And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of
the Lord and may please him in every way …joyfully giving thanks to the Father Colossians
1:10, 12
The
Bible prescribes a diverse remedy for living a life worthy of the Lord and
pleasing God. We are called to bear fruit in every good work, grow in the
knowledge of God, be strengthened with all power, and lastly joyfully give
thanks. Giving thanks seems like an easy one.
These
instructions reflect Paul’s teaching in First Thessalonians: “Be joyful always;
pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for
you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). There is no clearer indication
of God’s will for our lives in the Bible than this: be joyful always, pray
continually, give thanks in all circumstances.
We
must note that God’s will is not “all circumstances.” God’s will is that His
people would be joyful, prayerful and thankful regardless of the circumstances.
I
have to admit. This is not an easy one for me. I can easily tell you everything
that is wrong with the circumstance in front of me. But, I tend to take for
granted what’s working well. If things are going good, isn’t that the norm?
Isn’t that what I should expect? But these problems, can they just go away?
I
want things to be better. I want things to improve. And, I am grateful for what
God has given me. It just takes a little effort to stop and joyfully give
thanks.
When
it comes to things that aren’t natural for me, I find that I have to create a
system or dare I say a ritual to make sure this happens. After a while, it will
start coming more naturally to me.
When
I was younger, I would become depressed at the beginning of the month when it
came time to pay my bills. Now, granted 20 years ago, I was living in a room at
the church and bringing in a whopping $250 per week. Did I mention that I also
had a student loan to repay? I would sit down to write the checks (Do you
remember checks?) and depression would just overcome me. I felt bad that I felt
bad. I even felt a little guilty. I wasn’t living in the lap of luxury, but it
was a very short commute to work.
So,
I changed my habit. As I sat down at the table with my pile of bills and my
checkbook, I would stop and thank God for providing for all of my needs. I
would thank Him for allowing me to serve Him in full-time ministry. I would
thank Him for the ability to take care of my obligations. This completely
transformed my attitude toward paying my bills. Rather than grousing over what
I didn’t have, I could joyfully thank God for what I did have.
You
and I are some of the wealthiest people in the world. The vast majority would
love to trade places with us any day. If you make $30,000 per year, you are in
the top 1 percent of the richest people in the world. If you don’t believe me,
check out this Wealth Calculator. (Please note, I am not familiar with
the charities supported by this website. I would advise you to either give
through your church or thoroughly investigate the mission and philosophy of any
organization before you support them).
Where
are you on the rich list? What can you be thankful for today? Make joyful
thanks a habit in your life.
To make a tax deductible donation to Galatians 4:19
Ministries:
http://joytotheworldfoundation.org/index.php?option=com_crowdfunding&view=details&id=1149-galations-419-ministries&catid=8-operating-projects&Itemid=10
No comments:
Post a Comment