DEVOTIONAL: Thanksgiving... A Part of Our DNA

GOD’S WORD
Ephesians 4:26; 1 Thessalonians 5:12-22; Luke 11:9-10; Hebrews 10:19-22

DEVOTIONAL
Paul’s Final Advice - I Thessalonians 5:12-22

12 Dear brothers and sisters, honor those who are your leaders in the Lord’s work. They work hard among you and give you spiritual guidance. 13 Show them great respect and wholehearted love because of their work. And live peacefully with each other. 14 Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone. 15 See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people. 16 Always be joyful. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 19 Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. 20 Do not scoff at prophecies, 21 but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. 22 Stay away from every kind of evil.

Thanksgiving is another one of those holidays that I find very sacred, yet you can miss it if you are not careful. To me, every day should be “Thanksgiving Day” because every day we should be grateful. It should be a part of our DNA, especially to our God, for all that He does for us. Even those things that we did not ask for, God has taken care of.

In light of where we find ourselves at times in our chaotic, crisis filled world, you and I can still be thankful to God, especially in light of what Paul said to the Thessalonians:

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV)
“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances,
for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

As I see it there are two keys to being filled with gratitude and thanksgiving within these three verses.

1. BE JOYFUL ALWAYS:
When you and I are joyful always, it’s easier to be thankful even with those who can rub us the wrong way. What Paul was saying to the Thessalonians, as well as you and me today, is that this joyful life should always be a reflection of who Christ followers are. It should be a part of our DNA because it’s a part of Christ’s DNA.

Dr. David Jeremiah says, “Joy is the flag that is flown from the castle of your heart when the King is in residence.” For you and me to live a Joyful life, regardless of our circumstances, really does depend on if King Jesus in alive and well within your life.

People will know that we are Christ’s followers simply by our steady disposition of a joyful life, and because of it, we will rub off on all those we encounter. It’s one of the many reasons why Jesus was so effective. He always had a joyful attitude and it rubbed off on everyone.

Some would say “wait a minute, Jesus got angry in the Temple and turned over the tables.” Yes, He did, but I believe even though He was angry He did not sin. Of course that goes without saying seeing’s how He never sinned. But It’s like Paul said to the Church and to you and me in -

Ephesians 4:26
“Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath.”

Keep in mind that Joy is not something that we work on; Joy is something we live in. Jesus lived in joy and so should we. You and I are able to experience a perpetual life of joy because of the presence of the Holy Spirit within our lives. Our joy does not come from something outside of ourselves - it can only come from within ourselves due to the fact that God’s Spirit dwells within us. To live a life of gratitude, to be truly thankful godly people we must be joyful.

Another key to being thankful is to:

2. PRAY CONTINUALLY:
This does not mean that we need to be on our knees before God 24/7. I like how the ESV Bible translates pray continually, Its says “pray without ceasing. It means that we are to keep the lines of communication open between us and our Heavenly Father. In other words, be in a constant dialogue throughout the day.

I have issues, don’t laugh—we all do. One of mine involves my memory. I can’t remember things like most people do, but years ago, I decided that when people asked me to pray for them, I would take a moment right after our conversation to lift them up before the Lord so I wouldn’t forget. For the most part, that immediate prayer would help me remember it long enough to write it down so that I would pray even more for that person later. Now, the older I get, the more forgetful I become. I just pray that I never forget to give God all the glory in every circumstance.

What Paul is saying to you and me is keep on praying. It’s the same thing that Dr. Luke said to us in His first book -

Luke 11:9-10 (NLT)
“And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”

Christ’s followers are prayer warriors and there is mighty power through prayer. Mark Batterson says, “God has determined that certain expressions of His power will only be exercised in response to prayer: Simply put, God won’t do it unless we pray for it. We have not because we ask not. The greatest tragedy in life is the prayers that go unanswered because they go unasked.”

We must not forget that this is God’s will that we be joyful always, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances. And to think that the God of the universe wants to hear from me is mind boggling. All because we are Christ’s followers, we have been granted an all-access pass to behind the curtain or backstage into the very presence of God. (Hebrews 10:19-22)

God truly wants to hear from us and desires to answer our prayers, especially those for others, but the question is, have we asked? Friends, the more joyful we are and the more we pray, the more it becomes a part of our DNA, the more we will be able to give thanks in ALL circumstances.

We in the Spiritual Life Development Ministries wish you and your loved ones the happiest Thanksgiving ever, and we pray that you, our friends and family, show off Christ by demonstrating to others how to live with a grateful heart.

OUR CORPORATE PRAYER
Father, we rejoice today and are moved to call upon Your name because our hearts are filled with gratitude for all that you have done for us and through us. We say THANK YOU for your faithfulness, in keeping Your promises. Like the fact that You will never leave us or forsake us, and for Your promise of eternal life through Jesus Christ. Thank you for Your great love and Your many blessings You have poured out over our lives. Thank you that Your favor has no end, but it will last for our entire lives. Forgive us for our sins and set us free through the power of Your Holy Spirit. We rejoice in the fact that You hear us when we pray and we give You all honor and glory that is due Your name. We close this prayer filled with thanksgiving for each other and for another day in which to serve You. It’s in Jesus’ name we make this prayer, amen.