Be Ye Thankful
Colossians 3:15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye
are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
One day as I was soaking in the hot tub trying to relax away the sore knots
in my neck and shoulders, I was tempted to have a pity party for myself.
However, the Holy Spirit took my thoughts down a different path.
I could either choose to be thankful for what God has blessed me with or I
could focus on what I wish I have but don't. Envy is the sister to
self-pity. When I look around at other's circumstances that I feel are
better than my own, I begin to envy them and that leads to self-pity because
I feel cheated.
As Christians, we are to let the peace of God rule in our hearts. Thayer's
Greek Lexicon says this of the word "peace": "of Christianity, the tranquil
state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing
nothing from God and content with its earthly lot, of whatsoever sort that
is".
If I am focusing on my adverse circumstances, that robs me of the peace of
God.
The antidote to envy and self-pity is thankfulness. When we give thanks for
what we have and refuse to fret about what we don't, then we become content
with our earthly lot and peace reigns in our hearts.
I can hear someone saying, "But I don't feel thankful for this problem I
have! How can I give thanks when I don't feel thankful?" Did you notice
that the verse says, "...and be ye thankful."? It is a command. A command
is something you must do whether you feel like it or not. We can give
thanks to God with our will and our attitude whether we feel thankful or
not. As we do this, God will help the feeling of thankfulness to develop in
our hearts.
As we begin being thankful peace will rule in our hearts, and will we become
a light to the world of God's love and peace to others. They will look with
wonder at why we are not bitter and that gives us the opportunity to give
them an answer for the hope that lies within us.
1Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to
give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in
you with meekness and fear:
Dear Father, Sometimes it is difficult to be thankful. But I want to thank
You anyway for how You are working in my life and heart. Amen.
Marsha 2005