Reasons to Be Thankful
give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18
Gratitude doesn’t come naturally to us, but grumbling does. No one had more cause to grumble than Joseph. Abandoned, enslaved, betrayed, and estranged. Those are the chapter titles for his life story. Yet when he talks about it you won’t hear a tinge of bitterness. Instead, you’ll hear the opposite. In naming his two sons, he makes them living, breathing, lifelong testimonies of his gratitude to God. ‘Joseph named his older son Manasseh, for he said, “God has made me forget all my troubles and everyone in my father’s family.” Joseph named his second son Ephraim, for he said, “God has made me fruitful in this land of my grief”’ (Genesis 41:51-52). Notice two things. First, Joseph looked at the past and gave God thanks for what He had brought him through. And you need to do that too. Whether it’s stuff others did to you, or stuff you did to them, God’s grace brought you through it. There’s only one good reason to bring up the past, and that’s to remember how God guided, protected, and blessed you in it. Second, Joseph looked at the present. ‘God has made me fruitful in this land of my grief.’ Do you remember a time when you thought you wouldn’t make it? And when others thought you wouldn’t make it, too? Look what the Lord has done in your life! In spite of the obstacles and the opposition He has blessed and taken care of you. Turn off the complaining tap and turn on the thanksgiving tap. ‘In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God…for you.’
Prayer
Heavenly Father, help me to see Your grace in my life in the past, present, and I know in the future! Thank You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen
At 83 I can relate to your devotion. My father passed away when I was 7 years old. At that point my mother enrolled me and my brother at Concordia Lutheran School at Belmont and Washtenaw in Chicago. My mother had a rough time with us on ADC. God was with me at Carl Schurz HS in sports especially with a grant in aid to Valparaiso University. Poor grades and lack of money sent me to the US Army for two years on the advice of an older student Ray Kahle who later became a pastor at Grand Prairie, TX. After service in Orleans, France I met and married my wife, Anne of 57 years at Matteson, IL. We have three great children and one granddaughter. It disturbed me that Concordia was shut down because of lack of funds and people moving to the suburbs. 33 years at RR Donnelley & Sons Co and 25 years at Thrivent has brought me and my wife to her home in Minnesota, Otter Tail County. Now, after seven years working part time at Lutheran Island Camp we have seen God’s blessings in raising $11M in a comprehensive campaign with Alan Zacharias as consultant. We stand at $6.9M of goal. So God does not give up on us as your devotion shares. I am an example of how He has worked in my life and I can say that at 83. Every day is a new adventure as my wife and I have good health and a reason to be productive in His Kingdom. Wayne Hilchen