Halloween candy is now being sold for 50% off, and Christmas wreaths now don the shelves that once held costumes. I absolutely love this time of year, the music, the weather, getting to wear big bulky sweaters, you get the picture, however, even though I am just as bad as the rest when it comes skipping November and wanting to head right on over to Christmas, now is a good time to step back and take inventory of all the wonderful blessings God has given us.Of course, I believe that we should be thankful 365 days of the year(Ephesians 5:20), but if you haven't started being thankful, now is always a good time!
One of my piano students told me 'It's November, I love November, it's my favorite month! Do you know why?' I expected him to say it was because of his birthday, football weather, or something centered around him, but he answered 'I like it because it's a time that we all give thanks to God for the things he does for us!' Someone is raising him right! He really put me to shame, because I might have said the reason I love November is because Starbucks serves lattes in Christmas cups! The thing about being thankful, is that you realize how big and great God is, and how small we are. It isn't about us, it's about him, and for that reason:
It's not easy!
Psalm 116:17 says 'I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the Lord.' The Psalmist calls thanksgiving a sacrifice! Why? Because saying that it was because of God's grace you received something, and not something you independently did it is a hard thing to admit sometimes! When I play the piano, I love pats on the back, but it isn't me...it's God giving me the strength, the talent (although some may say that's debatable!), and the courage to get up and play before the church. I am just an instrument for God, and I need to be thankful that I am being used by him to minister to others. Another thing about thankfulness, is that:It is something we should do all the time...and in all circumstances!
This is something that is also hard to do! You may say, you don't know what I am going through! I have lost someone, lost my job, my savings, etc., so how can I be thankful for that?! Since I feel like I've had a pretty easy life so far, I can't imagine what you might be going through, but there was a man in the Bible who lost everything. He lost his job, his friends, and almost his life on several occasions! He was beaten, thrown in prison, shipwrecked, and stoned until people thought he was dead. His name was Paul, and he wrote these words to a church (while he was most likely in prison):'Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ' (Ephesians 5:20, also similar words in I Thessalonians 5:18). How could he say this? Because no matter what you are going through, if you are a child of God, then you can be thankful for his salvation, and perhaps you can use what you are going through to help someone else in the future. I know that it is tough, and it's hard to even think about, but it's true.
From now until the end of the month I will try my best to post once or twice weekly about things I am thankful for. Feel free to comment about things that you would like to thank God for as well!
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