1 Thessalonians 5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
At this time of year many people have Thanksgiving on their minds. However, what most people miss is to have Thanksgiving on their minds every day of the year. One of the biggest problems that face Christians is the inability to be thankful at all times. In this passage of Scripture, we are told to give thanks in everything. Most people are not thankful for what they do have, but often are discouraged, distressed, and depressed because of what they do not have.
Our focus should never be on what we don't have but always on giving thanks to God for what we do have. It is disrespectful to God to have an ungrateful spirit.
Gratitude is one of the best ways that we can show God not only how much we appreciate Him, but it also is a form of praise and worship. I honestly believe that many people would not spend so much time in depression if they would spend more time giving thanks. Too often we find ourselves in positions of complaining about what we don't have rather than giving thanks for what we do have. It is easy to complain about all of the things that we want, but we don't currently have. However, it is more beneficial to be thankful for all of the things that we've been blessed by God to have rather than complain about what God has done for us. If we were to make a list of complaints versus what we are thankful for then our list of thanks, should be 100 times longer than our list of complaints. Take a moment and right down everything that you are thankful for, this should take you the rest of your life. As you can see, this leaves no time for your list of complaints. We have to begin to look at what we deem to be little things and be thankful for them just as much as the big things that we often complain about. Many people wake up each morning without one ounce of gratitude for life, health, vision, hearing, movement of body parts, a roof over their head, close to wear, food to eat, peace, love, joy, family, friends and more importantly, a God who loves them unconditionally. While some of these items just listed may not be the best in the market or in the best condition, but they are still yours. This small little list is just that a small list of the many things that we should be thankful for. Most of our complaints are about material things that fade away and vanish and truly have no eternal or spiritual value.
Most of us complain about our financial state, or lack thereof, but finances too are temporary. Everything that money can buy is of less value than the things that God blesses us with continually each day. The next time you desire to complain about how bad your life is take a moment and look around you and count your blessings instead of complaining. What is also amazing to me is how people will ask God for things, God will grant them their desires and they will then complain about what God blessed them with when they asked for it in the beginning. For instance, your job, your spouse, even your own kids, or that new car, and the list goes on and on, but at one time or another many of us have complained back to God about things that we petitioned him for. Many people have not come to the realization that the things that they complain about not having often times God does not desire for us to have them at that time in our life. We have to learn to trust God's plan and purposes, and realize that God truly does know what is best for us. If there are things which we desire to have and we don't currently have them obviously life is not over because we don't have them. Our life is not based upon things. Jesus himself said, “Beware of covetousness for the sum of a man's life is not in the things that he possesses.” What he was trying to tell us was that our life is much more than stuff that we want to possess. The one thing that we must always attempt to do in our lives is be thankful for the love of God through Jesus Christ. When we do that we then are able to receive, possess and give the greatest of all gifts the love of God through Jesus Christ. That gift is free and available to everyone that lives on this earth, now that is something to be thankful for.
Challenge: The next time you have an urge or desire to complain, take a moment and make a list or think about the things that you have to be thankful for. By the time you're done you will have forgotten about what it was you were complaining about in the first place.
At this time of year many people have Thanksgiving on their minds. However, what most people miss is to have Thanksgiving on their minds every day of the year. One of the biggest problems that face Christians is the inability to be thankful at all times. In this passage of Scripture, we are told to give thanks in everything. Most people are not thankful for what they do have, but often are discouraged, distressed, and depressed because of what they do not have.