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In Everything Give Thanks
By Andy on 20 November 2007 lunch timeCategory: What Matters Most
”...in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:18
I love Thanksgiving. Have you noticed that thankful people are much happier people? They look at their situation in life and and are genuinely content. Sure, they may look around around and see people who have more possessions (especially here in East Cobb), but they’re okay with that. They can be thankful with a little or a lot.
When I went to Matamoras last month, I saw lots of people who had almost nothing, but they were thankful and happy. Thankfulness springs up from what’s on the inside of you, not what’s happening on the outside.
That quote from the Bible says that “in everything” we are to give thanks. Thanking God in the good times is easy. Thanking him while you’re grieving about something or someone you’ve lost is another matter altogether. I’m not sure I’ve quite figured out how to do this yet.
Being thankful is also about others. If you give yourself credit for every blessing and achievement, then you won’t be thankful. You have to depend on others and give credit where credit its due. For me that means giving a hearty “Thank You” to both my heavenly Father and to others in my life. Both of which I plan on doing this week.
Here are a few of my past Thanksgiving blog entries:
2003
2005
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Hello Andy,
— Debora Nov 20, 06:28 PM #I am writes for say that god, or jesus is in power, but that sometimes I don’t know his power and it makes me sad. The verses you quote about being thanks makes me sad and frustraded because jesus never talk to me. God doens’t tell me his will, and jesus ignore me. People that have trouble in life don’t want to hear that trouble was god’s plan, and people who have sucess can claim their own success, right?
Thanks for commenting, Deborah. I’m sorry you feel sad. The fact is that God does want to communicate to us, but we have to make sure we are listening and really understand how He speaks. He doesn’t speak audibly like we talk to each other. He speaks to us in our mind when we read his Word and through the Holy Spirit’s still small voice. The Bible says that “we have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16). When we received our new identity in Christ at salvation, the Holy Spirit moved into our mind and began renovating us and changing the way we think. Through this indwelling work Spirit and through the living and active Scriptures, God speaks to us.
— Andy Nov 20, 11:09 PM #Hello Andy,
— Debora Nov 21, 01:05 PM #thanks for taking the time to make a responses to me. Thank you for explaining because I can’t hear god. Maybe with practice I can learning to hear god voices and do the things he ask me to do. How you find god? Did you born with a religious family, or you find him on your own?
Deborah, I did grow up in a Christian family. We went to church every Sunday. However, it was still a decision that I had to make personally. My parent’s faith was not automatically passed on to me. I did have to choose to follow Christ on my own.
— Andy Nov 21, 05:05 PM #Thank you for talking with me about this. Do you think that the Christ makes it easier to find for people that don’t grow up with him in their homes?
— Debora Nov 24, 03:16 PM #Not to change the subject I was just wondering when your baby is due?
— Shelly Nov 25, 12:57 PM #