I trust that you all had an enjoyable Thanksgiving Day with your family and friends. What a great way to begin the season of winter and the joy of Christmas Celebrations! The Bible tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 that “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” Yes, that’s right, it is God’s will that we are thankful for EVERYTHING! If I were to ask you to make a list of ten things that you are thankful for right now, it probably would be the first “good” things that come to mind. However, God wants us to consider even being thankful for some of the more difficult things that come our way. You might ask, “How can I do something that seems so hard?” I think that one of the answers to that question might be found in the short verse just before this one.
1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, “Pray without ceasing.” The more time we spend talking with our Heavenly Father, the closer our relationship will be. He wants you to share EVERYTHING that is on your heart, especially those things that you are struggling with. Another way to be more thankful for the hard things is to be reading the Bible often. The more we read, the greater our understanding of His ways will be, and we will also know more of his precious promises. One such promise is found in Proverbs 3:5-6. It says, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In ALL thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” When things are not going well, ask God for help, trust in His care, lean on His promises and thank Him for walking with you on His path. As we draw near to Christmas, we all can agree and declare together, “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable (indescribable) gift”, the gift of grace found only in Christ.
Merry Christmas!
