Keep Thanking God

1 THESSALONIANS 5:18 Whatever happens, keep thanking God because of Jesus Christ. This is what God wants you to do.

There are many things in life we may not understand. But we can understand this verse, and know that God gave these instructions for our benefit, to help us -- not because God is so insecure that He needs constant thanks.

When bad things happen, what should we do? Will it help to gripe and complain and feel sorry for ourselves? No. That only makes things worse. When bad things happen they seem to contradict belief in the goodness and care of God. But we must remember that there is an enemy, the devil, who is out to steal our faith, our peace, and our joy.

We are commanded in Scripture to resist him, staying strong in our faith. Giving thanks is a powerful way to resist the devil. Even when we do not understand, and it seems like things are out of control and going downhill fast -- we should force ourselves to stay in faith and be thankful. (I am not saying God is responsible for evil, or to thank God for evil. Instead, I am saying we can thank God for what He is doing, and what He has already done for us in the sacrifice of Jesus -- no matter what may be happening.)

Philippians 4:6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Comments

Building Trust When Faith Wavers

Mark 9:21-24 21 And He asked his father, How long has this been happening to him?" And he said, From childhood. 22 It has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!" 23 And Jesus said to him, `If You can?' All things are possible to him who believes." 24 Immediately the boy's father cried out and said, I do believe; help my unbelief." Since faith is the core of our Christian experience, the consequences of wavering faith are far-reaching. Vacillating trust can lead us to make wrong decisions. Sometimes, after praying for direction, we might receive an answer that leads us to think, I can’t do that. So, instead of asking God to strengthen our faith, we make excuses. We may choose to postpone our obedience—even indefinitely—in order...

welcome to my blog

Oh the waterfall of cleansing Grace! Welcome to my Grace blog. I hope to both share and start a dialogue about Jesus Christ and how his life, relationships and teaching have a practical working value in our everyday lives. To go beyond our belief of Jesus... and into our belief in Jesus. I hope we can learn more about how the finished work of Christ on the cross empowers his work in us in our daily lives. I hope we can grow in His Grace and Wisdom! The name came from a Joseph Prince story in his book "Destined to Reign"...here's the story: Prince tells the story of a young boy who found a rock out in the woods. Though it looked rough at first, he rinsed it in the small waterfall of a nearby stream. Turns out, the rock was marbly, smooth, and full of color. Not wanting to lose the rock, and afraid someone would take it from him if he took it home, he buried it back in the dirt in a tucked away place before he went home for the night. There, he left it. The ne...

When Our Faith Wavers

James 1:1-8 1 James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad: Greetings. 2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. 5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, 8 being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. Faith is the heart of our Christian life. It...

THE WATERFALL OF GRACE

Search This Blog