The Reason for Cultivating a Thankful Heart
I Thessalonians 5:16-18 Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks, for this is
I remember several years ago I was doing research for a Thanksgiving Sermon when I ran across a devotional by The Reverend Charles Swindoll that reminded me as to how we skip over Thanksgiving as a culture. We seem to go from Halloween to Christmas with little thought of Thanksgiving. You can see evidence of this when you visit the department stores. But just as inhaling and exhaling will not do the human body any good without the presence of air, a heart and life lived without gratitude to Christ will not bring spiritual pulse and vitality to the individual Christian nor the Body of Christ.
In our Scripture for today, Paul is giving us the reason for cultivating a thankful heart as believers. For this is Gods will for you in Christ Jesus. Notice the always, without ceasing, in everything, language Paul uses in these three short but powerful verses!
We are not only to offer God our thanksgiving one day a year or before we eat our meals, but a thankful heart is to be ever growing and maturing within us as is our prayers and our praise offered to God in the name of Christ as originated and directed daily by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Praising God, praying to God, and thanking Him in and through His Word, is transformative!
Lord, I am thankful for the death of your Son upon the Cross as payment for my sin is a wonderful place to begin to thank Him today!
Praying for you for a Happy and Spirit filled Thanksgiving,
Pastor Louie