In Everything, Give Thanks # 2.
I hope you had a great Thanksgiving with your family, friends, neighbors, or whoever you met with. We had a good time with our family, and we had more than enough to eat. It was very easy to be thankful during times like that. I think it can be more of a challenge to be thankful during times of adversity. The Apostle Paul admonishes us to continue to be thankful in whatever situation we find ourselves in.
Be
thankful in all circumstances.
This is what God wants from you in your life in union with Christ Jesus.
(1 Th. 5:18 GNB)
I think a key to this verse is to not allow what
is happening around us to influence what is going on within us, but the other
way around! I think it is a sign of maturity
when your attitude and disposition are not as dependent on the external circumstances
around you but is more driven by the Spirit of God who is living inside you. When difficult challenges come our way – instead
of being shaken by them, we can use them as a motivation to rely on God more.
I have
disliked needles all my life. It comes
from some traumatic events in my childhood having to get a lot of shots in
the arm. So, when I was diagnosed with serious cancer a few years ago – I knew that I was going to be poked with a
needle… a lot! I kept track for a while and I had gotten poked many times for a blood sample, for an I.V., for chemo, and for a few
other reasons over sixty times within a 6-month time period. That may not have bothered you – but I knew
that it was going to bother me. So, I
decided from the very beginning that I was going to use this issue of mine as a
motivation to improve my prayer life. Every
time I knew that I was going to be poked – I prayed a little bit more. Praying for the issue caused me to be a little
more relaxed about it. I prayed that the
person would be able to do a good job and that happened most of the time.
I tried to be
thankful during those times. I was
thankful that the medical industry had chemotherapy that was effective for cancer that I had. I was thankful
that I had the insurance to cover most of the costs of the treatment. I was thankful that the nursing staff was very
cordial with people. When I sat in the
room next to others receiving chemo – I was thankful that my chemo did not seem
to be as bad as some of the others and I tried to be an encouragement to them. I was thankful to know that if for some
reason the surgeries and chemo did not work – then I would be just fine going
to heaven a little earlier than expected.
I think that I did a good job of not losing my joy, even though I was going through a difficult time in life. I can’t imagine having to go through anything like that without the Lord.
There is a
remarkable story in the book of Acts about Paul and Silas being persecuted for following
the Lord and doing things for Him. They
ended up getting thrown into prison… but how they responded while they were in
prison, is pretty awesome.
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“One day as we were going to the place of prayer, we
were met by a young servant woman who had an evil spirit that enabled her to
predict the future. She earned a lot of money for her owners by telling
fortunes. She followed Paul and us, shouting, "These men are servants of
the Most-High God! They announce to you how you can be saved!" She did
this for many days until Paul became so upset that he turned around and said
to the spirit, "In the name of Jesus Christ I order you to come out of
her!" The spirit went out of her that very moment. When her owners
realized that their chance of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas
and dragged them to the authorities in the public square. They brought them
before the Roman officials and said, "These men are Jews, and they are
causing trouble in our city. They are teaching customs that are against our
law; we are Roman citizens, and we cannot accept these customs or practice
them." And the crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas. Then the
officials tore the clothes off Paul and Silas and ordered them to be whipped.
After a severe beating, they were thrown into jail, and the jailer was ordered
to lock them up tight. Upon receiving this order, the jailer threw them into
the inner cell and fastened their feet between heavy blocks of wood. …About
midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the
other prisoners were listening to them.
(Acts 16: 20-25 GNB)
Can you
imagine? They were doing things that
were motivated by the Lord and they ended up suffering for it. They could have been discouraged and disappointed,
but instead; as was probably their habit, they prayed, and they sang! What a wonderful testimony of the difference
that God can make in our life. He gives
us joy on the inside that can transcend whatever circumstances we are going through on the outside. And; if we just get closer to Him during trying times, He will lift our spirits. With His help, we can be
thankful during times of prosperity and … adversity.
Free-images.com
Written by Lee Malden 2022
For more information: email lmalden@hotmail.com
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