Do we thank God enough?
When I look at my life, I have nothing that I lack. I have a good home, a loving spouse, plenty of distractions to keep me busy. I’m no longer working, but had an fascinating and varied career path that taught me many important skills and helped me to build up retirement savings. I am relatively healthy, although my status in life has led me to become somewhat lazy and slightly overweight since I have a ready supply of good food! I’ve found a place in a vibrant church that studies scripture deeply and devotes itself to the Great Commission.
With all of these blessings, I should be on my knees thanking God every minute of every day! I have been deeply blessed for almost 65 years, overcoming a sickly youth, enjoying a good education and many friends, then enjoying the challenges of being a tech manager, educator, and author for almost 40 years.
Sadly, my thanks to Him are usually fleeting - a general thank you in my nightly prayers before I sleep, grateful silent praise when He has blessed me in some unexpected way during the day.
Today’s devotional looks at Paul’s epistle to the early church in Thessalonica. As with many of his letters, Paul was concerned about the spiritual welfare of an early church. Paul had sent Timothy to Thessalonica to check on the church while he stayed in Athens, and wrote the epistle in grateful thanks that the church had “stayed the course”. Toward the end of the epistle, Paul says:
“Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”
1 Thessalonians 5:18 NLT
What struck me upon examining this verse was that Paul is not advising his readers to be thankful for all things, but to be thankful in all situations! We’re often thankful when good happens in our lives, but when things are maintaining the status quo or sliding downhill at an alarming rate, we forget that we should thank God that things aren’t worse!
We’re being told by Paul that since we are followers of Christ, we are able to be thankful in all circumstances. Are we? It would take unceasing focus every waking minute of the day to be properly thankful for God’s provision and protection, something that seems almost impossible.
Yet there’s never a time or place where we can’t — when the Spirit moves us — be thankful. Prayer doesn’t need to be done in a particular place, at a specific time, or even be vocalized, and Paul is reminding all Christians to keep up a continuous conversation with God as our way of showing their thanks to their Creator and Savior.
Do we thank God enough? I don’t think so, but all of us have the opportunity for improvement!
Hi! Thought I’d share. My husband took the smaller travel trailer instead of the motor home and was on his way back from Texas. He just got home and proceeded to tell me his experience on the road.
I have a lot to be thankful for!!!!! Jesus took the wheel, his experience still has me shaken! I always pray for a safe trip before we travel- this time Jesus did take the wheel and brought my husband home to me!!!!!! I can’t stop thanking the Lord!!!! Not only this time- I try to thank the Lord every day the gifts he has given us!!!