1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
She wears a shirt that reads "GIVE THANKS". You can't miss it. Bright pink on a white background. She wears the shirt because it's cute. She wants to be cute, in a thought provoking way. The shirt only seems to provoke thought in her own mind though. You see, she is feeling a little less than thankful lately. Sure, she is blessed beyond measure in all areas of her life, all but one, or so she thinks. There is one area that she would like to change. One gift from God that she would like to return ( or possibly exchange?) Funny thing is, that she knows that sometimes (and specifically this time) the real gift isn't the thing itself but instead the true gift is the what is happening inside her through experience of dealing with this gift and standing firm in the assurance that the gift giver knew what He was doing when he gave the gift to her.
Folks, sometimes we don't see the gift for what it is. I can tell you that the gift giver will shower you with the most amazing blessings. ALL that He gives you is because He loves you and He knows your better than you know yourself. In fact He even knows how you will react to receiving His gift. He wants to give you the desires of your heart. The first part of that verse ( Psalm 37:4) suggests first that we must delight in the Lord. He is our true gift. The relationship with Him is the gift. All blessings flow from Him to demonstrate His glory. So GIVE THANKS in everything!
"Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.' 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Did you catch the "always", "continually", "all" key words there? That means eveything, consistently, without failing not just on days when the sun is shining on you but on days when you feel like you have to paste on your plastic smile. When you fell beaten, crushed, smacked around. God's Word says to "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenver you face trials of many kinds , because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverence" James 1:2-3.
Our joy is in Him.
Our joy is Him.
David Crowder said it best.
"You are my Joy, You are my Joy, You are my Joy!"
It doesn't get any clearer than that. When we delight in Him and internalize His joy we are lifted up to the highest heights. There is no better gift.
Wear the shirt if you have to, but always remember to "GIVE THANKS"!
Folks, sometimes we don't see the gift for what it is. I can tell you that the gift giver will shower you with the most amazing blessings. ALL that He gives you is because He loves you and He knows your better than you know yourself. In fact He even knows how you will react to receiving His gift. He wants to give you the desires of your heart. The first part of that verse ( Psalm 37:4) suggests first that we must delight in the Lord. He is our true gift. The relationship with Him is the gift. All blessings flow from Him to demonstrate His glory. So GIVE THANKS in everything!
"Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.' 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Did you catch the "always", "continually", "all" key words there? That means eveything, consistently, without failing not just on days when the sun is shining on you but on days when you feel like you have to paste on your plastic smile. When you fell beaten, crushed, smacked around. God's Word says to "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenver you face trials of many kinds , because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverence" James 1:2-3.
Our joy is in Him.
Our joy is Him.
David Crowder said it best.
"You are my Joy, You are my Joy, You are my Joy!"
It doesn't get any clearer than that. When we delight in Him and internalize His joy we are lifted up to the highest heights. There is no better gift.
Wear the shirt if you have to, but always remember to "GIVE THANKS"!
Comments
I love it!!! Well said my friend! A very interesting thought indeed. The Gift Giver gave us Jesus! What more could we possible need! Easier said than done sometimes when our miserable complaining interferes with the gift He wants to give to the child he loves so dearly. Unfortunately the groaning causes us to miss the gift altogether.
I pray we both will not miss the gift from the Gift Giver!