Day #30 - 30 Days of Thanksgiving

During this month we've looked at 29 different things for which we can and should give thanks. But when its all said and done, we should be thankful in every circumstance.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (ESV)  Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

How can we rejoice and give thanks in all circumstances? We can have a thankful heart only through unceasing prayer. We can trust God through every circumstance of life if we walk in fellowhsip with Him each day. As we do so, we come to know God's heart. As we know His heart, we know that He takes the circumstances of our lives and uses them for His glory and for our good.

Give Him thanks today for the fact that His will is  good and you can rejoice in the work He is doing in your life each day as you choose to rejoice and give Him thanks.

After today, I will return to publishing a blog on a weekly basis. If you have not subscribed to my blog at google+ or at rodminor@blogspot.com, I encourage you to do so. You will automatically be notified hen a blog is posted. I will use these posts to communicate , not just thoughts I have at times to share, but information regarding issues in the life of the church.

Blessings!

Pastor Rod

Day #29 - 30 Days of Thanksgiving

We give thanks for the reign of Christ. He is eternal in His existence and power. Though He reigns today in power, we can look forward with thanksgiving to the time when He will bring this world to an end and begin to reign over a new heaven for all of eternity.

Revelation 11:17  We thank You, Lord God, the Almighty, who is and who was, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign. 


I'm thankful that the day is coming when the authority of Jesus Christ and His rightful position as ruler of all creation will no longer be challenged. We will live in His presence and under His reign for all of eternity.

Pastor Rod

Day #28 - 30 Day of Thanksgiving

Rick Warren wrote a seasonal article for Time magazine. This is the first Thanksgiving for his family since their son took his life earlier this year. I want to share part of his article with you this morning. It's a great word on giving thanks, whatever your circumstances today.

In a seasonal article he wrote for Time magazine, Rick Warren says: "Thanksgiving is a difficult holiday for many. How can you be thankful when your doctor says it's cancer? How can you feel grateful when the one you love just walked out of your life? Or when you've been fired…or your dream has collapsed…or an economic tsunami has wiped out all you've worked for?

"This year became the worst year of my life when my youngest son, who'd struggled since childhood with mental illness, took his own life. How am I supposed be thankful this Thanksgiving? When your heart's been ripped apart, you feel numb, not grateful.

"And yet the Bible tells us. 'Give thanks IN ALL circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.'

"The key is the word in. God doesn't expect me to be thankful FOR all circumstances, but IN all circumstances. There's a huge difference. The first attitude is masochism. The second shows maturity. We're not supposed to be thankful for evil or sin, or the innocent suffering caused by these things. But even in heartache and grief and disappointment, there are still good things that I can be thankful for."

Happy Thanksgiving!
Pastor Rod

Day #27 - 30 Days of Thanksgiving

Give thanks today for your work and unique place in this world. Your life is not a a random occurrence or an accident.

Psalm 139:13-16 (NLT)  ¹³ You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. ¹⁴ Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. ¹⁵ You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. ¹⁶ You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.

Since your life was so intricately prescribed and your days planned with such detail, you have a unique place in the world. The work you do, by vocation as well as in service and ministry, is valuable. It deserves our best.

Psalm 104:23 (NLT)  Man goes out to his work and to his labor until the evening.


Sometimes in the rhythm of life and demands of our work, our thankfulness diminishes regarding the work we do. You may not be working at your dream job today, but you can thank God that He has provided work and wants use you where you are as you recognize every moment was laid out for you by the One who has so wonderfully made you.

Pastor Rod

Day #26 - 30 Days of Thanksgiving

Take time today to give God thanks for the good health you enjoy and the healing He has given in the past.

Psalm 41:2a; 3 (ESV)  The LORD sustains him and keeps him alive ... The LORD sustains him on his sickbed; in his illness you restore him to full health.

I'm sure there have been times in all of our lives where God has kept us from illness when we were not aware of it. But there have also been times for all of us where God has sustained us while we were sick and restored us to full health.

I'm always reminded when I pray for people who are facing surgery, treatments, or questions regarding health issues, that we should be thankful for the doctors and medical personnel who care for us. But we should also be thankful that, ultimately as believers, our lives and our health are in the hands of God and He is able to do far more than all of medical science is capable of doing.

Are you healthy? Thank God. Are you facing health issues? Thank God for His ability to restore you.

Pastor Rod

Day #25 - 30 Days of Thanksgiving

Thank God, on this Monday, for the church and the opportunity you had to worship with your church family yesterday.

Psalm 111:1 (ESV)  Praise the LORD! I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation.

I am thankful for the church universal - for believers all over the world. But I'm particularly thankful for my church family at Anderson Mill. We had a great time yesterday, as a congregation, giving thanks to the Lord. Gathering with others in God's family is an uplifting experience. We are able to pray for one another, sing songs of praise, and hear God speak to each of us from His Word and through His Spirit. Such an experience requires my whole heart. And, the Lord I worship, is certainly worthy of nothing less.

Pastor Rod

Day #20 - 30 Days of Thanksgiving

In Romans 16, Paul gives thanks for some who "risked their necks for his life." He is thankful and realizes that others share his appreciation as well.

Romans 16:3-4 (ESV)  Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks but all the churches of the Gentiles give thanks as well.

These friends had stepped up to put their lives on the line in defending and supporting Paul. We have those who do the same for us every day. They may not be friends that we know by name or fellow workers in the church, but they leave home and go to work knowing that they put their lives on the line - "risk their necks" - for us. They wear the uniforms of our military, police, and firefighters.

As a chaplain with our police department, I was recently in a debriefing with officers who had just dealt with a crisis. A shooter had wounded a neighbor, threatened a friend, and began shooting as they arrived. Within seconds, they had to make a decision on the action they would take, knowing that they might not go home to their families at the end of their shift. But they did what was necessary, risking their lives for the safety of others.

That happens with police, firefighters and, of course, our military. We may not often stop to think about what they face each day and the sacrifice that day might bring. Take time today to give thanks to God for those who serve us and are willing to risk their necks for us. And when you see one of those individuals somewhere, take a moment to say "Thanks".

Pastor Rod