By Bruce Witt
“In everything give thanks” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
THANKFULNESS IS ONE OF THE MOST practical expressions of faith in our walk with the Lord. More than a positive mental attitude, it is the recognition of God working in our life for our good and for His glory. No matter the circumstance—good or bad—we are called to be grateful and honor God. The challenge when things are difficult is to see them from God’s perspective and trust that He has our best interests at heart.
We don’t have to thank God for the challenge or pain, yet we begin by thanking God that He is in control and able to handle the problem. We rely on His character, power, and forethought to transcend the moment.
The Lord is always working to bring us into an intimate relationship. Thankfulness connects us with God’s activity so that we grow and are able to serve others. Gratitude gives an eternal perspective toward a temporal circumstance.
“Thankfulness takes the sting out of adversity. That is why I have instructed you to give thanks for everything. There is an element of mystery in this transaction: You give Me thanks (regardless of your feelings), and I give you Joy (regardless of your circumstances). This is a spiritual act of obedience—at times, blind obedience. To people who don’t know Me intimately, it can seem irrational and even impossible to thank Me for heartrending hardships.
“Nonetheless, those who obey Me in this way are invariably blessed, even though difficulties may remain.
“Thankfulness opens your heart to My Presence and your mind to My thoughts. You may still be in the same place, with the same set of circumstances, but it is as if a light has been switched on, enabling you to see from My perspective. It is this Light of My Presence that removes the sting from adversity.”
— Anonymous
BW
Purchase the Entire Devotional – “Experiencing Christ as Life and Leader”
The devotion above was taken from the 52-week Devotional entitled “Experiencing Christ as Life and Leader”.
Many give a mental assent to this teaching yedft are often asking, “What do I do? What does Christ as life look like?“ Too often Christians err by moving too far to one side or the other—reducing the Christian life to a list of do’s and don’ts, or they actually do nothing.
These inspiring weekly devotions are just some of the actions that reflect the life of Christ in each of us, and they explore four areas as we follow the One Leader, Jesus Christ –
- A Foundational Focus
- A Personal Focus
- A Relational Focus
- A Missional Focus
Be challenged, encouraged, and spurred on to a deeper walk with Christ.
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