“And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Colossians 3:15-17)
‘Tis the season of thankfulness. And as Americans, we take one day out of 365 to remember to be thankful. But would things look different if we took 365 days to be thankful? Here in Colossians, the word thanks (with it’s variations) appears 3 times. So I think God was trying to drive the point home through this passage written by Paul.
To live in a spirit of gratitude is a discipline. When you wake up each day your mood can be swayed pretty quickly by the demands of life and of your day. Maybe on your way to work you realize you’re out of gas and you didn’t plan for it and so now you’re 5 minutes late. I think most of us would be frustrated and maybe be angry at ourselves for not planning better….or be irritated that work is so far away and if it were closer it’d be easier to be on time….or think about how your spouse should’ve filled up the car last….and on and on. See how easy it is to let our thoughts get us off track? But what if in that scenario we instead thought, “I’m bummed I didn’t plan better, but I’m so thankful that I have this car, because I know there’s someone who wishes they didn’t have to take the bus. I’m so grateful for this job that provides for my family because I know my friend right now is without a job and is having a hard time finding one. Jesus, would you help provide a job for them?”
If we could take on a spirit of thankfulness life would be so much more pleasant and joyful! It’s our perspective on situations that determine whether we should have a thankful heart or not. We ALL face difficult times, have rough days or weeks, but Paul also told us in Philippians 4:12 that he learned to be content in ALL circumstances. “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”
So regardless of what you are facing today, decide to have a spirit of thankfulness. Let Christ’s peace be the “umpire” (let it rule) your heart today – not just the surfacy stuff that people see on the outside – but let it tell your anger, irritation or depression to ‘leave’. Start with a simple prayer that is so effective each day. “God, I’m thankful. Thankful for my salvation and that you died on the cross for my sins. I’m thankful for this home you’ve provided me. Thank you God for my health. Thank you for my family. Thank you for providing for me.” Whatever you can think of, thank and praise Him for it. And no matter if we’ve struggled with gratitude or not, today is a NEW DAY. Start it by thanking Him, and watch how your heart and life around you will change so drastically by this simple yet effective discipline that God asks of us. Share this with someone you’re thankful for. #thankful #thankfulness #thanksgiving #digdeeperNHiM #MondayMotivation #nhim #nhimapparel nhimapparel.com
-by Diane Allen, co-founder of NHiM