ValleyofVision
Puritan Board Freshman
As I woke up this morning, I started my Bible Study in 1 Thessalonians and ended up reading verses 5:18 "give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."
The Lord had brought something to my attention while reading this and thought it would be nice to share with you all:
I can only speak for myself but, sometimes (majority of the time) I become so blinded by all that's around me. I start to value materialistic pleasures, I put my marriage before the Lord, I stress about my job and money., etc. This Thanksgiving, I even feel as if I got caught up in the momentary day to day things: trying to beat the crowd at grocery shopping, already thinking about Christmas and what plans we have for that day, rushing around and around only to find myself being pulled into this world and further from the Lord. Thankfully, the Lord put me in my place this morning and reminded me that right now, at this very moment, someone is thankful.. with nothing. Someone is thankful in circumstances that are completely devastating. I even began to think about all the children right now in this world who are without a family, without love, yet still find reasons to be thankful. Or that person who may have just found out that they have a terminal illness, but still.. they are thankful. Maybe even that husband who just lost his wife and feels a gut wrenching brokenness because he has to get used to life without her (vice versa). Why do I so easily forget these things? Right now, it is easy for me to give thanks in all circumstance because in a few hours i'll be with a wonderful family, an abundance of food and a house filled with love. But, if this was all stripped from me... would I still be thankful?
In all, the Lord basically revealed to me that this scripture goes further than I thought. He showed me to be thankful in ALL circumstances and that if I begin to take my eyes off myself and onto the Lord, He reveals in my heart so much compassion for this world.
I pray that you would all have a joyful Thanksgiving.
"But we must remember, by the way, that this thankfulness it must be a fruitful thanksgiving. As for us to pray to God to bless us, and then do nothing, it is a barren prayer; so to thank God, and then to do nothing, it is a barren thanksgiving. Our deeds have words, our deeds have a voice to God. They speak, they pray. There is a kind of prayer, a kind of thanks, in our works. Works pray to God. They have a kind of cry to God, both ill works and good works. And if good works have a cry to God in prayer, they will have a voice in Thanksgiving. This fruitful, this real thanks, is that which God stands upon" - Richard Sibbes.
The Lord had brought something to my attention while reading this and thought it would be nice to share with you all:
I can only speak for myself but, sometimes (majority of the time) I become so blinded by all that's around me. I start to value materialistic pleasures, I put my marriage before the Lord, I stress about my job and money., etc. This Thanksgiving, I even feel as if I got caught up in the momentary day to day things: trying to beat the crowd at grocery shopping, already thinking about Christmas and what plans we have for that day, rushing around and around only to find myself being pulled into this world and further from the Lord. Thankfully, the Lord put me in my place this morning and reminded me that right now, at this very moment, someone is thankful.. with nothing. Someone is thankful in circumstances that are completely devastating. I even began to think about all the children right now in this world who are without a family, without love, yet still find reasons to be thankful. Or that person who may have just found out that they have a terminal illness, but still.. they are thankful. Maybe even that husband who just lost his wife and feels a gut wrenching brokenness because he has to get used to life without her (vice versa). Why do I so easily forget these things? Right now, it is easy for me to give thanks in all circumstance because in a few hours i'll be with a wonderful family, an abundance of food and a house filled with love. But, if this was all stripped from me... would I still be thankful?
In all, the Lord basically revealed to me that this scripture goes further than I thought. He showed me to be thankful in ALL circumstances and that if I begin to take my eyes off myself and onto the Lord, He reveals in my heart so much compassion for this world.
I pray that you would all have a joyful Thanksgiving.
"But we must remember, by the way, that this thankfulness it must be a fruitful thanksgiving. As for us to pray to God to bless us, and then do nothing, it is a barren prayer; so to thank God, and then to do nothing, it is a barren thanksgiving. Our deeds have words, our deeds have a voice to God. They speak, they pray. There is a kind of prayer, a kind of thanks, in our works. Works pray to God. They have a kind of cry to God, both ill works and good works. And if good works have a cry to God in prayer, they will have a voice in Thanksgiving. This fruitful, this real thanks, is that which God stands upon" - Richard Sibbes.
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