Being Thankful
On September 22, 2017, I wrote some thoughts on being a thankful Ambassador, and today I’d like to continue that line of thinking because of some recent traveling that I’ve had the occasion to do.
I was recently in San Francisco with my family and I was reminded of what a lovely city it is and at the same time I was sorrowed at the amount of spiritual oppression it holds. I was taken aback by the homeless population and the homeless enclaves I saw. It is a fact that societies will always have poor and homeless. Jesus Christ himself said in
“Matthew 26:11: For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not.”
This is not new, but seeing it in such an aggressive manner, gave me thought to reflect.
There is a class on the Bible that I took once which has as its foundational scripture:
“John 10:10b … I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
“1 Timothy 2:4 Who [ God] will have all men to be saved and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”
The truths in the Bible brought to life by this class can set you on the course of seeking the more than abundant life that Jesus Christ said he was bringing.
Lack of spirit life can certainly result in a lack physically and even if you have not the spirit and prosper physically it simply means that you’ve cashed in on one of God’s great laws and that is believing. Believing works for anybody and that’s called grace. It is also a sign of God’s justice because God’s Word tells us that the rain falls on the just and unjust alike.
“Hebrews 11:6: But without faith [believing] it is impossible to please him [God]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
This is not a casual condition. It is necessary to want to seek God and believe in Him in order to get the rewards that Hebrews talks about.
I began by expressing being sorrowed by the plight of the homeless but with a homeless person there is always a background as to how and why they got there and the reasons may be as numerous as the sand on the seashore. Regardless of what you’ve been through, there is no one that can’t be raised from the dead spiritually or physically by the everlasting arms of God.
Jesus Christ showed it to be so during his time and it’s not changed a bit in this our day. Just by sheer logic, it would be a small matter for God, Who created the heavens and the earth, to bring people out of their physical and spiritual dregs.
This brings my thinking to being thankful. I am sure that most of us are appreciative of wonderful things we have. Wouldn’t it be nice if as much thanks went to God for the things we have as there are “thank you” cards that are sent around? There is a line in a Christian song called, “It’s Gotta Be God” that says, “when your heart is heavy and your thoughts are less than kind, an attitude of gratitude is your best state of mind. Just count your many blessings and God’s perfect peace you will find.”
Not only is that God’s Word, but that’s also logical!
“1 Thessalonians 5:1: In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
Regardless of how high or how low you think you are, there is always something to be thankful for. Sometimes people talk about having a bad day. And people, do indeed, have bad, from time to time. However, there’s nothing too small or too big for God to handle. Even if you’re really sick, you can always look forward to God’s healing you.
I’m sure that the man who was healed in Acts 3 after being born lame didn’t just walk away wondering if he’d really been healed, for in the later part of verse 8 it says he was,
“…walking, and leaping, and praising God.”
That’s being thankful!
Psalm 118:24: “This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”
So yes, I am thankful! Thankful to God, my heavenly Father; thankful for my lord and savior Jesus Christ, who did what he did that we can have the new birth; thankful for God’s many blessings in my life; thankful for the family of God to which I belong; thankful for the gift of holy spirit, which allows me to directly communicate with God; thankful for a healthy body and sound mind; thankful for my immediate family, who loves God and His Word and finally I’m thankful that it’s fun to be thankful because it keeps your mind young and healthy.
So why not be thankful?
Funglimpses and all – Thanks for reading! Respectfully submitted. Will Grove