Most of us are thankful for the good things (as we measure them). Think of all many of us have to be thankful for today-- like a safe and comfortable home, a secure and providing job, an insured savings account and an assured retirement plan, a healthy and mobile body, an active and full life, and so on.
But are we really thankful? The test is our text this morning—1 st Thessalonians 5.18. Listen to these words:
1 Thessalonians 5:18Â in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Now let's go over that list of our usual sources for thanksgiving in life in America this month. Most of us are thankful for the good things (as we measure them)—but what if things are "not so good" according to our way of looking at life? Take for instance:
A safe and comfortable home —what if we had to live in the bad part of town, in an apartment or house that was dirty, unsafe, and cold? Would you still be thankful? That is where most Christians in the world today do live! A secure and providing job— what if you were unemployed, underemployed, or disabled and never able to work again? Would you still be thankful? That is where many Christians in the world are today! Remember 2/3rds of the world lives on less than a dollar per day. An insured savings account and an assured retirement plan— what if you were penniless, uninsured, and with no social, financial, or medical safety net? Would we still be thankful? That is where most Christians in the world are today! A healthy, strong, and mobile body— what if you were weak, sick, infirm, and without a prognosis of return to full health? Would we still be thankful? Tha
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Pastor John Barnett has been devouring the Word of God for over 30 years. John, now the teaching pastor of Calvary Bible Church in Kalamazoo, Michigan has served congregations in Oklahoma, New England, Georgia and California. He also served on the Faculty of the Master's College...
