"In everything give thanks; for
this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
Are you thankful? Most people, it seems, aren’t! They –
actually WE, for all of us have done this – we look into the mirror and wish
things were different. We would like to be taller, or shorter, or less prone to
put on weight, or for some; it would be good to GAIN some weight. If only our hair or eyes were a little different, we might feel better. What if
we had been born to parents in THIS place, rather than that? And so on. Fifty
people, randomly selected, might look at you and LIKE the way you look, and yet
YOU look into the mirror and wish you were some other way! Even if we have what
others want, it isn’t enough because all too soon we get older and – it’s gone!
It’s time to be thankful, for so many of us really do have a lot.
For one thing, you’re ALIVE! Of all those who
have ever lived, only a few billion are alive at this moment! You're one of
them! All would like to
do something important, and yet, most in humanity are no longer here
and can’t! They may have had significance, but that was
then – this is now! You’re here, however, and you have the opportunity to be
SIGNIFICANT in the sight of God, right now – today! For most who have
ever lived, the purpose God had in mind is in the past.
Your life is still yours - and
God's! He
has a PURPOSE for you, or you would not be here. Most important, you have
the opportunity to be thankful to the Lord, which is greatly significant, now
and forever. It’s time to THANK Him –
thank Him for today, and its promise!
Have you heard of Matthew Henry? He was a wonderful
Bible expositor who lived in the 1700’s. He wrote commentary on the whole of
Scripture, and though he died before he completed his thoughts on the New
Testament, what he did write continues to be a blessing to many. I am thankful
for Matthew Henry. One day he was robbed and his wallet was taken. Here’s what
he wrote in relation to his loss: “Let me be thankful,
first because he never robbed me before; second because although he took my
purse, he did not take my life; third because although he took all I possessed,
it was not much; and fourth because it was I who was robbed, not I who robbed.”
Isn’t that wonderful? The old saying about life is to “look
at the silver lining,” which simply means that when you see storm clouds,
one response is to think, “Oh no, it’s going to rain.”
But also there is often a silver-colored lining around those clouds as the sun
attempts to break through them and that silver lining is beautiful. Your choice
is that you can look at the storms that come into your life and remain upset; or
you can also be willing to perceive the beauty in life and be grateful to God.
What is the “storm,” the trouble, that is in your life right now? Please be
aware that, even though you may be in eternity before you will understand it
all, God has a great purpose and a good outcome – for you! Benjamin Disraeli, a
former Prime Minister of Great Britain, a century ago, had a wonderful outlook and an interesting way of speaking. Considering that thankfulness is so
strange for most of us, he said, “I feel a very unusual
sensation – if it is not indigestion, I feel it must be gratitude!”
A young woman named Anne Steele, who lived in England in
the 1700’s, had encountered one trial and disappointment after another. She was
a devout Christian who continually sought to praise God – even in sorrow. She
was engaged to be married, and had looked forward to her wedding day with
excitement. The day finally arrived and so did the guests – but according to “Our
Daily Bread” and "SermonIllustrations.com,"
the groom was missing! After about an hour of waiting, a messenger brought the
tragic news that Anne’s fiancé had drowned. The sudden shock was almost too much
for her, but she sought the Lord and wrote the song that is still found in some
hymnbooks today:
"Father, whate’er of earthly
bliss,
Thy sovereign will denies,
Accepted at Thy throne of grace,
let this petition rise:
Give me a calm, a thankful heart,
from every murmur free!
The blessings of Thy grace impart,
and make me live to Thee."
Pastor Martin Rinkart lived in Eilenburg, Germany, in
the first half of the 17th century. It was a place and time of wars, famine and
disease. During one especially bad period, Rinkart conducted up to
50-funerals a day, as plague swept through the town and as the Thirty Years’
War brought terror to the people. Among those Rinkart buried were members of his
own family.
“Yet during those years of
darkness and despair,” as reported in the “Daily
Bread,” “when death and destruction greeted each
new day, Pastor Rinkart continued to write many sacred songs and hymns. Among
them was the song, ‘Now Thank We All Our God.’ As sorrow crouched all around
him, Rinkart wrote:”
“With hearts and hands and voice,
Who wondrous things hath done,
In whom His world rejoices;
Who, from our mothers’ arms,
Hath blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love,
And still is ours today”
Our Scripture for today is from the Book of “First
Thessalonians.” It was written by a man known as the Apostle Paul, who knew
much suffering. Here’s something of what happened to him, taken from
1 Corinthians 11:23-33 – He was “imprisoned…
beaten… stoned…
shipwrecked… in dangers from
robbers… countrymen…
false brethren,” and more. He went through “hunger
and thirst;” he was “cold” and suffered from “exposure”
to the elements.
It is interesting that, before he found the Risen
Christ, Paul, who was known as “Saul” at the time,
often brought suffering to others. After he came to know the Lord, suffering
came to him, and yet he was able to say, "In everything
give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1
Thessalonians 5:18). God’s gift to this troubled world, to you; is the ability
to have faith and be thankful, whatever life may hold.
Thank You, Father, for today. Thank You for the life
You give in Your Son. I praise Your Holy Name and trust in You now. Thank You that my life
is as it is. In Jesus Name. Amen.
