Harry Durgin
The Sunday before Thanksgiving I told you that I was going to list why we are able to do as God commands: Give thanks in everything. Sometimes, of course, it is easy to give Him thanks. Other times, though, the situation is so horrible, we can’t imagine doing so.
For Christians, here is what we absolutely must remember in order to give thanks in everything:
Our God is totally sovereign over everything and everybody all the time,
God is in control of what we experience (even though we are responsible),
God loves us with an everlasting love,
God promises to work all things for good, making us into the image of His Son,
God has a loving purpose for everything we experience,
God promises to make us more and more holy during our time on earth and to bring us to glory later, and
God is with us (and for us) always, giving us what we need to act righteously in every situation.
There are a lot of underlying details, of course. We continually need to develop our understanding of:
Who God is,
Who we are to God,
What God does for us, His children, and
What we “get” out of whatever God allows/brings into our lives.
THANK DON’T RESIST
Pray, of course, about whether the Lord wants you to do something to change the situation and He wants you to think, say, and do.
Remind yourself of the four points above and determine to believe He has a loving purpose for what is happening.
Determine to trust His loving sovereignty.
Obey Him by giving Him thanks.
(and keep developing this list!)
Thank You!
