BEING THANKFUL!

Starts By Denying What Self Thinks IN Every Situation.

Rom. 1:21 - Because that, when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

1 Thess. 5:18 - In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Eph. 5:20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; (KJV)

In Rom.1:21 the word “darkened” is probably where we get our word “schizophrenic” (Greek -skotizō) To know there is a God but turn your back on Him is to lose meaning in life. When life has no real meaning it leaves us empty within and we end up trying to fill it with all kinds of immoral pleasures and material things.

To our way of thinking we feel we cannot be thankful because God is not providing what we feel we rightfully deserve. Others may pray and get their request, why can’t we. We may become rebellious and complain of having no shoes but what about the one who have no feet?

These complaints and questions have two errors to our way of thinking:  that God is not trustworthy and that He does not desire our good. When we compare these conclusions with Scripture, we discover how wrong we are! God’s Word tells us that God is sovereignly in control, providing for and working out all of the circumstances in the lives of those who love Him and whom He has called.(Rom.8:28; I Cor. 10:13). He is intimately involved with us; He works out His purposes through the events in our lives so that we may be conformed to the image of His Son. It takes discipline, pain, and chastening to grow to maturity.

We have further reason to praise Him. The same God who formed the world in six days knows every hair on our heads. The same God who chose a people for Himself before we were born, sent His Son to die on the cross to redeem us from our sins.

     God’s love for us is not determined by the circumstances in our lives. His love is steadfast. Our marital status, career, finances, or abilities might fluctuate or totally break apart. In spite of that, however, we can and must give Him thanks for His love toward us.  Our hearts may not be pure, but we must serve Him with a truthful heart (admit to Him the bitterness or pain within). He can then reveal His love and change our hearts that will cause us to be thankful. The more we talk to the Lord the more we will find Him changing us within. We will come to realize that thoughts like “I know I shouldn’t do this” or “I ought to go to church”, etc. are not our thoughts, but the Lord speaking to us to show us where we fail. We should never ignore His words; whether it is His written word or His word to our hearts.

There are people in our nation who once to often told God to “bug off” and when He did, their minds became “reprobate” (corrupt, depraved, or morally abandoned). Romans 1:21-32 tells what happens to those who do not recognize God for “Who He IS” and are not thankful. These verses give the results of the ones who forget God and are not thankful. Take time to read them.

God made us to contain Himself and to reveal His love to us.  He wants to show us that we can be victors (more than conquerors -Romans 8:31-39) even in the darkest storms. Being thankful in everything is what opens our hearts to receive His love and opens our spiritual eyes to see His ways that make us secure and fulfilled in the worst of circumstances.  It was in a Nazi concentration camp that Corrie TenBoon learned to be thankful for the fleas. She learned that the guards did not molest them because of the fleas. Many times He uses ugly circumstances to separate us from a world of trouble in order to keep us safe.

Mistakes we make can make us feel we are not worthy to receive. When Jonah fled from God; God used it to reveal HIMSELF to the men on the ship (Jonah 1:14-16). Samson killed more at his death (Judges 16:30). My own life proved the pain and teasing I went through as a child was worth it all (1Pet.1:5-8) as it protected me from the wrong crowd! It is experiencing a joy inexpressible in the midst of trials that enjoys knowing the Glory of God in the Face of Jesus Christ! (2Cor. 4:6)

Let us be thankful to God for His love and provisions for He knows our every need (and that our wants may harm our spiritual growth or that we are not ready for them at this time). When we have the faith to place our lives in His hands, we can know that we will receive His grace that will save us and give us a peace that passes understanding in every trying circumstance. (Philippians 4:6,7)