THANKSGIVING IMPROVES OUR PERSPECTIVE ABOUT OUR THINGS
When we say “thank you” we are remembering that we did not get all
we have by ourselves.
We are not self-made people. No one is.
We are stewards.
1 Corinthians 4:1-2: Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ,
and stewards of the mysteries of God. In this case, moreover, it is required
of stewards that one be found trustworthy.”
Thanksgiving helps our perspective about our things in at least two ways.
First, it causes us to count our blessings and realize how much we have and
enjoy and what responsibilities we have toward it.
1 Peter 4:9-10: “Be hospitable to one another without complaint. As each
one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another, as good stewards
of the manifold grace of God.”
Ephesians 1:3: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,”
Even though I clutch my blanket and growl when the alarm rings each morning,
Thank you Lord, that I can hear and have the strength to rise. There are those
who are deaf and bedfast.
Even though the first hour of my day is hectic, when socks are lost, toast is
burned, tempers are short, Thank you Lord, for my family. There are those who
are lonely.
Even though our breakfast table never looks like the pictures in the magazines,
and the menu is at times unbalanced, Thank you Lord, for the food we have. There
are many who are hungry.
Even though the routine of my job is monotonous, Thank you Lord, for the opportunity
to work. There are many who have no work.
Even though I grumble and bemoan my fate from day to day, and wish my modest
circumstances were not quite so modest, Thank you Lord, for the gift of life.
Second, having counted our blessings, expressing thanks for them helps to keep
us from developing an insatiable desire for more and more, in which we are covetous
instead of content.
To thank the Lord for all we have is to remember the rich and rare blessings
that we enjoy-- the things money cannot buy
Luke 12:15 “And He said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against
every form of greed; for not even when on has an abundance does his life consist
of his possessions.”
Our greed is addressed when we discipline ourselves to be thankful for all things.
The story is told about Alexander Whyte, a Scottish preacher, that he always
began his prayers with an expression of gratitude. One cold, miserable day,
the people wondered what he would say, what he could find to be thankful for.
Whyte began his prayer,
"We thank Thee, Lord, that it is not always like this.“
This makes the point that we should look for things to be thankful for because
of what it reminds us about our "things" in general.
THANKSGIVING IMPROVES OUR PERSPECTIVE ABOUT OUR GOD
When we give thanks for what we have, we are forced to think about God the great
giver of the greatest gifts
James 1:17: “Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from
above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation,
or shifting shadow.”
Scripture lays out for us what God has done and reminds us to be thankful for
it.
Colossians 1:12: “giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to
share in the inheritance of the saints in light.”
Romans 6:17-18: “But thanks be to God that though you were salves of sin,
you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were
committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness”.
2 Corinthians 9:15: “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”
Our anxiety is addressed by giving thanks.
When we thank God for all He has done and given to us, we focus our attention
on His grace and power
Philippians 4:6: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer
and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God”
Conclusion
One cannot be thankful until they are content.
Thankfulness grows out of thoughtfulness.
Our focus on giving thanks should cause each of us of think carefully about
all God has done for us, and that should move us to draw closer to Him?
Charles Dickens said that we should have 364 days of thanksgiving and allow
only one day for griping and complaining. That is a good idea.
By Carey Scott from an article I read
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