WEDNESDAY IN THE WORD    November 1, 2023

“FROM GRUMBLINGTO GRATITUDE”

“Give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.”

Psalm 107:1 NKJV

As we enter the month of November,which I call the season of “Concentrated and Consecrated Gratitude,” I’d like for us to adopt a positive perspective on the “Goodness of the Lord” as we plan our family gatherings.

I have discovered that if you want to feel better physically, emotionally, and spiritually, and have a better outlook on life, start your day by taking a deep breath, committing the day to the Lord and give Him thanks. Why? Because He is good and His love endures forever. Just remembering this verse alone should change our view as we enter into a new day.

Sadly, we are lacking in the area of Thanksgiving, which is one of the most important skills a human being can develop because it is the art of true appreciation. Instead, we choose to focus on the negative things of any given day, and this results in fretting, regretting, arguing and complaining. As christians when we give in to grumbling and complaining about anything, we lose our testimony of the Lord’s goodness. The world around us witness this and we may have caused someone to not want to know the God that you say you serve. Philippians 2:14-15 should convict us because we are told to “Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure children of God, without fault in a warped and crooked generation. Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky.”

When we look back over our lives we can see just how abundantly God has blessed us. That alone should bring praise and gratitude, not only to our hearts, but our lips also. Remember God has not promised us a “flowery bed of ease” kind of life, but He did promise to never leave or forsake us as we live. Paul encourages us in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 to “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” We all know that it’s easy to be grateful when things are going well. It’s even more important to thank Him in the midst of our trials. We can’t give in to cynicism and thankfulness at the same time.

We should know that our trials aren’t pointless. God has a purpose for everything, even the bad things he can turn around. We can only see the moment, but He sees the whole picture. From these trials we should gain hope and wisdom no matter what the suffering is, and that it’s not in vain.

Futhermore, Colossians 3:17 says, “And whatever you do whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” It doesn’t matter what you are feeling at any given moment –happy, sad or mad, we are still in control of what we say or do. This is an opportunity to point our lives back to God because a defining characteristic of a christian is how he or she responds to a trial or conflict.

By finding the good in the bad, giving thanks in spite of the negative circumstances, christians set themselves apart from the rest of the world. They are lifting their own spirits by fixing their eyes on God. Going from Grumbling to Gratitude and Glorifying God in the process. So, make this Thanksgiving season like no other by “Giving thanks unto the Lord, for He is good because His love endures forever.” Amen.

Pastor Andie

revandrea@trinitybcsm.org