I shared a devotion this past week to a group of employees working at a Bolivian fast food restaurant and I feel led to share the same message God put on my heart…
Having a thankful heart is one thing that God desires from all of us.
In Thessalonians 5:18, it says: “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
I think it’s easy to be thankful when life is great, when work is going well, when your family has everything they need, when everything around you is going perfectly fine.
But how about when your life is upside down? How about when you’re feeling sick? When you’re feeling drained and exhausted? When you’re constantly irritated with someone? When your family is falling apart? How about when finances are running low? When your problems and stresses pile up, can you still give thanks to God?
I think we can all agree that it’s much harder to be thankful when we are going through difficulty and struggles in life. It’s difficult to give thanks when everything around you just seems impossible to solve.
But God wants to remind you today to take a hold of your problems. Your problems are your biggest blessings. Be grateful for your struggles because your struggles are your future testimonies.
In Romans 5:3-4, it says “Rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.”
Our team arrived in Bolivia more than two weeks ago and I admit it hasn’t been the easiest for all of us. For me personally, I have been struggling with adjusting to the hot and humid climate, the environment, and the back-to-back long day ministry schedules. One extra stressor that makes it harder for me this month is I am constantly getting bit by mosquitoes which is causing an allergic reaction (hives) to my skin every day. My arms and legs have been swelling up badly. It’s extremely irritating, it makes it harder for me, and it slows me down with whatever I need to do.
So I was praying the other morning and asked God why is this happening to me when I am out here doing His work and building His Kingdom? As I opened my bible, He answered, “I am teaching you to give thanks in ALL circumstances.”
The keyword in this verse is ALL. He doesn’t say give thanks in SOME circumstances. He doesn’t say give thanks when life is great. He said give thanks in ALL circumstances.
So I just want to encourage all of you today, give thanks to Him regardless of how your circumstances look. Learn to believe and accept that your sufferings are only temporary and you serve a God that’s much bigger than your problems and He will take care of your needs and will even exceed your expectations.
Whatever you’re going through right now, He’s just teaching you to be thankful, to live a life worthy of the calling you received (Ephesians 4:1), and to do everything without complaining (Philippians 2:14).
When you do this and when you change your perspective on your problems, the sooner you’ll understand and experience the glory of God even more, and the sooner He will show you the bigger picture of why you’re going through these struggles.
God wants to teach you, to grow you, to build your character, to get you closer to Him, and to show off How much He loves you and that He has a perfect plan and bigger purpose for everything that’s happening in your life.
So be thankful in ALL circumstances! Get excited! Because blessings will come out of it, growth will come out of it, harvest will come out of it, and testimonies will come out of it! So today and moving forward, let’s practice being thankful, let’s choose to be joyful, let’s learn to give thanks to God.
He is the reason for this season! MERRY CHRISTMAS and ENJOY YOUR HOLIDAYS!
