Good morning! I want to take a short moment to say Happy Thanksgiving. I am really looking forward to this holiday. I am not, nor have been a particularly "thankful" person. I am aware of blessings and things in my life, but I typically do not exhibit an attitude of "thankfulness". This year is a little different. I am becoming really aware of what God says about thankfulness. Even this last Sunday in our message we looked at 1 Thessalonians 5:18. "In every thing give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. " I like to ask questions as I look at scripture. For example: Is there an instruction or a command? Yes, it is "in every thing give thanks". WHAT are we to give thanks for? "Every thing". WHY are we supposed to do this? "because it is the will of God in Christ Jesus". Does this apply to me? "concerning you". After asking as many questions as I can think of, I try to make application to my life. If I am to give thanks in "every thing" then I guess that means I should thank God even for the hard circumstances I find myself in. Whew! that's a tough one. Tough, yet true. The important part of this verse for me is the answer to the why. Because it is the will of God concerning ME. I can then begin to think of reasons why I should thank God for the circumstances I find myself in. This goes along with the last thoughts I shared. I can thank God because He has sovereignly chosen MY circumstances for ME. He will use them to mold and make me into the image of His Son. As I take on more of the image of His Son, others around me will begin to see His Son in me. That will bring others into contact with His Son also. As I come through hard circumstances, I will be able to help others who also find themselves in hard circumstances. They will then be able to help others, and on it goes. God knows me more than anyone else. He knows everything that I have ever been through. He knows everything I have ever done and everything others have done to me. He knows my innermost desires, my fears, my thoughts, my strengths, and my weaknesses. He alone knows what circumstances I need to reveal His Son in me. As I sat in church on Sunday my heart was very heavy because of recent events in my life. I could barely bring myself to sing. On the inside my heart was thinking, "Thank you God" for working in my life so that I will be all that you desire me to be. How reassuring it is to realize the Almighty Creator God of the Universe cares enough about me to personally orchestrate my circumstances to make me into a better person that He can use to reach the hurt and wounded world with the message of His Son. He and He alone, is my only hope. Wow, those are some real reasons to be thankful. May you too, thank Him for what He is working in YOUR life as you enter this special season of the year. Come visit me tomorrow. I will lighten your heart with a very funny Thanksgiving joke.
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