Word. For example, "All things work together for good to those who love God . . ." (Romans 8:28). We love God because "He first loved us" (1 John 4:7-19). And His "commands are not burdensome" (1 John 5:3) because we know how much He loves us when we look to Jesus and renew our appreciation for what He went through for us. God always has our best interests in mind for us.
I have a fond memory of a teaching my father shared when I was just a kid. He pointed out that 1 Thessalonians 5:18 does not say "for everything give thanks." It says, "in everything give thanks." We can't and shouldn't give thanks for everything. We can't be thankful for such things like the lady that sprayed pepper spray in the eyes of others while shopping on black Friday because she did not want them to get what she wanted. (Ugh!) We cannot and should not be thankful for any evil deed brought upon others by sinners like ourselves. (Yes, I have been one of those sinners and have been guilty of hurting others. God, help me!) But in the midst of all that happens all around us we can have a heart of thankfulness because we know that there will be an end to all the evil that takes place. Jesus Christ's death won the victory over the devil and all the corruption that goes on and on (1 John 3:8b; Hebrews 2:14-15). But there will be a final end to it one glad day because Jesus has already won the victory as proven by His resurrection (1 Corinthians 15).
So keep trusting the Lord and and His Word and "in everything give thanks!" God will give you the grace to do so by His Spirit working through the new person in you that He created in the image of Christ (see earlier post, "God's Grace Operating Assets").
1 comment:
Yes! I remember Dad saying that more than once. Thanks for the reminder. An atitude of gratitude helps in our relationship with God and others. We'll see if the comment is posted this time. Sometimes this technology doesn't work for me:(
Your Sis
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