Steven A. Bush - November 22, 2020
Always A Place for Thanksgiving
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 exhorts: "Rejoice always and delight in your faith; be unceasing and persistent in prayer; in every situation [no matter what the circumstances] be thankful and continually give thanks to God; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus." (AMP) Being thankful in all situations and circumstances, especially in the midst of hard times and woe, make obeying Paul's words immensely challenging. How do we do it? With God's help, we fix our gaze on eternal things and listen for God to speak through His Word. When we do that, our hardships and predicaments are put into perspective. We remember God is sovereign and good and eternity is a lot longer than the fleeting days of now. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 are verses we should treasure: "So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal." (ESV) Being thankful is how we enunciate where our hearts are, what our destination is, and Who has hold of us in the meantime. Because of that, there is always a place for thanksgiving...