Good morning!
Welcome to your morning coffee! May our Heavenly Father remind us of just how close he is to us. He pulls each of us ever closer to himself as his children, we who cling to him as he clings to us. Father, help us to rest in your grip, to trust in your grip, to give thanks to you in your presence, no matter what is going on in our lives. Let us be a grateful people, Father! Let us be your grateful people. Heavenly Father, in the name of your son Jesus, and by the power of the Spirit, he who lives within us, enable us to give worshipful thanks to you no matter what.
Your Morning Song: "Fighting for Me" by Riley Clemmons
Your Morning Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:18
...give thanks in all circumstances;
for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
...
Do you have the habit of reading the Bible honestly, or perhaps better said, the habit of honestly letting the Bible read you? When we read God's word a way to measure how sincerely we are reading it is how much we are wrestling with what we are reading. Are there things in the Bible that are hard to hear? Does God ever tell us things in the Bible that hurt? That we don't want to hear? That we don't want to obey?
"...give thanks in all circumstances..." Really? When the grind of life is hard and the bills are piling up, I'm supposed to give thanks? When my grandfather dies? Give thanks? When my son might have cancer? Give thanks? When my boss treats me horribly? Give thanks? When my wife is both hurt and sick? Give thanks?
Sometimes God's word seems impossible to obey. And if we're reading it right, then it should seem this way. Let's be honest about ourselves. Some say, "God will never give you more than you can handle." Everything is more than I can handle. Apart from God I can do nothing, I can handle nothing.
And so how do I "give thanks in all circumstances?" The answer is in the rest of the verse, "...for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."
It is impossible for me to give thanks in all circumstances, unless God is going to help me. And he promises to help us. For God never commands us to obey without also making for us a way. He always gives us what we need to do what he wants.
And so no matter what the circumstance, God commands us to give thanks, and makes us able to give thanks through the work of Jesus, the one who walked out of his tomb.
If you are struggling to live this way, find some time to get alone with God and talk to him about this. You can trust your Heavenly Father, who sent his son Jesus to make this possible by putting in you the Holy Spirit, he who enables and empowers you to become more and more like Jesus.
Give thanks in all circumstances because of Jesus!
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