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11th July 2024
ThursdayReflection
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Dave DeSelm offers
Senior Pastor of Fellowship Missionary Church
'Giving Thanks in All Circumstances'
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"...give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
.....1 Thessalonians 5:18
For many, the idea of giving thanks "in all circumstances" can be a challenge.
When disappointments come our way or when bad things happen, the thought all too often arises, "How in the world can I give thanks for that!?!"
Believe me, I can relate.
In recent years I have faced untimely deaths and unwelcome diagnoses.
I've encountered painful experiences and costly expenses.
Yet what I've come to see is that many times, a reason for an attitude of gratitude can still be found.
One of my favourite illustrations of this is seen in an event in the life of Matthew Henry.
Matthew Henry was an eighteenth-century Puritan preacher.
His Bible commentary remains among the most popular of all time.
On one occasion, while living in London, Henry was accosted by robbers.
Perhaps you've experienced a similar sense of violation - whether by having your car broken into or coming home to discover that your house had been burglarized.
(We know what that's like!).
It's among the most unsettling things that can happen to a person.
I'm sure it was, as well, for a quiet, thoughtful man of letters like Matthew Henry.
Yet here is what he wrote in his journal.
Let me be thankful, first, because I was never robbed before;
second, because although they took my purse, they did not take my life;
third, because although they took my all, it was not much;
and fourth, because it was I who was robbed, not I who robbed.
What a perspective!
As Izaak Walton/John Wayne have said,
"If you can't be thankful for what you receive, be thankful for what you escape."
Flipping your perspective of thanks
Put another way, if you can't muster up thanks for what did happen, perhaps you can consider what didn't happen.
No matter how bad things are, they could always be worse.
So, as part of your reflections, what if you not only listed some of the good things that did happen but some of the bad things that didn't happen?
You may not be thankful for everything - but you can always be thankful for something.
At the end of the day, it's a choice that we can all make.
The prophet Habakkuk, who knew much disappointment in his life put it well.
Though the fig tree does not bud and
there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails and the fields
produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful
in God my Saviour.
.... Habakkuk 3:17-18
PRAYER
Lord, I want to pause to give thanks in all the circumstances that I'm facing.
For the not-so-obvious blessings as well as the obvious ones.
May my attitude ever and always be reflective of the psalmist:
"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me. Bless His holy name!"
><(((°>
'Dave DeSelm Ministries'
is here to bring hope and help to the everyday leader.
We offer resources that will help you equip the everyday people you lead to become disciples who live out their Kingdom mission every day.
DAVE DESELM
Over 40 years of pastoral ministry experience
34 years as founding Senior Pastor of Fellowship Missionary Church
Led through growth from 50 to over 2300 attenders, from a staff of one to a team of over 25.
Ordained with the Missionary Church USA
Accredited coach with 3D Movements
Served as adjunct professor of homiletics in the graduate programs of Huntington University and Bethel University (IN)
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