Thanksgiving weekend means that many of us will spend time together with family and friends, eat a lot of food and think about what we are thankful for in our lives. Unfortunately, after that, most will go back to their normal routines and leave thankfulness behind.
What would happen if thanksgiving were part of our everyday life, rather than something we focused on a few times per year? Where would we even start?
According to Philippians 1:18-26, the apostle Paul remained joyful and thankful, even while imprisoned for his faith, by holding on to three important practices.
First, he remembered the power of prayer. We sometimes discount prayer and treat it as a mere formality. We may pray, but we really do not believe that it will do much. Paul, on the other hand, says, “I know that through your prayers… what has happened will turn out for my deliverance” (verse 19). Rather than fretting, worrying, and making up stories about what might happen, Paul put his energy toward asking for God’s guidance.
Second, Paul focused on “…the help given by the Spirit of Christ Jesus” (verse 19). Too often we believe in a God who worked in the past, or one who may do something in the future, but we are not as convinced that he is doing anything now. Paul believed that God was working in his life, even if his specific circumstances did not make sense to him at the time.
Lastly, Paul chose to look for the good. Realizing that he might be released from jail and be able to keep teaching, or that he might be put to death and get to go home to be with God, he responded, “What shall I choose? I do not know!” (verse 22). He can see the good in either option because he has trained himself to look for the good no matter what happens.
When I remember that I am not alone, that God is at work, and that he has plans for me that I do not yet see or understand, then I can be thankful and say with Paul, “I can do all things through him that gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13).
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