JEWELS FOR THE SOUL

Well, Praise the Lord, it is November and Thanksgiving is upon us. Christmas is just around the corner. Wow, this year just flew by, I can barely remember the high and low points in this year, it just seems to me like I just lied down and woke up a few times, and the year was gone. Strange, very strange. Well, anyways I am very Thankful unto God for blessing me in and through this year, So, therefore I must reflect on Thankfulness, it is a great and powerful word in the present season.

Being Thankful in the midst of hard circumstances. For example, King David had a problem that caused him distress in (Psalms 28:6-7). And he cried out to God for mercy, protection, and justice. “But” after he cries out to God, David writes “Praise be to the Lord, for He has heard my cry for mercy. “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy, and I will give thanks to Him in song”. Another Old Testament saint “Job’ as he says in Job 1:21 in the face of losing all that he had and even faced death himself, Job, still praised God, he trusted in who he knew God was “The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised”. In the midst of hardship, those Old Testament saints remembered who God was, and as a result of knowing and trusting God, they gave thanks. We also like King David, and the others, should remember God’s faithfulness to us and give thanks.

Thankfulness is a prominent Bible theme, 1Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, “Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus”. Did you catch that? Give thanks in ALL circumstances. When you have not seen anything but dark clouds and tears and you can’t comprehend what is happening because the storm just keeps on raging, but you keep giving thanks always, “IN ALL THINGS”. You see what Apostle Paul writes, Keep praying continually, and give thanks to God while you are in the storm. Thanksgiving should be a way of life for the Christian, Thanksgiving should naturally flow from your hearts and mouths.

So let’s see! Why should we be thankful and how should we have gratitude in different circumstances in life.

Psalm 136:1 ,”says, Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, His love endures forever”. As you can see, we have two reason to be thankful: (1). God constant goodness, (2). His steadfast love. When we recognize we are lost sinners and understand that without God in our life, there is only death. (Romans 7:5)

(Psalm 30), gives praise to God for His deliverance. King David writes, “I will exalt you, O Lord, for you lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me. O Lord my God, I called to you for help, and you healed me. O Lord, you brought me up from the grave, you spared me from going down in the pit . . . . You turned my wailing into dancing, you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever” (Psalm 30:1-12). The same should be the Christian praise to God for saving his/her soul from Hell by the works on the Cross of His Son and our Lord Jesus Christ. We should be rejoicing just as King David did, and Thanking God for the Joy He has put in the heart. My heart sings right along with King David, unto the Lord, it can’t be silent. Give God thanks in good times, and give Him thanks in bad times as we remember His pass faithfulness.

Believers should be thankful unto God for the many blessing that He send their way every day. Believers’ faith should lead them to be thankful in grief and difference kinds of trials, because through the hardships, their faith may be proven to be genuine and cause them to give praise, glory, and honor to their God in the face of adversity. If you have a spiritual eye God’s grace and mercy never leave you. But to marvel at blessing, there is one incomparable blessing, and it is the blessing the Father gave to the world that was in the form of Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, was given to save the world from sin. “And the Word became Flesh”!!!

The Apostle Paul was heavily persecuted, but he wrote, “Thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him” (2 Corinthians 2:14).

(Hebrews 12:28) it says, “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptable with reverence and awe” The people who are called believers must learn to be thankful. Their God is worthy of our thanksgiving. Give Him the credit for the good and favorable things you receive in life, because if you are saved and a born-again believer you know that the good blessing and favorable things in life did not “just happen, or you got lucky, or it was all your doing”, No, “it was God doing it, God blessing your life” it is what He does, He gives to us abundantly. God blesses us. In the last days when Jesus returns, one of the characteristics in the world at the time will be unthankful people (2 Timothy 3:2-3). Wicked people will be “ungrateful”.

We should be thankful because God is worthy of our thanksgiving. It is only right to credit Him for “every good and perfect gift” He gives (James 1:17). When we are thankful, our focus moves off selfish desires and off the pain of our present circumstances. Expressing thankfulness helps us remember that God is in control, and we are part of the bigger picture, we belong to God, and we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing. (Ephesians 1:3).

We have an abundant life, and gratefulness is fitting for all born-again believers.

Jewels of Nugget / Jewels for The Soul Blog November 23,2021 Praise the Lord !!!