James 1:17
By BunGirl
@BunGirl (2638)
United States
March 20, 2007 11:45am CST
"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, neither shadow that is cast by turning." (ASV)
It's amazing to me how often I forget to thank God for the good things in my life. I'm always right there, letting Him know about it when things go badly for me, but when everything is going well He hears from me quite a bit less. Foolish, I know, but I really think that part of this is human nature.
James 1:17 reminds us that everything that is good is from God. When the supreme Creator of the universe chooses to bestow gifts upon us, isn't it only fitting that we should praise and thank Him for it? Of course, I thank Him for the big things. When something I have been praying over is resolved, I thank God. When something really uniquely amazing comes my way, I thank God. But what about the little things?
I forget to thank Him for each day I am given. "This is the day which Jehovah hath made; We will rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm 118:24) We should be thankful for every day, not just the bright sunshiny ones or the ones when we have time to relax and enjoy life. We should be thankful for the stormy days, the icy cold ones and the scorchingly hot and humid ones. We should thank God for the days when we have jury duty or have to deal with something unpleasant at work or school. EVERY day is His creation, after all.
I'm pretty good about remembering to be thankful for meals, unless there's too much distraction or I'm so hungry I forget. In 1 Timothy 4:3, Paul, speaking about false doctrines, writes "forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by them that believe and know the truth." If God wants us to receive meats with thanksgiving, I don't see why He wouldn't expect the same whether we're eating vegetables, fruits or grains. I need to be more consistent about thanking Him for every meal.
All in all, I need to think about the little things that happen throughout my day. The song of the bird perched on my windowsill is a blessing from God. The beauty of the sunset, the sweet-smelling breeze, a call from a friend, the ability to go out to dinner with my husband. There are so many things I forget to be thankful for. What about you? What are some of the things God has given you for which you should thank Him?
1 person likes this
4 responses
@george125 (1)
• India
23 Mar 07
Our God is a great God and he loves to hear our voice of thanksgiving for all the things in our life whether it be big or tiny. here are a few unnoticed things in life for which we ought to be thankful enough:
1)We are able to get a free circulation of air in our environment and we are able to let the air in and out in our breathing , without any problem. Imagine the people suffering from asthma who feel the pain in every ounce of their breath.
2)According to Matthew 24 : 12 , 13 , the love of many (however closely they maybe acquainted with you) has turned cold already but we are able to taste the love of our parents , friends and relatives.
3)In recent days , in hospitals , we find the problem of 'kidney failure' prevalent almost everywhere. People are rushing to the hospitals to have their dialysis done. We should be thankful to God that we are able to empty our urinary bladder and also empty our bowels without any problem.
4) Just think of the people in Iraq and Indonesia. Iraq is pounded with bombs and Indonesia is devastated by natural disasters and still those events don't come to a halt!!Just imagine the state of the hearts of the people dwelling there. No sense of security in it. Should we be thankful for the mighty protection of our Lord Almighty shrouding us all the day ??
We can discuss about a lot more issues of God's grace prevailing in our lives , for which we ought to be thankful for but according to John 21: 25, the world cannot contain them , if they were let out as a whole. Our God loves to answer our prayers , after which He more eagerly waits to get our acknowledgements. He is a gentleman. He wants a thankful heart of ours to be a sweet smelling sacrifice always offered to him. So let us have the fruit of the lips of thanksgiving always (Hebrews 13:15) and have God's grace abound in our lives and give glory to His Name as long as we live in this world.
1 person likes this
@ruthieonart (101)
• United States
20 Mar 07
Thank you for writing. This is the second day in a row you have spoken to me. I needed to hear this.
Blessings!
1 person likes this
@kbkbooks (7022)
• Canada
20 Mar 07
Every single day that I wake up, it's a gift. Even if I bear with pain, it's a gift to be alive. I believe God is teaching me humility and total dependance. I'm not quite dependant enough because it still makes me angry that I can't do certain things like walk my own dog anymore.
1 person likes this
@gegegelay (933)
• Philippines
30 Mar 07
I praise God for such a person as you. It is true that every good and perfect gift comes only from the Father above. I am thankful for every situation He has given me and He will give me, both good or bad. I am actually flattered because of the situations that He gives coz' that's how much He believes in me. He loves me so much that He will not give me something that I cannot do or cannot handle.
I am thankful for every single day that He created. I've been into a lot of situations and I am very thankful for He is mighty to save! He never left me, where sometimes we thought He did, but in fact He never did. He keeps His promises at His own perfect time. Right now, He wants me to continue to persevere and just continue to run the race with endurance. He has made me strong for every situations that He has given me. We're changed from glory to glory, right? I believe there is something that we all have to be thankful for. Some people take Him for granted, which is not right. Be thankful.. now and always. God bless!
