Still Water Moments: The Benefits of a State of Thankfulness
1 Thessalonians 5:18: "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus"
Thanksgiving tends to conjure up thoughts of family gatherings around traditional feasts and maybe football. Sometime during the gathering many may pause so each person can share something they are thankful for. This can be a beautiful family bonding experience that fosters a spirit of gratitude among the group. For the Christian, this is a continual state we should aim to consistently be in 365 days of the year. However, the enemy would have us focus on what we don’t have and if we focus on it long enough, it will lead to a spirit of entitlement which leads to discontent, strife and frustration. The way to ward off this rabbit hole of spiritual decline is to maintain a spirit of gratitude towards God, Who He is to us and what He has done. Examples of how this can be done include simply talking and communing with God and telling Him what He means to you and what you’re grateful for; praise and worship; having a gratitude journal, etc. Your chosen mode of expressing gratitude will come in handy whenever you’re tempted to lament about whatever that thing is that you have been waiting on God for. That thing you wish you had that may sometimes make you question God’s goodness and love for you. The enemy is cunning and unrelenting, so when these thoughts come, these thoughts that can be such a slippery slope into the rabbit hole, go into spiritual battle and fight those thoughts with gratitude and focusing on God’s goodness.
God being the ever gracious and giving Father that He is provides benefits to us when we are thankful to Him. Philippians 4:4-7 states, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” These verses are chock full of benefits! 1) We are told not to be anxious about anything which means God has everything under control. 2) We are told to come to God with our prayers and concerns, that in itself is an awesome privilege to be able to speak directly to the Father without having to perform a bunch of Old Testament rituals first. 3) When we pray with thanksgiving, He gives us His peace and not just any peace. It’s the kind that doesn’t make sense because we’ll have it in spite of challenging circumstances. Furthermore, it will guard our hearts and minds in Christ so that worry cannot get to us.
As we segue into the Christmas season, let us be thankful for having a God that loved us so much, that He Who lived in glorious majesty and splendor, humbled Himself and came upon the earth in human form. He could’ve been a man that appeared out of nowhere and we still would’ve been blessed by His ministry, but He chose to enter the world as an infant. Just imagine all that omnipotence, omnipresence and omniscience within a baby! His earthly life gave us the example of how to conduct ourselves in our daily lives. He then went on to end His earthly ministry in the most humbling of deaths so that we may have an abundant life on earth and an eternal one in heaven. HALLELUJAH!!! Now that is something to be grateful for year-round!
Reflection: What is one way you can institute a daily routine of expressing gratitude to the Lord?
