Does The Bible Say Be Thankful In Bad Circumstances?

We know we should be thankful, but times are hard and our lives are messed up.  Why should we be thankful?

"Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you." 1 Thessalonians 5:18, NIV.

THANKS
We should give thanks because it is the right thing to do. Whatever our circumstances are there are blessings we have that we should be thankful for. We may suffer loss and personal disaster but we must look for the other things in our lives we can be grateful for.

ALL
We are prone to be grateful when things are going well, but here the Bible instructs us to give thanks in all circumstances, whether those situations are good or bad.

GIVE THANKS
This is an active phrase that commands us to do something. To actively give thanks is to tell God, "Thank you." We have to make it a point to offer the prayer and the praise of thankfulness.

GOD'S WILL
Many of us wonder what God wants us to do with our lives, and we often ask, "What is God's will for me?" The answer: it is His will that we are thankful people.

CIRCUMSTANCES
When we give thanks to God in bad dark times it is a reaffirmation that He is God.  It says God is good, wise, loving, and merciful.  If He is loving and all-powerful then He allows each circumstance for good. This is not positive thinking- it is faith.  When disaster comes we can thank Him because the God of All Good is involved.

It is not the circumstance that we are thankful for, not the loss or hurt; but the God who is in control and who is working all things out for our good.*

PERSPECTIVE
Much of what we call bad circumstances is a matter of perspective.  We see from our limited view the short focus of the immediate.

The ultimate example is the death of the Son of God, Jesus, in his prime and at the height of his ministry.  His was a life of perfect beauty and ultimate love.  What looked like disaster brought salvation for mankind for God placed our wrongs on him and gives the virtue of his righteousness and salvation to those who by faith receive it.

This principle is woven in scripture that what we think is defeat is for God is really victory.  We can always give thanks no matter how dark the situation because The God of love and all power is in control.

* Romans 8:28.

To learn more about finding salvation follow this link.

(c) Adron 7/15/13

What Does Thanking God Do For Me?

It is good to thank God for blessings when they arrive but sometimes it is better to thank Him when we are finished with the blessing.

"When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you."/ Deuteronomy 8:10, NIV.

WHEN YOU HAVE EATEN
It is well to ask God's blessing on a meal before we eat but it is also good to thank the Lord when we are satisfied. God has given us many blessings. We have food, shelter, family, shoes, etc. We are wealthy by many standards and this is all from the hand of God. When we use these blessings up and we are satisfied is a good time to thank God.

THE NEED
We are struggling in our lives and then God blesses us with some material good.  At that moment we are grateful and then we give God thanks as we should.  As we use the blessing God provided we begin to have a new focus, it is normal human behavior.  We now have the blessing that may require some actions on our part, so as we go about enjoying the blessing we start to lose sight of the one who gives the blessing.  We are just forgetful.

This is the beginning of a decline in pride.  When we forget the one who has given us such blessings, we begin to attribute the blessing to our own good abilities and our own actions.

THE GOOD LAND
These three words speak of prosperity, wealth, and material good.  The people it was addressed to depended on agriculture and good land was everything.  Many today live in a "Good Land,"  places of opportunities, liberties, and wealth.  It is just like that place that Moses spoke of.  We must remember as we enjoy our blessings to be thankful to God.

THE BENEFIT
Everybody knows thankful people are happier, healthier, more optimistic, and just nicer to be around. Yet the benefit goes beyond these things.  We thank and bless God so He is honored.  We do not manipulate God with thanksgiving to get favors; even though we have promised in the Bible that He rewards those who honor him.

Thankfulness protects us from the danger of pride; that sin which caused Satin's fall.* When we forget to thank God we are making a statement to ourselves that we have nothing to be grateful for, or that we are above gratitude, and what could be more prideful or arrogant?

Thanksgiving should be as common as eating.

*Isaiah 14:12-17

(c)Adron Dozat

Who Can Come To God?

There are many things that keep us from God. Yet we need God and look for him. Much of the activity in our lives may be a subconscious cry for God.

"Open to me the gates of righteousness I will enter and give thanks to the Lord." Psalm 118:19, NIV.

OPEN...
We cannot of ourselves open up the way of righteousness. We need another to do it for us. We look for one who is able to make the way of righteousness open to us and we find it in the person and work of Jesus. Jesus opens the way of righteousness by living a holy and perfect life which he gives as an atoning sacrifice on our behalf to pay for our sins. The empty tomb is a testimony that the work of Jesus satisfies the requirement of justice and the need in our lives.  He makes it clear that this is his purpose when Jesus said, "I am the gate to the sheepfold." We cannot open the gate so Jesus became the opening for us.

GATES...
Gates are in walls and walls keep things either in or out. There is a wall between man and God, the sin of man cannot approach God and the holiness of God forbids sin's admission. The picture of a gate is a picture of hope since a gate is the place of admission. Jesus said, "strive to enter by the narrow gate." He offers one way of salvation.

I WILL ENTER...
Entry is not automatic, but entry is available to any who will come.  The death of Jesus paid for all sin and all sinners may come, but they must each decide to come. We must admit our need and call on his offer of salvation. We must decide, we each must say I will accept the gift of salvation. I will accept the gift of this new life of worship and service. God established that salvation comes through a personal act of faith and this makes it possible for any to come.

THANKS...
We who come have much to be thankful for. We have salvation, new life, sonship, fellowship blessings eternal life, and no fear of judgment. Giving thanks is the logical and moral responsibility for the gift of admittance into the blessings of God's promise, it is also a foundation of worship, service, and obedience.

TO THE LORD...
When we come to God we come to one who is Lord. We must understand he is not just Jesus the baby in a manger but he is the one St. John calls the beginning and the end. King of Kings and Lord of Lords. St. Paul said before him every knee will bow and every tongue confesses that he is Lord.

We give thanks to the Lord not as an exercise or ritual but as worship; as an act of praise and adoration to the one who is the King and Ruler Of All who pardons sin and give eternal life. But to call him Lord is also to call him one who we will obey and serve.


John 10:7
Luke 13:23,24
Revelation 19:16
Philippians 2:10

(c)Adron Dozat

Why Give Thank Offerings To God? Psalm 50:23

A short post looking at the relevance of thank offerings in the modern age.

What good are thank offerings in this modern age? Do thank offerings have any relevance to modern religion?

"He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God." Psalm 50:23, NIV.

Nothing adds more grace and charm to a person's character than the attitude of thankfulness. Few things equal thankfulness in strengthening relationships between people; we should at least treat God with no less civility than our friends.

If we gave a gift to someone and they didn't say, "Thank you," we wonder if they liked the gift, and we may not give such a good gift next time. Likewise, if we don't thank God, should we expect such rich blessings to continue in our lives?

"HE WHO SACRIFICES THANK OFFERINGS..."

Since God is the Author and Owner of all creation, any physical offering is already His. We are like children asking our parents for money to buy them a gift. On the other hand, our words are truly ours, ours by creation and ownership; when we give thanks to God, we are giving God something that in all of earth and heaven only we can give.

Our thankfulness "honors" God, and here God makes a point of it.

Thankfulness:

• Acknowledges that God is the source of our blessings.
• Makes us humble before God.
• Is right.
• Expresses our dependence on God.
• Pleases God.

THANKFULNESS WORKS ON OUR HEARTS.

Thankfulness "prepares the way, and it prepares us. Thanking God causes us to grow in our relationship with him. Thankfulness makes us ready for more blessings.

GOD RESPONDS:

God responds, the verse says, "...that I may show him the salvation of God."There is a future tense of this verse; God has a purpose and plan, and thankfulness gets us in tune with that plan. It seems as if some blessings are contingent on a partnership of thanksgiving, for the verse says, "I may," not "I will." Offerings of thanks remove barriers to our faith and in our thinking that oppose God's blessings: so he "may show" us the salvation of God.

GIVE THANKS:

We need to make thankfulness a bigger part of our relationship with God. We need to think hard about our blessings and take time and thank Him. When we pray, we should thank the Lord for that answer even though it has not yet happened; let's thank him for the answers before we end that prayer, even though the answer seems so far off. It takes faith, but this truly honors Him and prepares us to see the salvation of the Lord.

Here is a link to another helpful post on thankfulness, Psalm 107:1.

(c) Adron Dozat 7/20/12

Can We Be Thankful for Everything? Ephesians 5:20

Can we give thanks for everything? It is easy to give thanks for the good, the happy circumstances, or prosperity. When we feel happy and grateful for blessings we find giving thanks to be natural, but when bad things happen can we still give thanks?

"Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ." Ephesians 5:20. NIV.

EXCEPTIONAL

Always giving thanks. Ephesians 5:20

This verse uses both words, always and everything, and that combination teaches an attitude of thankfulness that is unnatural to the common person.  To be thankful in all circumstances, good and bad, is more than character or emotion- it is a conviction.  The words always and everything includes bad events and sorrows.

Thankfulness in itself is a pleasant quality in a person, but thankfulness directed to God the Father is saintly. To focus thankfulness to the author of the circumstances in our lives we raise the affairs of daily circumstances and life's milestones to divine interest and holy activity.

GOD
Since God is sovereign He has right, power, and will to exercises His control over circumstances in the world he created, therefore the events of our lives are in his control. Since God is good the events of our lives ought to be good. The finite mind of man cannot comprehend the infinite mind of an all-knowing and all-wise God, so it must by faith in the truth that He is good that we know He must have a good purpose in the seemingly bad events of our lives.

People may see evil as evidence that God is weak, indifferent, or capricious. These views ignore the gospel of redemption where God came in bodily form as Jesus to die on the cross and buy redemption for mankind. His death seemed the act of evil yet the purposes of God were for this very tragedy to be the basis of salvation by His substitution of himself as payment for our sins. God has given us free will where we may sin or choose Him.

GOOD
Knowing that God is good we must believe that whatever happens in our lives is motivated by His goodness; even if we do not understand the circumstances we do understand (even only if just slightly) the goodness of God, so we can be thankful for everything- the good and painful.  We must hold on to the view that God is good; this is the basis of noble thinking. To be thankful for everything becomes the basis of noble living. To give thanks is the basis of noble doing.

We must always give thanks.  There is little that creatures created by God can give to God. Strangely he wants is our thanks which we are able to give.

(c)Adron Dozat

To Find God Follow This Woman. Luke 2:38

Many of us want to find God.  The Bible tells about one who did find The Lord and it was not who you expect.

"...She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem." .Luke 2:37-38.

A LITTLE BACKGROUND
Little is told about Anna except that she was a widow, she was old, a prophetess, and she lived at the temple fasting and praying.  She met Jesus when he an eight-day-old baby.

ANNA'S EXAMPLE

Anna Gave Thanks 

She was looking for Messiah and did not give up.  We are an impatient generation and can't wait for results.  God is not bound by our schedules or our agendas.  He created time and uses it for His perfect purpose.  We must not say, "I tried to find God for a while, but He didn't come when I rang the bell so I gave up."  We do not understand why He delays to reveal himself, but his desire is to be known and to have a relationship with us.  Waiting gets us ready, proves our sincerity, and it is a part of our spiritual pilgrimage.

We are part of a conflict between God and evil.  Evil wants to delay the answer and evil stands between us and God's revelation. Anna had the answer- she remained faithful in the courts of the temple, fasted and prayed. We should remain faithful to personal devotions, truth, prayer, and fellowship with those who love Our Heavenly King.

ANNA' S MESSAGE
She told everyone who was seeking about Jesus the promised Messiah.  It was not boasting but it is the duty of the prophet to speak the truth and Jesus is the truth (John 14:6).  It is the duty of a prophet to speak The Lord's message and Jesus is the "Word" (John 1:1, 14).  More than that she was excited; she had spent her life waiting, as many prophets before her, and here was the one she was waiting for.

ANNA'S THANKS
Anna's example of giving thanks directs us to be thankful.  We should thank Our Heavenly Father for what we do know, and that He promises that "we will find Him when we seek him with all our hearts." (Jeremiah 29:13).  In faith thank God that He will reveal himself to us and that He will keep His promise.

ANNA'S FAITH
Anna met God and it was an act of faith.  She only saw God's reflection in the packaging as the baby Jesus. She did not live long to see his morally perfect life, his sacrifice for our sins, his resurrection or the ascension to heaven with the promise to return.  She saw the promise and it was enough because the most important thing about Anna was her faith.  She believed the promises for a coming Savior. We can be like her if we believe the promise of Jesus.

To learn more about how you might get saved from your sins follow this link: click here.

Thank you for visiting and reading my blog. I sincerely hope this post is helpful and an encouragement.  For more like this see the most popular post in the left sidebar, or use the search box above.

(c) Adron 4/8/12

What Is The Main Purpose Of Prayer? Psalm 141:2

Millions of people pray every day in many different ways, but what is the essential purpose of prayer?

"May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice." Psalm 141:2 NIV

OUR REASONS
We pray for different reasons.
     * We get in a crisis.
     * We are in need and call to the Lord.
     * We want something and God has it so we ask him.

THE PSALMIST'S REASONS
Such concepts are foreign to the spirit of this verse. The psalmist desires for his prayer to be a blessing to God not a source for a blessing to himself.

MAY...
The humble psalmist saw no guarantee that his prayers were heard because without demand he says, "May my prayer be set before you..." We in the church should be deeply grateful to live in this age where through the blood of Jesus we have access to God the Father. In ancient times the faithful had little assurance as we have. We understand that God in his infinite knowledge knows all things and is aware of every prayer prayed, but only Christians have the assurance of being heard because Jesus bought us access by his atoning death.

INCENSE...
To the psalmist his prayer is an offering before God, it is "Set before you…” Too unworthy to hold his prayer up instead his prayer of praise was placed, or lay down at the Almighty Father’s feet, as the ultimate act of worship.

WORSHIP
In our materialistic age, we have turned prayer into a wish list that we bring to God like a heavenly Santa Clause asking for healing, possessions, comfort, and deliverance. There is nothing wrong in praying for our needs and giving to God our wants, Jesus taught us to pray and to ask the Father to give us our daily bread; but the example of the verse is worship, the reference to incense and sacrifice are both pictures of worship, devotion, and thanksgiving. Incense was used in the temple to symbolize the worship prayers and the evening sacrifice was the thanks at the end of a day of work where you were safely brought home.

THE ESSENTIAL
There are many purposes for prayer and many types of prayer but worship is the foundational essential. How often do we truly worship our God and what caliber of worship is it? Let’s follow the example of this verse and use our prayers to give passionate worship and thanksgiving to our heavenly Father.

(c)Adron Dozat