Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Thankful in All Things


"always give thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Ephesians 5: 20)

I find myself again so grateful to Sara Young from her daily devotional Jesus Calling. Following is today's entry (Remember, she writes this as if it is Jesus speaking to the reader):

Thankfulness takes the sting out of adversity. That is why I have instructed you to give thanks for everything. There is an element of mystery in this transaction: You give Me thanks (regardless of your feelings), and I give you Joy (regardless of your circumstances). This is a spiritual act of obedience -- at times, blind obedience. To people who don't know Me intimately, it can seem irrational and even impossible to thank Me for heartrending hardships. Nonetheless, those who obey Me in this way are invariably blessed, even though difficulties may remain.

Thankfulness opens your heart to My Presence and your mind to My thoughts. You may still be in the same place, with the same set of circumstances, but it is as if a light has been switched on, enabling you to see from My perspective. It is this Light of My Presence that removes the sting from adversity.
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Congratulations to Josh Hamilton for winning MVP! Gil LeBreton has an excellent article in today's Star Telegram about Josh's priorities. Quite a testimony.
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I pray that you may have a Thanksgiving filled with peace and the presence of God.



1 comment:

Jeff said...

I appreciate the post because I still find it hard to be thankful in all circumstances. There are times where I feel like I'm even regressing in my walk from where I've been to where I want to be. Maybe those are times that call me to reexamine what I want my story to be and how I need to get there.