Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever! – 1 Chronicles 16:34
At Thanksgiving we should all take time to pause and give thanks. Some families have a tradition of going around the table and having every person share what they are thankful for. Of course being thankful shouldn’t be something we do just during this time of year. Thankfulness ought to be a continual state of mind. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 tells us “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” In every circumstance always we need to give thanks. No matter what is going on we are to give thanks. This is God’s will. Of course this is easier said than done. When we our family is sick, when we can’t pay the bills, when those we love use and abuse us, and when everything around us seems to be crumbling it certainly isn’t easy to be grateful. It is something that we have to make a conscious choice to do over and over. Soon it becomes a habit.
Have you ever gone on a diet or started working out after a season of not? Everything in you is screaming at you, just eat the cookie, it’s ok to have another serving, stop lifting that weight it hurts, stop running you can’t breathe, this list could go on forever! So how do we start doing the things we know we should or stop doing what we know is bad for us? By making a choice over and over again until it becomes automatic. We have to do what 2 Corinthians 10:5 tells us to do, which is to take our thoughts captive. We must cast out the things that are wrong and choose to think on the things that are good. We can be thankful because we know that no matter what God is good. When this truth truly sinks into our heart, we can be thankful always.
In Exodus 33, Moses asks God to reveal His glory. Like Moses I have often thought, “I want to see the glory of God all around me”. I love that Moses asked that of God. God’s response is something that I have spent a lot of time pondering. God tells Moses that He will make all of His goodness pass in front of him. God desires us to see His goodness. He wants to show it to us. Are we looking for it? Are we asking to see it or focusing on it? Or are we focusing on all the negative around us, or how things might not be going as we had planned? Ask God to show you his goodness and look for it. When you do, you will be flooded with reasons to be grateful. In this and every time of year we need to remember to be thankful. I pray that we will all get better at this and see the goodness of God pass before us. I pray that we would be a thankful people and that those around us would see it and are drawn to Christ. God is so good and I am thankful that He brought me to Center Barnstead Christian Church.
Written by Rebecca Murzin
