In Everything Give Thanks.....

(I had this forwarded to me this morning........had to put it here) Love to all!

In Everything Give Thanks
Margaret Manning

"In everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus"
(1 Thessalonians 5:18).

Had I read and understood this verse as a young girl, perhaps I wouldn't
have needed to read all the books I read about finding God's will for my
life, or attend all the seminars on discernment, or spend anxious nights
in prayer wondering if I was perfectly aligned with the will of God. Paul
tells the Thessalonian Christians that giving thanks in everything was
God's will for them, plain and simple.

On the surface, this seems too easy, too simple to encompass something as
deep and as wide as the will of God. And yet, praise and thanksgiving
have always been the markers of a people who walked in the will the Lord,
even of those who struggled with circumstances in which we would be
stretched to find any reason for praise.

For ancient Israel, the concept of thanksgiving was explicitly tied to
remembering all that God had done on their behalf. The people are told to
remember the God who "brought them out of the land of Egypt" and to
remember "the days of old" when the Lord found them "in a desert land, and
in the howling waste of a wilderness; He encircled them, He cared for them,
he guarded them as the pupil of His eye" (Deuteronomy 5:15; 32:7-12). The
psalmists remind the people to "remember that God was their rock, and the
Most High God their Redeemer" (Psalm 78:35), and Job cries out in defiant
praise after losing everything, "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken
away. Blessed be the name of the Lord" (Job 1:21).

A spirit of thanksgiving marked the earliest followers of Jesus as well.
These early believers were so overjoyed at the Spirit's work among them
that they shared meals, their property and possessions, and were
continually praising God (Acts 2:42-47). Paul exhorted the Philippian
Christians to offer their prayers and supplications "with thanksgiving"
(Philippians 4:6), and the endless song around the throne of heaven in
Revelation sounds the chorus for "blessing and glory and wisdom and
thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever"
(Revelation 7:12). Indeed, it is the will of God, from beginning to end,
for us to give thanks and praise.

The American celebration of Thanksgiving was founded because our earliest
leaders thought it important for the entire nation to stop and give
thanks. Written in 1782, one of the first declarations concerning the day
of Thanksgiving read:

"The United States in Congress assembled, taking into their consideration
the many instances of divine goodness to these States:[...] Do hereby
recommend to the inhabitants of these States in general, the observation
of THURSDAY the twenty-eight day of NOVEMBER next, as a day of solemn
THANKSGIVING to GOD for all his mercies: and they do further recommend to
all ranks, to testify to their gratitude to GOD for his goodness, by a
cheerful obedience of his laws, and by promoting, each in his station, and
by his influence, the practice of true and undefiled religion, which is the
great foundation of public prosperity and national happiness."(1)

This declaration reflects the notion that the mark of a great nation, like
the distinction of God's people in Scripture, is in its thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving is God's will for God's people because when we give thanks
for who God is and what God has done in our lives, there is no room for
jealousy of what others' have, no room for complaining about what we lack.
Even in times of deepest sorrow, there is a joy that rises up on the heart
when praise comes even with tears. Thanksgiving makes the heart full of
gladness which overflows from our lives and spills out into acts of
kindness and generosity. When we are grateful, we cannot help but share
our gratitude. And this is the will of God for our lives.

I am grateful for a day set apart to focus on thanksgiving, but I am
challenged to live into God's will for my life by giving thanks in
everything, every day of the year. As the author of the letter to the
Hebrews concludes: "Through God then, let us continually offer up a
sacrifice of praise to God that is the fruit of lips that give thanks to
His name. And do not neglect doing good and sharing; for with such
sacrifices God is pleased."(2)

Margaret Manning is a member of the speaking and writing team at Ravi
Zacharias International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia.

(1)Thanksgiving Proclamation State of New-Hampshire. In Committee
of Safety, Exeter, November 1, 1782 from https://www.history.com.
(2) Hebrews 13:15-16.


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Ministries

RAIN!

So- its a trickle. I suppose I will put off building an ark till another day. But it is super gloomy and has made a most wonderful, relaxing afternoon OFF with the Buff watching TLC. LOVES it!

And here is my shoutout! One of my childhood best friends (Jen) is currently awaiting the arrival of her first child (with husband Mike......HI MIKEEE!) at the hospital....any moment now in the sunny state of Florida. What is absolutely awesome is that Mike is blogging during the whole thing.........you can check out their blog listed in my favorites. (Hey Mike! Tell Jen I love her.....and I guess you are pretty ok too!) I am stalking it to see pics of the highly anticipated Annabelle!

Love to all!

It may- just may- rain today!

So I spent the day hiking yesterday all around Lake Hartwell. It was wonderful weather and probably the last time I can get in some good outdoor time before it gets way too cold to do so. The drought has brought the lake down MUCH more than when I was last out there (maybe a month ago). Kinda scary since two weeks ago an article in the paper said we have 300 days of water left. Not good. We are going to need rain of epic proportions.......Noah's Ark type rain.

Church was great yesterday! Only NewSpring can incorporate Barry White music into the teaching.

Turkey day is right around the corner! Yay for the upcoming good eats! Which also means that Christmas is coming coming coming.

Oh- and I failed to mention.......OHIO STATE OWNED MICHIGAN!!!!!! Go Bucks!

1. I am breaking down- going to Mexican tonight!

2. I heard about the roto-rooter experience Aunt J! Great time isn't it?

3. Al- have you watched the NewSpring service from this past Sunday? It ROCKS>

Hi Aunt Judy!

So I hear that you have been missing my posts :). So- I had to go through two different sets of emails to find my password.........but......ta dah! Here I am!!!!!!!

Quick summary
1. Newspring still flipping rocks.

2. Buffett still flipping rocks.

3. I am amazed that one can go through 12 years of schooling, 4.5 years of college and NEVER have heard of Jonestown. Thanks to CNN, I am now updated. And I now 'get' the "Don't drink the kool-aid" off color comment that I have hear people make over the last many years.

4. My best friend moved into a house where a woman was murdered by her son 4 years ago. I finally went in a week ago yesterday (after church nonetheless) and it is.......HEAVY. Not to be superstitious- but........I will not go at night!!!

5. My new favorite food has changed from Mexican to Sushi. And tonight mom and I are going!!!!!!!

6. Its getting COLD down here.

7. I had two pairs of my favorite buckle jeans die on the same day a few weeks ago. SAD! So, I replaced them with one pair:).

8. I sat through a 4 hour district meeting yesterday afternoon. NOT FUN! The good? Our sloppy joe's rocked!!!!!!!

9. Turkey day is right around the corner!!!!!!!!!

Ok- hopefully I will be back on before I have to search for my password again!!!

Peace and LOVE!