MORNING MANNA           8-12-24

Giving thanks seems like an easy thing to do, but truth be told, it is one area of man’s greatest failure. We tend to be takers rather than givers of thanks. We focus more on our miseries than we do on our mercies. Rather than being grateful for the grace of God we grumble about our difficulties.

It’s been said, “We can’t always give thanks ‘for’ everything, but we can always give thanks ‘in’ everything”. But that’s not altogether true. Eph. 5:29 says, “Giving thanks for all things”. Imagine that – “all things” includes the good, the bad, and the ugly, our burdens as well as our blessings. Considering how difficult life can be, that is admittedly beyond our natural ability. How can we be thankful for the things that are problematic and painful? We do so by the power of “God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13). In other words, God enables us to do what He expects us to do. He does for us what He demands from us. Or else we would surely fail. If you really believe Rom. 8:28 you will give thanks to God “for all things”.

“For all the heartaches and the tears,
For gloomy days and fruitless years
I do give thanks, for now I know
These were the things that helped me grow!” – Crandlemire

Not only should we be thankful for our prosperity, and for people God placed in our lives, we ought to be thankful for our problems. We fail at this because we don’t look far enough ahead. At the moment the problem seems to be working against us, but if we could see into the future we would see that it is actually working for us. If you believe God’s word you have to believe that. To be thankful for all things is a command not a suggestion, an obligation, not an option. That being the case, God evidently expects us to think about why we should be thankful for our problems. This is what comes to my mind:- HDS

David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346