Looking Back

Looking Back

This past Thanksgiving, I shared in a combined worship service with Pastor Payne of Full Gospel Church and Pastor Severe of Cathedral of Praise Church. All three (3) pastors gave a 15 minute exhortation:

The Motivation of Thanksgiving – The Parable of The Ten Lepers – Pastor Severe

The Manner of Thanksgiving – 1 Thess 5:18 – Me

The Mandate of Thanksgiving – Psalms 100 – Pastor Payne

The service was high spirited and all three (3) exhortations were challenging as well as encouraging. However, I am stuck on what I believe to be a difficult exhortation in 1 Thessalonians 5:18: “In everything give thanks for this is the will of God through Christ Jesus concerning you”.

There is a follow-up question I believe to this exhortation; “Does the bible really mean give thanks in everything?” Let’s think about this for a moment:

- You go to the kitchen to find something to eat only to realize that there is nothing there. Do I walk away saying: “Lord, thank you that I have nothing to eat!”
- You go to the doctor for a checkup only to be called back in with some disappointing news that you only have 6 months to live. Do I walk away saying: “Lord, thank you that I’m about to die in six months!”
- You come into work on Monday morning only to be told that you’re services or no longer needed. Do I walk away saying: “Lord, thank you that now I’m unemployed!”
- Your marriage is headed to divorce court with no sign of reconciliation. Do I thank God that I’m about to be divorced?”

The point is simple yet difficult to understand and practice at times. Yes, the bible is clear that we should give thanks to God in everything because it’s His will for us to be thankful no matter what happens in our lives.

This year has not been the best of years for me. Bad choices, mistakes, complaining, and complacency blocked my ability to be thankful in all things. But when I look over the year, I realize I really do have much to be thankful for. In the midst of adversity, God has been good to me. In the midst of failures, God still watched over me. During a recession, God has been covering me and my family financially. With the loss of friends, God has removed some only to place new ones in my life. In the midst of ministry challenges, God still provides me the power/anointing to preach His word on weekly basis.

Yes, this has not been an ideal year for me but I am thankful. What about you!