Now this is a Question We Need to Answer
It’s Thanksgiving after all!
Pastor Lisa’s messages over the past several weeks have been about being thankful. This week’s is the final one in this series.
Like other holidays, Thanksgiving can just become a time of going through the motions, missing the point, or just another thing we have to do.
We need to remember to be grateful for the blessings we have.
It’s much easier to be thankful when everything is going well—not so much when everything seems to be upside down. I currently have a subcontractor who is going through one of those upside-down times.
He was working for a company that was doing some unethical things, so he decided to go back to work for himself again. Then he was struggling to find work. Then his truck was stolen. Then the motor in the other one quit. Then he bought another vehicle only to find out that it’s going to take days to get a tag.
It’s hard to be thankful in situations like this.
It’s even harder if there’s no relationship with God.
Life is full of adversities. It’s up to us to decide how we’re going to deal with them.
When Paul wrote to the church of Colossae, he was in prison. In Colossians 1:3-6, he gives thanks for the people of the church and work that they were doing and the fruit it’s bearing. Then, in verse 24, he’s rejoicing in his suffering and is giving thanks.
In Thessalonians 5:12-24, we’re told to,
“Give recognition to those who labor among you and lead you in the Lord and to regard them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. Warn those who are irresponsible, comfort the discouraged, help the weak, be patient with everyone. See to it that no one repays evil for evil to anyone but always pursue what is good for one another and for all.
Rejoice always!
Pray constantly.
Give thanks in everything, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Don’t stifle the Spirit.
Don’t despise prophecies but test all things.
Hold on to what is good.
Stay away from every kind of evil.”
We are told to be grateful in everything … not for everything.
Surrendering can be a hard thing. Having an attitude of gratitude can change how we see things. If we believe and have faith, we can learn to be thankful even when things aren’t going like we want.
In this Thanksgiving season, be grateful, even when it’s not what you want to do.