In the above scripture we are told to let our moderation's meaning our graciousness and our ability to be reasonable be known unto all men. The scripture also advises us to be careful for nothing. It instructs us to turn to God in prayer and supplication with thanksgiving and let our requests be known to Him. That means that we are to worry about nothing, but to take our issues of concern to God, and leave them there, trusting in Him to resolve them in whatever manner He chooses knowing that He has our best interest at heart.
It is all to common for people to find these instructions rather difficult to follow. I would venture to say that we all fall short of coming across as gracious and reasonable on occasion, and most of us could use work in this area. If we begin our day with prayer and God's word, then it will make these things come much easier. I think most of us have no problem taking our worries to God in prayer, but I feel confident that quite a few have difficulty leaving them there. We must remind ourselves that there is no problem to great for God, and that when we leave our worries in His hands there is nowhere better for them to be. When we leave our worries with God, we are showing Him that we trust Him completely, and we gain inner peace knowing our worries are in the best hands possible.
Notice that this scripture encourages us to take everything to God in prayer, with thanksgiving. Being thankful to God is of the utmost importance, and we should never forget to let Him know that we are. We should be thankful to God for everything we have because without Him we would have nothing. When we begin each day with God, praying, reading and studying his word, and giving Him thanks for all things, we strengthen our relationship with Him, and we are much better equipped to face whatever the world sends our way.
Now let's focus on the portion of scripture that advises us to go to God with thanksgiving. We are not born being thankful. When we come into this world the first thing we learn is that if we cry our needs will be met, and rapidly. If we need food, a diaper change, or we want to be held until we go to sleep then we learn we can let out a cry and our Mom will make whatever we need happen, and do so with a quickness.
Growing up we are taught by our parents to be thankful. If someone does something for us, gives us something, pays us a compliment, or blesses us with any other kind gesture, our parents teach us to say thank you. It is during this period that we learn what it means to be thankful, and how to verbally express our gratitude. As we grow older, and begin spending our own money, raising our own children, taking care of ourselves, etc...the depth to which we are grateful grows, and we graduate to a whole new level of thankfulness when it comes to all our parents, grandparents, and others did for us as children. As children we tend to take many things for granite because we haven't had the experiences that teach us how much others have done for us, and how grateful we should be. It is only when we leave the nest, and begin taking care of ourselves and our families that we truly get it.
As adults many of us tend to forget to be thankful to God for all He blesses us with, but rather we fall into the trap of groaning and complaining. When we have a stressful day at work we tend to make statements like I hate my job, in lieu of thanking God we have a job in an economy where they are very difficult to come by. We may complain about having to clean our house, instead of being grateful we are not among the many homeless people in existence today. We may complain about our vehicle because it doesn't look the best instead of thanking God we have transportation. These are just a few examples of how we can allow ourselves to begin to think and feel, when we fail to count our blessings and be thankful to God for all He has blessed us with.
We should give God thanks everyday for all He has blessed us with. The world would be a happier place, if we reversed our celebration of Thanksgiving and expressed our gratitude 364 days a year, while setting aside one day for anyone who feels the need to grumble and complain. This thanksgiving I would like to encourage you to pause and take the time to count your blessings, and to thank God for each of them.
Friends Go to God everyday in prayer, giving thanks for all He's done for you. Take time to count your blessings, and I think you will be surprised at how blessed you truly are. Remember to spend time with God everyday, praying, reading and studying his word, praising Him, and giving thanks. I encourage you to heed the instructions in the above scripture, and accept the divine peace that comes with doing so. I urge you to remember to thank God always for all things.
If you have a prayer request and would like me to pray for you, leave me a message and I will be more than happy to do so. May God bless you.
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