Give Thanks. . .

     Since this blog is based on 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, I thought it might be appropriate to post on this verse yet again. :) Verse 18, "give thanks in all circumstances," is probably one of the hardest commands for me to follow in this passage. It's hard to remember to not only thank God for the "good" things, but also for the things that don't seem so good. I think, for my sake (and hopefully this will encourage you to do the same), I'm going to post a list of a few things I'm thankful for (the good and the bad!). This is going to be a really random list, with the things I'm thankful for in no particular order. Here we go.

1. Acts. I am participating in a musical of the story of Acts (the book in the Bible), and I am really enjoying the rehearsals, as well as learning a lot about the story of Acts.

2. My iPod Touch. I got it for Christmas. It is amazing. :)

3. My braces. This is one of the "not so good" things. I got the wires tightened yesterday, and my teeth have been hurting SO badly pretty much ever since. But I get to thank God for them because they will not only straighten my teeth, but they will also hopefully cultivate in me endurance when I'm in less-than-comfortable situations. :)

4. Ice cream. Helps when I am experiencing the number 3 thing I am thankful for. :)

5. Snow. We haven't gotten a lot of it this winter, but it's snowing right now so I'm hoping it'll pile up pretty high. :)

I just realized I put a smiley face after all of them except for the first one. Oh well. They belong there. :)

What are you thankful for? Let me know by commenting on this post! I'd love to hear from you!

-Sarah :)

Oh give thanks to the LORD. . .

". . .for he is good; his love endures forever!"
1 Chronicles 16:34


"Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

1 Thessalonians 5:18

"And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful."

Colossians 3:15

"Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!"
Psalm 100:4

     I love Thanksgiving. I love all of the activity going on in the kitchen; the crackling fire in the fireplace; the laughter of family and memories in the making. I love staying in the warm house while the cold wind blows through the bare trees and leaves carpet the wet, muddy earth outside. 

     I love taking time to remember all that God has blessed me with, and thanking him for it. He has blessed me with so much: my wonderful family, my lovely friends, a warm house, good food, and so much more. 

     My sister had the idea to write down one thing we are thankful for every day of November (My four sisters and I do it; our list is now a few pages long!). We have listed everything from God's grace, to new mattresses, to bananas. It's a wonderful way to cultivate a thankful spirit and attitude towards our gracious God who gives us everything good. 

     So my challenge for you is: make a list. Write down even just 10 things you're thankful for (I promise you, once you get started, you'll end up with way more than that). And thank God for all that he has blessed you with. Even thank him for the times of trouble and hardship, and the things that we just don't naturally feel thankful for; because ". . .we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." I thank God for hot chocolate even though I burned my tongue on it yesterday. :)

    And bless his name, like Psalm 100 says! Our all-powerful, loving God is worthy of our praise and thankfulness! Also, please read Psalm 136 (below). It's a wonderful song about all the wonderful things God has done and about giving thanks to him, for he is good!

    What are you thankful for? Let me know in the comments box!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

-Sarah :)

Psalm 136 - 

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,

for his steadfast love endures forever.

Give thanks to the God of gods,

for his steadfast love endures forever.

Give thanks to the Lord of lords,

for his steadfast love endures forever;

to him who alone does great wonders,

for his steadfast love endures forever;

to him who by understanding made the heavens,

for his steadfast love endures forever;

to him who spread out the earth above the waters,

for his steadfast love endures forever;

to him who made the great lights,

for his steadfast love endures forever;

the sun to rule over the day,

for his steadfast love endures forever;

the moon and stars to rule over the night,

for his steadfast love endures forever;

to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt,

for his steadfast love endures forever;

and brought Israel out from among them,

for his steadfast love endures forever;

with a strong had and an outstretched arm,

for his steadfast love endures forever;

to him who divided the Red Sea in two,

for his steadfast love endures forever;

and made Israel pass through the midst of it,

for his steadfast love endures forever;

but overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea,

for his steadfast love endures forever;

to him who led his people through the wilderness,

for his steadfast love endures forever;

to him who struck down the great kings,

for his steadfast love endures forever;

and killed mighty kings,

for his steadfast love endures forever;

Sihon, king of the Amorites,

for his steadfast love endures forever;

and Og, king of Bashan,

for his steadfast love endures forever;

and gave their land as a heritage,

for his steadfast love endures forever;

a heritage to Israel his servant,

for his steadfast love endures forever.

It is he who remembered us in our low estate,

for his steadfast love endures forever; 

and rescued us from our foes,

for his steadfast love endures forever;

he who gives food to all flesh,

for his steadfast love endures forever.

Give thanks to the God of heaven, 

for his steadfast love endures forever.

GIVE THANKS IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES

Here is the final part of my 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 study. Sorry it took so long!

Verses:

Psalm 118:1 – Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!

Colossians 3:17 – And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Psalm 118:1 tells us that we should be thankful for God's steadfast love for us. If we pray for thankfulness, and dwell on how much God loves us, God gives us thankfulness. Colossians adds that we should be thankful in whatever we do. We take a lot of things for granted; most things we have, actually. If we stop and write down all the things we have and should be thankful for, it would help us be more thankful. We should also be thankful for things that may seem bad in our lives. Please read this section from "The Hiding Place" about this. (For those of you who haven't read it, the "I" is Corrie ten Boom.)

"We can start right now to thank God for every single thing about this new barracks!"

I stared at her, then around me at the dark, foul-aired room. "Such as?" I said.

"Such as being assigned here together."

I bit my lip. "Oh yes, Lord Jesus!"

"Such as what you're holding in your hands."

I looked down at the Bible. "Yes! Thank You, dear Lord, that there was no inspection when we entered here! Thank You for all the women, here in this room, who will meet You in these pages."

"Yes," said Betsie. "Thank You for the very crowding here. Since we're packed so close, that many more will hear!" She looked at me expectantly. "Corrie!" She prodded.

"Oh, all right. Thank You for the jammed, crammed, stuffed, packed, suffocating crowds."

"Thank You," Betsie went on serenely, "for the fleas and for–"

The fleas! This was too much. "Betsie, there's no way even God can make me grateful for a flea."

"'Give thanks in all circumstances,'" she quoted. "It doesn't say, 'in pleasant circumstances.' Fleas are part of this place where God has put us."

And so we stood between piers of bunks and gave thanks for fleas. But this time I was sure Betsie was wrong.

Later in the book, we see the good that came from the fleas.

One night I got back to the barracks late from a wood-gathering foray outside the walls. . . . Betsie was waiting for me, as always, so that we could wait through the food line together. Her eyes were twinkling.

"You're looking extraordinarily pleased with yourself," I told her.

"You know we've never understood why we had so much freedom in the big room," she said. "Well–I've found out."

That afternoon, she said, there'd been confusion in her knitting group about sock sizes and they'd asked the supervisor to come and settle it.

"But she wouldn't. She wouldn't step through the door and neither would the guards. And you know why?"

Betsie could not keep the triumph from her voice: "Because of the fleas! That's what she said, 'That place is crawling with fleas!'"

My mind rushed back to our first hour in this place. I remembered Betsie's bowed head, remembered her thanks to God for creatures I could see no use for.

This is an example of how God uses things that seem to be bad for our good. Isn't it so cool? :)

Something to remember when we don't feel thankful is that Jesus died for us so that we can go to heaven forever. If, with God's help, we can be thankful for something as big as that, we can remember to thank God for the little blessings (and trials, little or big) in our lives.

I hope reading this has left you encouraged!

Sarah :)

PART 2: PRAY WITHOUT CEASING

I would like to share my notes from my devotions yesterday on the second command in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 with you. So, everything below is pretty much exactly what I have in my notebook. :)

Verses:

1. 1 Timothy 2:1 – "First of all then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people,"

2. Philippians 4:6 – "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God."

3. Matthew 26:41 – "Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."

Notes:

Timothy tells us that there are different kinds of prayer; some of these are requests thanksgiving, and praise (not all of these are mentioned in the 1 Timothy verse). This tells us that we can pray about anything we feel on our hearts; whether we are struggling with a certain sin, or thankful for God's blessings, or just aware of how great God is. God loves to hear us pray. He loves when we call on him for help, and when we give him all the glory instead of giving it to ourselves. When we are anxious, like Philippians says, we can call on God and ask him for help, to give us what we need. Then we will not be tempted to sin by being anxious. Matthew 26:41 tells us to "watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." This tells us that we must fight against the temptations of the devil by praying. It also mentions that the flesh is weak. We don't have the desire to pray on our own. But with the Holy Spirit in us, we are strengthened, and will have the desire to pray. God will make it easier for us to pray about everything by his Holy Spirit. By prayer, also, we can ask God for faith that he will answer our prayers.

After taking notes, I prayed that God would help me to pray about everything more. I asked him to help me to thank and praise him more, especially. I also prayed that I would pray when I face a struggle, or if I am about to sin and need help, and that I would pray when I feel weak and not able to do what God has called me to do.

I hope this post has been encouraging!

-Sarah :)