In Everything Give Thanks

WEEKLY DEVOTIONAL BY PATRICE TSAGUE

What are you most thankful for as the year draws to a close?
Can you be thankful no matter your circumstances?
Or, have you allowed your circumstances to overwhelm your heart of gratitude? 

In Everything Give Thanks

Whenever another year draws to a close, I always take the time to reflect on God’s goodness. I reflect not only on who He is, and all that He has done on my behalf, but also on all that He means to me, and where He has brought me from. I quickly realized that I have a lot to be thankful for. 

I am thankful for life, for His grace, and for His mercy that has kept me throughout the past year. In spite of all that is going on in the world – corruption, war, terrorism, economic challenges, and sickness, He has protected me from premature death and preserved me in His perfect will. Moreover, I am thankful for my wife and children, staff, friends, clients, nation – and finally – the fact that Jesus Christ is Lord of All.

Regardless of our circumstances, we should always be thankful to God, because He has given us the greatest gift – the gift of Salvation, a gift that never wears out. We should be thankful every day, every hour, and every minute because, without that gift, we could not experience abundant life on earth, and we would be condemned to eternal punishment. 

Moreover, we ought to be thankful for our clients and employees – for without them, we would not be in business. We should be thankful for our family and friends, for the joy and support they bring into our lives, and for all the individuals whom God uses to be a special blessing to us. 

We should be thankful for our country. If you are in America, despite the unfaithfulness of our political leaders, we have peace. We are still a free nation – and God is not through with us yet.

What are you thankful for? You may be as thankful as I am – or you may not feel as thankful because of the way that your business is going, the way that this year has been for you, or the issues that you are currently facing. Remember, the Scripture instructs us to be thankful in all things, for such is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning us. This means whatever you are going through, even though God may not have caused it, He has allowed it nonetheless for a purpose. 

The key is to seek God for that purpose and trust Him to work all things together for your good, just as He promises to do (Romans 8:28).

Thankfulness is a condition of the heart which manifests itself in appreciation toward God, and toward others. We are usually thankful when someone does something kind for us. But once that moment passes, if we have not cultivated an attitude and lifestyle of thankfulness, we will soon forget their kindness, because our thoughts of gratitude are conditional based upon the good that others do for us; and our emotions will fluctuate, based upon our circumstances. 

Whenever I receive a gift from someone, it creates an immediate response of gratitude in my heart toward God for using that person to bless me. As a result, I’m moved to demonstrate
my gratefulness in words and deeds. The question is, how long does this feeling of gratitude last?

Many people experience difficulty in being thankful during times of need – but those are the times in which we should be most thankful. 

What needs do you have? What circumstances are you facing in your business that need God’s supernatural intervention?

Just begin to thank Him for who He is, what He has done, His promises, and what He will do. Do this, not only with words but show your thankfulness to God by doing good to those around you. As you thank Him in word and in deed, have total confidence that He knows your need and that at the appropriate time, He will bring it to pass, if you do not give up (Galatians 6:9). 

Thankfulness moves God’s heart to intervene on our behalf. It is an act of appreciation for who He is and not just what He does for us. It is the recognition that God is good all the time and all the time God is good!

My prayer for you today is that God will grant you the gift of gratitude, so that you may be thankful in all things, for such is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.