Thursday, December 22, 2005
1 Thessalonians 5:18 In everything give thanks.
THE GIFT OF A THANKFUL HEART
We all have special Christmas memories from our childhood. I remember the presents too big to be wrapped, covered with a blanket -- a bike, skis. And writing "thank yous" for each gift. Thinking of something I appreciated about each.
Since there is no circumstance or situation in which we are forsaken by our Lord, but rather are upheld and protected and blessed in everything, then in everything we have reason to give thanks.
That our sinful nature still affects us as Christians is nowhere more plainly evident than in our propensity for complaining. Not only do we often grouse about our troubles, we even manage to find negative things in God's blessings!
We have the Gospel preached to us, but the sermons could be shorter, or clearer, or . . . We have Bibles in our own language and all sorts of labor-saving devices, but we complain that we are too busy to read the Word. We have family and friends, but there is so much about them that irritates us. We ask God for a chance to witness to the heathen and when someone treats us in a way that gives evidence that his life is not under Christ's control, we complain about how poorly we've been treated instead of seeing that God is answering our prayer.
But there is a gift of God which is an antidote to all this looking for shadows when we should be rejoicing in the sunshine. It's called giving thanks. But not selective thanksgiving, not giving thanks just for the things for which we happen to feel thankful. Rather "in everything give thanks."
Or to use the illustration from our youth, when Mother said "write your thank-yous," not just thank-yous for toys and candy, but for socks and hair cream too. For everything, for in every situation God is with His people for their blessing. Much that we think hard is for our benefit -- and in nothing are we forsaken.
Even in the worst of circumstances we can give thanks for the opportunity to "fight the good fight of faith" and to represent the Lord Jesus in the way we handle pain and suffering.
