BE A THANKFUL PEOPLE

Thursday

 

Hello and good morning!

I feel so excited today. Great things are happening in our churches and in our lives. And yes great things are happening all around us. We do have to look for them and sometimes search hard but they are there. And I feel like all great things come from God.

These great things are certainly blessings because God provides all that we are and all that we have. How grateful are we? I pray that we are all very grateful and that we notice the things that God does for us. We shouldn't have to search. They should be obvious. Or do we take some things that God does for granted? Do we take things that our family and friends so for us for granted? We should always be thankful people. 

My momma taught me to be very thankful. And I tried to teach those things to my children probably more by actions than by speaking. I wasn't the best teacher when I was younger. I tried the best I knew how but I am bad about looking back and seeing the things that I wish that I had done better.

And now I say to you all: be thankful people.

 Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is 

God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:18

 Always giving thanks to God the Father for 

everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 5:20

Do not be anxious about anything, but in 

every situation, by prayer and petition, with 

thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Philippians 4:6 

Therefore by Him let us continually 

offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the

 fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.  

Hebrews 13:15

Praise the Lord! Oh give thanks to the Lord, for

 he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! 

Psalm 106:1 

In Luke 17:15-16 it says: 

“And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.”

This is about the cure of the ten lepers. Only one of them after being healed by Jesus turned around and told Jesus thank you. How often do people have reason to say thank you and don't? When I was teaching I would make the children say thank you when I gave them something. On the mission trip when I hand out refreshments they have to say thank you before I let go of it. 

People forget to say thank you. So, does that mean that only one out of ten, according to the previous scripture, are thankful? Probably all the ten lepers were thankful but only the one was thankful enough to tell Jesus. And I sure that one moved up a little in the heart of Jesus. Not loved any more than the others, but being thankful means something to God. Besides He is worthy, more than worthy.

When we forget to be thankful it can become a habit. We become unappreciative. Words have power. Not saying it doesn't mean we aren't thankful but it can cause us to lose having it imprinted on our being, in our minds, on our heart.

So, remember openly and honestly to be a thankful people and therefore pleasing God while also strengthening our faith.

Have an extravagant day!

Les (lesbear)