“Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. ” Philippians 4:4-7.
Not long from now, we will be celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday. This is one day in the year which, in America, we take time to give thanks for all the good things we have, as well as have experienced. Our family will be spending this time with my wife’s family, enjoying each other’s company and, of course, a great feast. Immediately after the meal, we all come together and, going from the youngest to the oldest, share with each other what we are thankful for. This is a Bossio family tradition. And we look forward to this every year. The children always have an interesting perspective on what they are thankful for. There are some who take this time to be humorous, but always ending on a serious note. Many of the sisters cry during this time, as they share how thankful they are for each other and the family times they had growing up in South Florida. And what always happens, which is a good thing, God is in the center of it all, along with the salvation He has provided for us.
Now, as great as these times are, we must always remember that it is not just the perceived good things that we are to be thankful for, but all the other stuff as well. To bring more clarity to this point, I offer the following scriptures.
- “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28.
- “Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.” Philippians 4:11.
- “Therefore, be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father.” Ephesians 5:15-20.
Let us examine what these three verses are saying, specifically regarding what it truly means to be thankful, knowing Christians can be assured, no matter what we go through, a good will come from it.
“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28.
This can be hard to see at times. For example, how can a good come from a failed business? I had my own company, White Rider Consulting, Inc. for a number of years. I would be brought in by various organizations to assist them as a Corporate Computer Programming Consultant. I was doing well, and I had a great income, but that money was becoming more of a focus in my life than it should. After the 9/11 debacle, businesses were cancelling contracts with external companies, and then the larger consulting firms offered significantly lower rates for exclusive contracts. After some time, I got a contract for one-third my normal rate, but at least I was working. Then, after I started having eye problems, I ended up having to shut my business down to work full time with a former client.
You may ask; how was this good? Well, suddenly my focus was not the money, but other things that were far more important. I began to truly rely on God rather than on my contracts. My family began to draw closer to God and each other. This was, no doubt, the good God intended for this situation. What Paul was saying here is that we need to be thankful for all things, because God will bring a good through them all. And if we are truly thankful for all things, we can be content. Just as Paul and Silas worshipped and praised God while in a dark and dank prison, we must be willing to praise God in the midst of our difficulties. Remember, Paul and Silas had the opportunity to preach the gospel to the jailer and his family. Who knows what good can come from our situations! Therefore, we must not focus on our difficulties, but on the prospect of God working through us for His glory. God may not cause the situation, but He brings on the goodness of God in what He allows to happen, and we must trust that He will be with us and work through us. We must be thankful in ALL things, not necessarily for the hardship or suffering, but for the incredible good He has promised us because of what He has allowed in our lives.
Next we see the following verse.
“Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.” Philippians 4:11.
Paul had been placed in a Roman prison. These were not considered comfortable or good places in any sense. His statement, “I have learned to be content in any and every situation,” is truly amazing considering the circumstances he endured while serving the Lord. He was beaten, whipped, stoned, shipwrecked, tossed in the open sea, harassed by enemies, and betrayed by false believers. He endured hunger, thirst, and even nakedness. He suffered greatly during his Christian life. However, he was content no matter what his situation was. The Greek word Paul used, which is translated as ‘content’ in English, describes a state of being satisfied with things as they are, not as they could be. The author of Hebrews put it this way.
“Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, ‘I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU,’” Hebrews 13:5.
And Jesus also spoke to His disciples regarding contentment in things.
“Then He said to them, ‘Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.’” Luke 12:15.
If we believe we find contentment in anything other than God and His love for us, our hearts are in the wrong place. Nothing can bring us close to the contentment God provides to us.
Now let’s look at the last of the three verses above.
“Therefore, be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father.” Ephesians 5:15-20.
What Paul is saying here is that contentment is found in living the life God has called us to live. We need to get our minds off of things and focus on God Himself, who He is and how He has called us to live and work in this world. How can we focus on God when we are drunk on alcohol or high on drugs? I have done both in my past and I can say we cannot, for we are focused on what we are experiencing and not on our great and loving God. We should never be filled with alcohol or drugs, but with the Holy Spirit. I ask the question; how can we be content with God and His ways when we go against what He has called us to do? WE CANNOT!
In closing, we read in the Psalms 37 the following,
“Better is the little of the righteous Than the abundance of many wicked.” Psalm 37:16.
David is saying that the few things a righteous person owns, no matter how few, is better than the many things owned by the unrighteous. Then continuing on, he goes even deeper.
“For the arms of the wicked will be broken, But the LORD sustains the righteous. The LORD knows the days of the blameless, And their inheritance will be forever. They will not be ashamed in the time of evil, And in the days of famine they will have abundance. But the wicked will perish; And the enemies of the LORD will be like the glory of the pastures, They vanish—like smoke they vanish away. The wicked borrows and does not pay back, But the righteous are gracious and gives. For those blessed by Him will inherit the land, But those cursed by Him will be cut off. The steps of a man are established by the LORD, And He delights in his way. When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, Because the LORD is the One who holds his hand.” Psalm 37:17-24.
Our lives are already established by God. All we need to do is live this life, trusting that He knows what He is doing, and thanking Him for all He does. We cannot be distracted by what is around us or what the enemy puts in our path. Peter did that when he walked on water and, taking his eyes off Christ, began to sink.
God is perfect goodness and perfect love. Because He is, he will only do what is in our ultimate good. Therefore, we must see all things that happen to us as for our good. We do not always see that, but we must trust that He is faithful to guide us in the path that is best for us. And no matter what situation we find ourselves in, we must be thankful that God has brought us where He intends us to be. And even in our rebellious state, He can turn our foolishness into something that will be of benefit to us and others.
So, as we approach this Thanksgiving, let’s remember that we should be thankful for absolutely everything. And this thankfulness should not be relegated to Thanksgiving day alone, but it should permeate our lives every moment of every year. Even though it may not appear to be a good thing, it will end up being good because God promises us that “all things work toward our good”. We must see things from God’s perspective. When we do this, we will see all the good God is doing and will be content knowing He is sovereign and the giver of good gifts to His children.
May you and your family see every day as a day of thanksgiving for all that God does, remembering and focusing on the goodness and love of God Almighty.
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