GIVING THANKS
“Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 5:20
Senior Living told this story of a little girl who had yet to learn what it meant to be thankful. I suspect there are many adults who have yet to learn the lesson also.
Walking through an open market one day, a mother and her five-year-old daughter browsed through the items available on each table. As the little girl stopped to stare at a large pile of oranges on one table, the generous vendor selling the oranges took one from the stack and gave it to her.
The mother asked her daughter, “What do you say to the nice man for giving you a gift?”
The little girl stared at the orange again, then tossed it toward the vendor and said, “Peel it!”
Thankfulness is something we learn over time and grow into regardless our age. What might be considered innocent and harmless coming from a five-year-old child would certainly be considered rude and ungrateful coming from an older child or adult. However, it’s easy to fall into the trap of responding as that little girl did to God’s blessings by thinking, “This is nice and all, but I’d like a little more.”
An attitude of gratitude toward God’s gifts is a mark of spiritual maturity in a believer’s life. In Paul’s letter to the Christians in Ephesus, he challenged them to follow Christ, which included “giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
This holiday season practice thankfulness to God, instead of complaining about what you don’t have, instead of bemoaning the unfairness of life, or instead of expecting and desiring more than what you already have. God has provided all your needs and as His child, it’s His desire to bless you with enough to sustain you. Be thankful for what you have!
Ask God to give you a thankful heart no matter the circumstances. Pray that He would help you see the blessings in all the gifts you receive—both big and small.
David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E.
Humble, TX. 77346
Sent by David Stone on Thursday, November 20 at 5:18AM
