By Joshua Lim
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“In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
“..singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, the Father.” (Ephesians 5:20)
“..singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. and whatever you do in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.” (Colossians 3:16,17)
“at midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God…
suddenly there was a great earthquake..” (Acts 16:25,26)
In the end times, ingratitude will characterize many people. People in general will become more wicked and less grateful.
“For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy.” (2 Timothy 3:1,2)
“although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” (Romans 1:21)
People will complain about their circumstances, hoping for some “lucky break” to help him. With a big ego, he thanks himself for who he is, thinking that everything comes from his own efforts. The thankless person despises the idea of grace.
It is sad to see Christians who always seem to be stressed out, dissatisfied, depressed, and unhappy about their circumstances. Are we giving thanks to God everyday for His grace?
“God is able to make all grace abound to you, that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed.” (2 Corinthians 9:8)
As Vonette Bright said, “When we express thanksgiving and gratitude to God, peace flooded our hearts, and He provided the solution.
Always be thankful…especially in crisis. God can turn your tragedy to triumph, discord to harmony, and defeat to victory.”
In the Old Testament (Leviticus 3:1-17; 7:11-36), thank offerings and peace offerings were to remind God’s people of their need to be thankful to God.
They would bring a sheaf of grain and some oil and wine as thank offerings.
These were symbols of the Lord’s provision, a reminder to thank Him
for His grace and mercy in supplying all they have.
You can comment on this devotional online at:
http://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2009/03/30/jl_thankful/
- One part of your site that I really like is how you say that you should be grateful to God especially when he helps you in circumstances where you like are having trouble and need to get out of the circumstances and prayer sort of helped. I think God is the reason why we get out of circumstances where they are difficult and there is lots of trouble. I really like how prayer and a belief in God can really help us in difficult times and I can related to that.
According to God’s words, we have to be thankful and rejoice in all circumstances. in Rom 5 where faith, hope and love can endure everything even afflictions, there is a reason for us to rejoice and be thankful to God for this is His promise. Eph 4:4 says that in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving make your requests known to God. Even if we are asking anything from the Lord even if He hasn’t given yet to us, we should be thankful already and claim that we have received by…
Be thankful to God in all circumstances is what His Children should do. But in practice we forget this attitude and simply like to complain about the unpleasantness we happen to encounter. In spite of this God the father comes to our rescue and turn the situation to one of comfort.
God, the Father, does not want anything in return from us. All that He wants of His Children, a heart of gratitude. A mind to share the gladness with our everloving Father. He longs to hear our voice of laughter.