Be Thankful

1 Thessalonians 5:18  In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. God is pleased when His people are thankful to Him for what He provides. Not a grumbling, murmuring, sour, and angry people. But a tenderhearted, gracious, loving spirit. There is so much anger in our nation and so much bitterness which is contrary to the heart attitude that God has called us maintain.
To be a thankful person, you have to have your heart tuned to see the mercies of God. You should practice observing  the ways God is good to you. If you only think about what you can’t have or things you wish you had, you miss out on enjoying what God has already given you. The sweet but common things that we grow accustomed to are still God’s good mercies to us. How many blessings do you have every day that fly under the radar because of God’s goodness in continually and faithfully providing them to you? Once you see these mercies, recognize how undeserving we are of the least of God’s favors. And yet, God blesses us with these good things, by His grace.
Be thankful that Christ died for an unworthy people. Be thankful for the gospel message that tells that wonderful story of salvation. Be thankful that God has spared our lives and given us another day to live. God has preserved us and provided for us and has given you a measure of heath and strength. Take a deep breath. That was God’s gift to you! Be thankful for the life and the liberty you have in this country. Be thankful that you have access to God’s Word. Did you know there are still people in parts of the World that don’t have a Bible in their own language? Look around you. Take a moment and think how God has blessed you today.
We can even be thankful in our afflictions. When trials come our way, we can be thankful for God’s gracious comfort He provides through troubles. This community has had a rough 2016 – but we can be thankful that God has give us another day. His mercies are new every morning. If you can’t think of anything to be thankful for, take a lesson from King George. At the close of the Revolutionary War, he proclaimed a day of thanksgiving because the war was over. His chaplain asked, if they should be thankful for the fact they lost the colonies, or the great financial cost of losing the war, or the tens of thousands of people who died? The king said “Thank God, because matters are no worse.”
I am thankful to be a part of this community and am thankful for the few minutes each week that you give me reading the Baptist Classroom. It’s my prayer that you have a happy Thanksgiving and that you will make it a daily habit to thank God for all He gives you.