Posted by: Anna Seeing as how Thanksgiving is tomorrow, it seemed natural to write a post on being thankful. There are a lot of verses about thanksgiving, being thankful, giving thanks, etc.. And in a way, that seems like one of those easy concepts from the Bible that you don't really need to worry about- unlike some of the others, it's simple and it'll just happen. Uh, no. In fact, as humans, our instinct is the opposite of thanksgiving, I would say! I spend far more time in a day being annoyed with people, with what I have to do, over what I don't have; than I do being grateful for the people God has put in my life, being cheerful and willing to do all things to the glory of God, and giving thanks that I have been so blessed with a home and with a free country, among a cazillion other things. Am I alone? "And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." Colossians 3:14-17 I think that's a powerful verse. Take a moment to read it thoroughly. In that verse we have three key words I'm focusing on. . . thankful, thankfulness, and thanks. I read these Christian historical fiction books awhile back. A large part of the story was the main character struggling in her faith. You got to learn and grow as she did. One thing that stuck out to me was when she remembered, and tried to put into practice, something her mother had always said: "Giving a sacrifice of praise." ". . . singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness." What this means to me is that when it would be easier, and when we think it would make us 'feel better', to be irritated and down about things; instead, we should be thankful! We should praise God! Here's an example: Let's say I'm annoyed with something my family did. The instinct is to grumble inwardly about them, maybe even outwardly. To think of all the bad things about them. To dwell on whatever it is they did that annoyed me so that in the end, I get even more upset. But let's say that I've taken what I'm writing to heart. Let's say I put it into practice. Then what would I do? I'd think of all the reasons I have to be grateful for my family. I think of all their qualities, all the things I appreciate so much about them. I think of how I've had the blessing of spending so much extra time with them, since my mom doesn't work and we homeschool. I think of how strong our relationships are. That we're all healthy and happy. And then, I thank God for all of those things. Basically, you're sacrificing your desire to be down in the dumps and annoyed. (As backwards as it is, I think we can all agree that for whatever reason, that sounds appealing to us sometimes. You just want to be irritated with people instead of letting it go from time to time) And instead, we praise God. We think of all we have to be thankful for, and we do just that- be thankful. Imagine life that way! It may not seem like that big a change at first, but it would be! If, every time you got upset about something, you were able to count your blessings instead of dwelling on that problem imagine how much, well, happier life would be! And imagine how improved our relationships with one another would be. If we always forgave people and thought of all the things we love about them instead of all the things they do to bother us, I think we'd really come to appreciate each other and become closer. And I have proof on that one. Why are me and Abby such good friends? Well, one of the biggest reasons I think, is that we accept each other. We have our differences. But we don't have our quarrels. Because we just love each other for what we are and are thankful for one another. (And hopefully she won't mind me talking about her). :) That's why I think 'sacrifices of praise' are so important. That and hey, they're pleasing to God! The Bible says we're supposed to give them, even if it doesn't use that exact wording. Look at these verses. ". . . but instead let there be thanksgiving." Eph. 5:4 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." Philip. 4:6 "Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving," Psalm 147:7 "I will praise the name of God with song; I will magnify Him with thanksgiving." Psalm 69:30 "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God for you." 1 Thes. 5:18 "Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever!" I could do more but I'll stop there. Of course, some of those verses bring me to another point. . . the biggest reason we have to be thankful. "Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever!" Is that not true? How can we not be thankful when the God of the universe is so good? When His steadfast love endures forever, despite how much we don't deserve it? "But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved," 2 Thes. 2:13 We ought to be thankful because we are saved! Those three words really should be enough to bring the meaning to Thanksgiving. We are saved. How can we be annoyed about that quirk that person has, or be moody and prickly all day because of something someone said, or be constantly discontent because we don't have as big a house or as cool a car or as good a salary as so-and-so, when we have been saved?! Now I know I'm not one to talk. None of us are, really. But it's something we all need to work on, wouldn't you say? And though it may be hard at first, it's worth it! Not only are you obeying God by being thankful instead dissatisfied (which is enough reason in and of itself), you're also making your life and the lives of others better! The few times I've actually managed to, when I'm upset about something, calm down and think of what I have to be thankful for instead; it helped a whole lot more than brooding over it! Now though it is Thanksgiving and that's why I was inspired to write this post, that doesn't mean November 26 is the only day to count your blessings and praise God for them. No, we're to always be doing that. Always be thankful, always offer up sacrifices of praise. "But we ought to always give thanks to God". So as you're enjoying the delicious food tomorrow, as you're hanging out with friends and family in the name of being thankful, how about it? And next week, when Susy-Q says something that just ticks you off, try to think of all the nice things Susy-Q has done, and how good a friend she's been. And no matter what, always remember that God loves you, and sent His Son to die for you. There are so many reasons to be thankful, but I personally think that is the best. And have a great Thanksgiving. :) "Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints, and give thanks to His holy name."
0 Comments
|
Archives
July 2017
CategoriesWhat you're reading. . .
They say you learn something new |