WHAT’S THANKSGIVING GOT TO DO WITH IT?

I’m off to see a Specialist this morning- I am very very weak, a bit dehydrated, voice below a whisper,my speech is very slow,not slurred, but in slowed down motion, it feels like to me. The muscles in my face are different, I can feel when I try and talk, and I “feel,” really sick and weak  and drained on top of it. And it , the weariness of it all combined seemed like a whirlpool that would pull me down emotionally, and just about that time,cutting through it all and arresting my attention was a saving, breakthrough in my thinking “But God…” moment! He helped me as I tried to get my mind to focus and pray as I did not “feel” like it, due to the debilitating and weariness of my sick diseased, chronically ill body. But I realize, I have to fight through this – in my mind. So I use the alphabet to help me concentrate my thinking…Using the Alphabet- a-z I gave Him thanks for attributes and kindness’ of Him and from Him… Then A-Z-People’s names and Thanked Him for each individual…

FOUR UNCHANGING TRUTHS ABOUT GIVING GOD THANKS;

1. DOING THE WILL OF GOD. -” In everything Give thanks for THIS IS THE WILL OF GOD FOR YOU in Christ”- {1 Thess 5:18} People can get hung up over “the will of God,” and usually about a place but this verse tells us Thanksgiving is DOING THE WILL OF GOD. Objective truth no mater where you are you can KNOW you are DOING THE WILL OF GOD- 1 Thess 5:18.

2. GLORIFYING GOD- Jesus asked of the one returning lepper whom He had healed, Who threw himself at the feet of Jesus and gave Him thanks.
– Did only one return to glorify God, – where were the others. How did this one lepper GLORIFY GOD- Jesus says he did so by GIVING THANKS… God is GLORIFIED WHEN YOU GIVE THANKS – Luke 17:15

3. GROWING UP {SPIRITUAL GROWTH}–  It’s amazing when you look back at old pictures of a child, or even to see a child you have not seen in a while and you look and think ,”they are growing up,” they have got so big since you saw them last, you might not even have recognized them. What you see with their physical growth, Paul shows we can see or spiritual growth manifested through increasing, that;s the key word, increasing, as we will see from what Paul writes in Col 1:9-14. he prays they would be filled{this word means dominated, influenced,  controlled} by a KNOWLEDGE OF YOUR WILL in all wisdom and understanding so they may walk PLEASING TO Him in all aspects, so that they may WALK WORTHY OF THE LORD,…” Paul wants them to not only know the will of God but be influenced, CONTROLLED by it, as will be evidenced in practice of it. There are 4 participles of what the walk is like,in this passage of Colossian’s, and what the evidences are, it speak is of growing in these 4 areas, increasing, and the fourth one {I have not mentioned the three before it in Col 1:9-12, as I want us to focus on our theme to help train and transform us in Giving of thanks} …is that we are to be GROWING, INCREASING- IN THANKSGIVING- TO GOD THE FATHER FOR- SALVATION- Col 1:12-14. THANKING HIM SPECIFICALLY for what HE HAS DONE.

An evidence of the walk worthy of the LORD, pleasing Him … will be seen in our growing up, through increasing in the appreciation, thanksgiving to God the Father for His salvation for us… while we can look at a child and see them physically grow and change a they grow, in the area of spiritual growth thanksgiving is to the spiritual what  growth is seen in the physical, from birth, infant, child, youth, teenager, adult…manifested growth. Thanksgiving, increasing in our thanksgiving is one evidence we are GROWING UP Spiritually.

If, I, and speaking from my own experience, or perhaps even you, wait till we “feel” good, or until “circumstances are favorable,” we will fail to DO the REVEALED – WILL of God; we will fail to GLORIFY GOD; we will fail to GROW SPIRITUALLY. But we must ask His help, to REMEMBER, “In everything Give thanks for this IS the will of GOD FOR US in Christ…” Many years ago I was overseas speaking. One day I was sitting down thinking,”What am I doing here?” Well, we know the enemy does not want the Word of God going forth, and so that thought was not from the Lord. But also to consider ourselves in the matter, to realize, I could be half way around the world and be failing to do the REVEALED WILL OF GOD- By choosing to Give Him thanks, while some dear person,  a mom, a student, a care giver, a plumber, a secretary, an athlete, and invalid, a gran ma, a widower, could be GLORIFYING GOD, because they were GIVING TO HIM – A BOUQUET OF THANKS! So though to some, it is easy to say- that one traveling to speak is doing more than me. No, 1 Peter 4:10-11 says we each exercise our gifts GOD IS GLORIFIED. But I could be grumbling and complaining in my circumstances and you or any of the above I mentioned was thanking God. So who was the one glorifying God according to the revealed WILL OF GOD in 1 Thess 5:18? The one who GIVES THANKS. This has helped me over the years. It does not matter WHERE I am but WHAT I AM DOING WHERE I AM:) I can GLORIFY HIM by GIVING THANKS TO HIM and KNOW I am DOING THE WILL OF GOD – Wherever I am!

4. – YOU ARE LOVING GOD -{John 14:21}
-” He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.”

Have you ever said, or thought,”I wish I could DO SOMETHING to SHOW my love for You, LORD.”- Perhaps you once had desires and dreams of what that would look like, and it may never have come to be. The years role on and seem to go by quicker, and in some sense you “feel” your life has not amounted to much. You “listen” to the thoughts that come to your mid, that slowly begin to wear you down, to where like me also, look at my life as I did recently in the chair I sleep in by my bed. And the “thought-” -“What a waste of life, mine has been.” “BUT GOD….” Shows us we can DO SOMETHING, TO SHOW HIM, our appreciation and LOVE. HOW? The verses says, through obeying Him. We love Him because He first loves us. As we choose to OBEY the Command to GIVE HIM THANKS… Guess what? You have just EXPRESSED LOVE TO – HIM! Where you are, you can choose to DO THE WILL OF GOD, and GLORIFY GOD, and the Evidence of SPIRITUAL GROWTH AND EXPRESSION of LOVE TO GOD… are all happening… when you GIVE HIM THANKS! How wonderful is that.

 

AN EXERCISE FOR YOU TO DO;

Based on the above verses concerning THE WILL OF GOD FOR YOU and GLORIFYING GOD – through thanksgiving. Increasing in Thanksgiving to the Father is an evidence of Spiritual growth, and in obeying the command to Give Him thanks you are Loving God!

* If you THANK HIM for one thing. You can know You have DONE the WILL OF GOD and GLORIFIED HIM, not based on how you”feel,” but on the Word of WORD!

* If YOU, THANK Him, FOR TEN THINGS, BASED ON THE WORD OF GOD, YOU have DONE- THE WILL OF GOD- AND GLORIFIED -HIM- TEN TIMES!… Do you see that? It is true, and you can choose to and KNOW for certainty- YOU ARE DOING His will, and KNOW you have GLORIFIED HIM – right in the circumstances you find yourself in.

The FOUR above mentioned passages reveal to us what IS GOD’S WILL FOR us concerning the GIVING OF THANKS.. AND WHY…

Thanksgiving does not just happen.

It is a Command to be Obeyed, not out of drudgery but heartfelt appreciation
It has to be a CHOICE to be made. A BATTLE TO BE WON- against feelings, circumstances etc. IN OBEYING, – YOU can KNOW based on the OBJECTIVE WORD OF ALMIGHTY GOD
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THANKSGIVING?

1. – YOU Are – DOING THE WILL OF GOD.
2. – YOU Are – GLORIFYING GOD.
3. – YOU Are giving EVIDENCE of- SPIRITUALLY GROWTH.
4. – YOU are – LOVING GOD

The word “thanks” and “joy ” come from the same root word.” Thanks is Joy OVERFLOWING!

PS- HOW TO STAY ALERT IN YOUR PRAYING;
Can I give you one more verse to help and encourage you in your praying? Colossians 4:2, says, “DEVOTE YOURSELVES TO PRAYER, STAY ALERT…” the phrase, “Staying alert,” is what Jesus said to the disciples when He went to pray and He came back and they were asleep, “Stay alert,” refers to “not falling asleep,” we need to spiritually be on the alert and not fall asleep not physically but spiritually. The content of the passage is Paul asking for prayer for him and others for God to open up a door of opportunity to speak the Word of God clearly and share Christ. It is dealing with evangelistic praying! How can we “Devote,”- give ourselves to be people of prayer and stay alert, like a soldier at his post? The verses says,”Devote yourselves to prayer and stay alert THROUGH…. THANKSGIVING!” In your praying, mix it with “thanksgiving,” it is God’s way, to help us know how to “stay alert” in your giving of yourself in praying. HOW TO STAY ALERT IN PRAYER? Through the GIVING OF THANKS!

HOPE THIS ENCOURAGES YOU, TO GIVE THANKS TO HIM. I thank God for you… and for your kindness to me, and for those of you who share these devotionals. I may not be able to verbally use my voice these days, but as a dear friend told me , my “voice” is still going out through the devotionals. I give Him thanks for that. I have fingers that work and recall to remember His Word, hidden in my heart long ago and in His kindness in this”winter season, “of my life, His Blessed Spirit brings back to my my tired mind His Word- and can’t we all say… , “OH Give THANKS TO the LORD, For He is GOOD! ”

  • GO AHEAD… THINK…OF  5 ATTRIBUTES- THINGS THAT ARE TRUE OF GOD, AND THANK HIM FOR THEM
  •  THINK OF FIVE PEOPLE TO THANK HIM FOR

IF YOU HAVE DONE THE ABOVE- YOU HAVE ACCORDING TO THE AUTHORITY OF GOD’S WILL… DONE HIS WILL- GLORIFIED HIM- AIDING YOUR SPIRITUAL GROWTH- AND EXPRESSING LOVE TO HIM!  PRAISE HIM- THESE ARE AIDS TO HELP YOU ALSO IN STAYING ALERT IN PRAYER

YOUR FRIEND IN THE JOURNEY, HOMEWARD… TO GOD