Thankfulness According to the Word

Today our Facebook feeds are going to be just about as stuffed as our bellies. Thanksgiving is probably my favorite holiday (besides Christmas) because it stands for something that we can all agree with. We joke that 2015 is the year that everyone is offended but there is nothing offensive about thankfulness. Finally, something we can agree on!

Giving thanks, however, shouldn't just occur once a year. We all know this, of course, but it is so easy to allow life to cloud our thankfulness. I'm sure we all intend to live with thankful hearts but life has its troubles. Before we mean to, we allow simple things like rude drivers or our fast food meal being prepared incorrectly to ruin our thoughts for hours.

I'll admit, life has clouded my thankfulness lately. I've been opening a lot recently and it's just plain hard to be thankful when you have to wake up at 4am every day. It's easy to forget how blessed I am to have a job, even if I have to wake up at 4am. Rather than being thankful, I have been tired and grouchy. This morning I woke up and thought, "It doesn't really feel like Thanksgiving should be today." I sat down to do my quiet time and I realized that it didn't feel like Thanksgiving because I hadn't been feeling very thankful. Amazing what a little perspective can do.

Today my blog post isn't intended to blow your mind or shake you awake. It's just a little reminder that Thanksgiving is about more than the Macy's parade, food, the beginning of the Christmas shopping season, or whether your football team remains undefeated (Go Panthers!). This is what the Bible says about thankfulness.

1. God is the creator of all good things. James 1:17
     God has blessed us abundantly! If the fact that you and I exist isn't enough, look at your access to running water, shelter, or even Internet to read this post. Even if you don't know where the money will come from to pay your next cable bill, look at the fact that you have access to cable! Seriously y'all, we are blessed beyond comprehension!

2. We are to give thanks in all circumstances. 1 Thessalonians 5:18
      Scripture calls us to be thankful when we are hungry or full, happy or sad, lonely or surrounded by loved ones. We are to be thankful during trials. We are to be thankful when we are fatigued, when we are lost, when we are weary. We are thankful because there is more to life that whatever we are facing. No matter what, we are called to be thankful.

3. Give thanks because God is good. Psalm 118:1
     So much of Scripture speaks of God's goodness. He is powerful, yet merciful. Forgiving, yet just. He never changes, and He never stops loving us. If you have nothing else to be thankful for, you can be thankful for this. (But let's be honest, you have plenty to be thankful for, too.)

4. Be thankful because God loves us. Psalm 107:1
     Sort of an extension of God's character is His love for us. Christ died for us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8). He knows our junk. He's seen our skeletons. He loves us anyway. He wants to provide us with mercy and forgiveness. He wants us to come crawling to Him in the midst of our weakest moments. He loves us so much that He is eagerly awaiting to wipe away our tears and show us an easier way to live life.

5. Be thankful for one another. Philemon 1:4-5
     You can ask just about anybody what is important about Thanksgiving and they will say family. Relationships are a way for us to visualize how much God loves us. When our moms cared for us as infants, when our parents forgave us for bad grades, when our friends ignored our stubbornness about dating someone who wasn't worth the time of day or when our spouses see our beauty when we're wearing sweats, we get a glimpse of what God's love looks like. Scripture reminds us that we are to be thankful for the Body of Christ. We are not meant to live life alone, just like we are not meant to live life without God's love.

6. We are to be thankful for salvation. Ephesians 2:8
     We were given the ultimate gift of love when Christ died for us. His death and resurrection mean freedom. We do not have to run around trying to prove our worthiness to God because His salvation frees us from that impossible chase. How awesome is it to be immeasurably loved just for who we are?


It is my hope that you can enjoy your Thanksgiving with the joy of the Lord in your heart. Those of us who know God's love have so much to be thankful for that we can't just squeeze it into one day. Let's celebrate God's love and blessings not just today but everyday!



***And please, please be kind and thoughtful to others if you decide to go shopping tomorrow! Especially the employees!***

Are you brave enough to say "Yes"?

I have to admit something. I am afraid. What has happened in Paris frightens me. ISIS terrifies me. Because I know that I am exactly the kind of person that ISIS hates. I am a woman who holds a position of authority at my workplace. I speak my mind. I give direction to men and they follow. Even worse, I am a Christian. I am determined to love the brokenhearted, to serve the least, to spread the hope and freedom that drives my life. I am terrified because I have made a decision that might cost me my life. I have decided to die for Christ.

Every day when I wake up I make this decision. Sometimes that death looks like a death to self. I might sacrifice my time, energy, or money to serve or love others in the name of Christ. Sometimes that death looks like the killing of my sinful heart that I have to do to become more like Him. Every day I accept that it might be the day that someone holds a gun to my head and asks if I'm a Christian. If that ever happens, my answer will be yes. Will I be afraid? Probably. I hope that if I am ever put in that situation that God will take away my fear. But my fear will not affect my answer. My answer will be yes.

Every day that I see another ISIS attack my heart sinks. Shootings like the Oregon college shooting hit too close to home. As tension and anger in the world increase, so do the chances that I'll have to give my answer. And so do the chances that you'll have to answer that question.

Today the Christian faith is bombarded with questions designed to crack our foundations; questions about homosexuality, abortion, taxes, political candidates, and even coffee cups. American politics alone challenge Christian beliefs. We allow our beliefs to become watered down by continually compromising in areas that we do not have permission to compromise. We allow other people's opinions to back us out of standing up for what Scripture says. Even worse, we allow fear of other people's opinions change where we stand. Before we know it we become more aware of the people we are trying to avoid rather than the God we are trying to serve.

2 Timothy 3:12, 1 Peter 4:12-14, 1 Peter 3:16, 1 John 3:13, Luke 6:22, and 2 Corinthians 4:8-12 guarantee that Christians will experience some form of persecution. You can expect people to disagree with your beliefs. You can expect to be attacked and criticized for holding a Biblical stance. But my friends, it's not the end of the world. There are worse things than being called a bigot. Check your heart, reread Scripture, look for wise council for things you don't understand, but don't change what you know is true.

John 8:32 tells us that the truth sets us free! When we have Scripture to tell us what is true, we don't have to worry about what we think. We have truth, and we don't have to depend on our own opinions or feeble arguments to justify how we feel. We are free from all of that!

My friends, it is time that I speak up. Do not allow yourselves to be caught in petty political arguments. Walk in the faith and speak when someone wants to hear what you have to say! Love first. Give them a reason to listen. Earn respect, don't demand it. Don't back down on your stance, but don't shove it in their faces either. If you allow yourself to get caught up in petty arguments, you will find yourself torn to shreds by a person with planned responses. (Matthew 7:6.) Don't allow yourself to be clouded by things as insignificant as red cups.

If today you were forced to look down the barrel of a gun and instantly decide if you are willing to die for your faith, do you know what your answer would be? Do you trust yourself to answer what you want to answer? When we let go of our control of our lives we realize that every day is a gift! We are not entitled to tomorrow. And when you let go of tomorrow, your plans for today suddenly become much more intentional.

What will your answer be?

My answer will be YES!!!