In All Situations, Be Thankful!

 

I Thessalonians 5:18 says, “In everything give thanks…”  At first glance this seems impossible.  How can we possibly give thanks to God in everything, at all times, and in every situation? 

The truth is there is a huge benefit for any of us who learn, by faith, to be grateful.  It’s an attitude that we must develop if we are ever to become grounded believers.  Being thankful helps us focus on God rather than our circumstances. 

It is no test of faith to rejoice and shout when the sun is shining and when all is well.  We must learn to be thankful when all is not so well.  That’s faith!  It’s the example of Paul and Silas in Acts 16.  They were in prison!  They were uncertain of what the next day might bring, and yet the scriptures tell us “…at midnight, they prayed and sang praises to God”.  They were giving thanks to the Lord who held them in His care.   

So here is my challenge for you today: when your world turns upside down, thank God; when sickness visits your house, thank God; when hard times put you down, when bad times knock you down, when rough times hold you down, when tough times just keep on coming, thank God!  Just keep on praising God in the ups and downs of life.  This is the mark of a grounded believer.  

“Be thankful unto Him and bless His name” Psalm 100:4.  Why is this important? Because God can turn things around!  He can take what looks like a defeat and turn it into a victory.  God can turn disaster into triumph. God can turn rottenness into sweetness.  It’s not always easy, be we can learn to truly give thanks – in everything. 

The Pastor's Pocket
Pastor Bruce Freeman 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Are You Ready?

Image
It’s that time of the year when the animals are getting ready for winter. They make sure their nesting place is ready for hibernation. They are gathering food or eating a lot of food now to sustain them during the winter months.   In the mornings when we wake up, we get ready for the day. When we are expecting visitors, we get ready for their arrival. The airline industry works hard to make sure their planes are ready to fly. Athletes warm up to get ready for competition.   Jesus tells us to get ready because He is coming.  Are you ready for His return? We must be prepared, for one day the Lord will surely come. How can you be sure you are ready for that moment? (1) Make sure you are saved, born again. (2) Be serving Christ in some capacity. (3) Make sure you are doing the will of God. (4) Be a worshipper. Practice now praising the Lord because that is what you will do in heaven (Revelation 4-5).   Are you prepared for an encounter with the Lord today? Have you positioned yourself to m
Read more

Shopping Season

Image
Our daughter was shopping at a wholesale store recently and sent my wife this text, “Insane how packed it is on Wednesday afternoon!” My wife’s reply to her was, “Tis the season”. The busy shopping season has begun. It’s a great time of the year for retailers.  During this season as Christians, we mustn’t venture out without asking the Holy Spirit to fill us with patience and give us the strength to maintain a Christ-like spirit.   This is a shopping season when many people are searching for, hoping for, something that will satisfy a craving, fulfill a longing, or give them a thrill. For some it will be a party, alcohol, a new car, new clothes, a new boyfriend/girlfriend perhaps. For some, their happiness comes from a sale at the mall, and their many purchases. It’s a season when many are looking for a “high” which turns out to be only temporary.   Friend, there is a “high” you cannot buy. It’s righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17). It’s not something temporal
Read more

Trusting God

Image
You’ve never really given a problem over to God until you completely trust Him with the outcome. Too much of our faith in prayer is tied to getting God to do what we think is best. We rejoice if God does what we ask or if He responds as we think He should. What if God has other plans? Is He any less faithful?   The truth is, God sometimes does have plans that differ from our own agenda.   As we pray, we must be willing to accept whatever God determines best.   That’s never easy, but it’s a place we must come to in our understanding of the Holy One.   We all know the story of the three Hebrew young men, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and the fiery furnace.   The story is found in Daniel chapter 3.   An order had gone out from the Babylonian king that everyone in the province was to bow down to the golden idol, and anyone who refused would be thrown into a fiery furnace. I love the approach of these three men in Daniel 3:17, “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us
Read more