Give Thanks

"Giving thanks always and for everything to God the FAther in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,"
(Eph. 5:20)

When Paul wrote to the Thessalonian believers, he said, "In everything give thanks." (I Thes. 5:18). But here, it seems he takes it a step farther when he says we are to be thankful FOR all things. There are many things in our daily lives for which we do not naturally want to give thanks. Heartaches, challenges, problems, difficulties, all types of disappointments come our way. How do we give thanks?

Paul gives this statement as a part of his description of the Spirit filled life. Apart from abiding in Christ, apart from full surrender to Him, apart from living with the Holy Spirit in control, it is impossible to do anything the New Testament tells us is descriptive of the believer's life. Our lives are not lived out by imitating Jesus, the "what would Jesus do" approach. Our lives are lived by surrendering to Him and allowing Him through the Holy Spirit to reproduce Himself in us.

As we look toward a day of Thanksgiving this week, let me challenge you to acknowledge God's sovereignty by not only giving thanks for all of your blessings, but for the difficulties and sorrows as well. I believe that by giving thanks in and for all things we release God's power to work more completely in our lives. Let's practice Thanksliving, not just a day of thanksgiving.