78 The Power Of Gratitude 1 Thessalonians 5:18.

Giving thanks infuses joy into your daily life. British Theologian John Henry Jowett said, “Every virtue divorced from thankfulness is maimed and limps along the spiritual road.” He is saying, without gratitude, your faith becomes a hollow religious practice and your love for others crashes and burns, leaving you drained of joy and acting like a martyr. When Paul says in (Thessalonians (5:18) “In everything give thanks for this is the will of God” He’s not saying every circumstance you encounter is necessarily God’s will for you. No! We have no problem getting ourselves into situations that God never intended for us, but, at such times we can and should approach God with a thankful heart as we ask Him to extricate us from such circumstances or situations. Yes, we’ve all been there accidentality or otherwise. We are human and succumb to temptation but when we realise where we are at, we know our only hope is in God. So, in humble thanksgiving we turn to our Saviour for help. Likewise when we are helped or ministered to by a fellow believer we need to acknowledge, appreciate and thank them for their concern, willingness and in-put by helping us. Unfortunately words such as “Thank you, Please and sorry are a few of many words that have all but dropped out of our vocabulary. Yes, unfortunate and disappointing, but true. . There are people who interpret scripture this way, “Well whatever happens is the will of God… give thanks and praise Him for it and get on with life” The Bible doesn’t say everything is God designed… It says In it, through it and beyond it He can and will work with you and me for good… “The will of God in Christ” is that we give thanks and praise to God in the middle of our problems, difficulties and circumstances, Why? because it makes us feel good? No! Because praying without ceasing introduces a song of praise into our situation…muddling and praying our way through it isn’t going to make it, whereas, taking it to God, who can make something out of the mess we find ourselves in will bring the reason why the Bible tells us “In everything give thanks” In any given set of circumstances you can choose to whine or choose to worship - and you can’t worship without giving thanks Ever find yourself asking, Why me, Lord? How come You don’t answer my prayers? Well-meaning friends will tell you “Things will get better,” but you can’t see any light at the end of the tunnel. And just when you think things can’t get any worse, you pick up your Bible and read, (1 Thes 5:16-18) ‘Rejoice always, In everything give thanks’ as if your supposed to enjoy your situation! Alexander McLaren said,” Seek to cultivate a buoyant, joyous sense of the crowded kindnesses of God in your daily life.’ that means thank and praise God for all the blessings He is giving you right now and each day; (Your health , the weather, your home the meal you’ve just consumed your family and friends etc.) all the things we take for granted. The fact is, However, when life overwhelms you the last thing you feel like doing is giving thanks Right! But, as Nancy Leigh De Moss puts it, “When someone or something Hijacks your plans for your day off, or you get an unexpected bill that wasn’t in the budget...Don’t try living the Christian life without gratitude. Or By sheer willpower and effort you may succeed at “gutting out” right responses, but your Christianity (so called) will be hollow, hard-edged and uninviting… If all our faith had to offer were words that only fit in a theological textbook, it would be unkind to extend it to someone struggling to survive. True Christian-centred, grace-motivated gratitude fits life’s most desperate moments and difficult situations, When there are no answers, it gives hope. It transforms overwhelmed strugglers into triumphant winners .Gratitude is a hard-fought, grace-infused, Biblical lifestyle… and it’s transforming power is reserved for those who know and acknowledge the Giver of every good gift and who are recipients of His redeeming Grace.” I cannot improve on Nancy’s words and I thank God and her for them. I learned to adopt an attitude of gratitude in some of the hardest times of my life, Humbling myself under the mighty hand of God was the only way I could find, when it was only God and I, I found that was all I needed. And you know what, it was always enough. An attitude of gratitude is what I call a spiritual courtesy and as Christians we should never be found wanting in this area. Remember every good gift comes from God, so, thank Him and whoever He sends it through. Thank you for reading these words on Gratitude and Gratefulness. We have so much to thank God for as He caters for our every need. God bless you all in Jesus’ name. Phaline.