Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Giving Thanks is An Act of Obedience


With Thanksgiving less than an hour away, I felt compelled to write about one of my favorite Scriptures. All across the world, families set aside Thanksgiving Day to celebrate thankfulness. Many will share around the dinner table what they are thankful for.  Some have been adding to this list all year only to reveal to those near and dear what thankful memories they have accumulated.

Any reason to give thanks and to share this with others is a blessing.  Especially over a great feast of deliciously homemade never-ending rounds of food!

We all have something to be thankful for.  I could rave on and on myself about everything I'm thankful for. Although I'm not my list will be much different from yours or that you will be that interested in reading all about it.  It all begins to sound very similar after you've heard the fifth or so person complete the sentence, "I'm thankful for _________."

So no worries, I won't bombard you with my list.  Except I do have to say one thing: I'm thankful for being married to my best friend for almost twelve years on November 29th.  What can I say, I have to dedicate at least one line of this post to my beloved hubby who has put up with me for almost twelve years!

Okay, back to my intent for this post.  As Christians, thanksgiving is not just a one-time event for us.  It is a daily lifestyle.  To give thanks in EVERY thing (emphasis mine).

May I be real for just a moment?  When I first read this Scripture, I didn't love it and I wanted so bad to disregard it.  How could I give thanks in every thing?  Of course, my mind automatically went to situations I could not find a logical reason to be thankful for.

As I studied more on this Scripture, I plainly saw I wasn't asked to be thankful for every thing, but in every thing.  There is a remarkable difference!

We can be confident that all things work together for good for those who love the Lord.  All things.  Let that sink in.

Therefore, every single thing that occurs in our lives can be a reason to be thankful.  Living in prosperous times or through hardships are both equally helpful.  We can profit from both the sunshine and the rainy seasons in our lives.

Although it took me some time to grasp this, God knew it from the beginning.  I Thessalonians 5:18 goes on to say giving thanks in every thing is His will for us in Christ Jesus.


Giving thanks is an act of obedience. Thankfulness and obedience are connected.  We can give thanks in every thing because God is in control. Because we trust His will and surrender to it. Because He allows every occurrence in our lives.

Let's strive to be better in this area and live a life of thanksgiving. Giving thanks in every thing.  By faith. Because we want to fulfill His will and live a life that pleases Him.




Have you ever struggled with this Scripture?  I hope this post has encouraged you.  Will you walk with me on this journey to continually give thanks? Yes, in every thing.

I'd love to hear from you.  Feel free to comment below.





1 comment:

  1. I am finding that even in the hardest of times, we always have something to be thankful for. I think about the air I breathe, the health of my children, the house I live in. I believe the Lord may be calling me to begin listing my gratitudes again on the blog in 2016. So good to look back and see what's He's done.

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