I celebrate giving thanks!

To be honest I was scrambling to find a blog post for this week that goes along with our topic “I celebrate ___”.  I started thinking back to previous blog posts and remembered one that my dad, Bob, wrote for the blog years ago.  The time of year was fitting so I thought I would re-post it.  As most of you know, my dad lost his battle with cancer almost 1 year ago on December 18, 2011.  Dad loved Celebrate Recovery!  He loved how God used it in his life, it was a blessing to him and he would tell anyone who would listen.  Anyone!  

As the crazy holiday season approaches take a minute to stop and really celebrate giving thanks and reflect on how God has truly blessed your life!

Grateful Believer,
Karyn


Take a minute to read what my dad wrote back in 2010…

I was asked to share some thoughts for the blog entry this week as our nation pauses to give thanks.  Actually, I think it has become more of a precursor for the dropping of the flags to start the Christmas race, but all in all, it does at least get some of us to consider being thankful.  If not daily, at least once a year. 

God has given us all many things to be thankful for.  For me, it is my family, my health, my friends, my recovery (both physical and mental), and then a whole list of things too numerous to count.  But, as in all things good, there is the other force at work in this world that wants to steal our happiness and our thankfulness.  Satan attacks on every front – we have to be ready for his arsenal of hurt.  And, as long as we are alive, we get no reprieve.

There are some verses in the Bible that really speak to me, but there are others, well to be honest, some of them are hard for me to comprehend.  But this passage in Colossians 3: 12-17 is one that is very encouraging to me.  This passage talks about putting on the new elements that make us God’s chosen ones.  What more could we be thankful for than to have an opportunity to get to change who we are to become someone new –someone blessed with the love of God.

“Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.  And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

I love those last words... “Whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”  I really try to give God thanks in all things and I try to do it daily.  But, I’ll be honest, some days, I don’t do it.  I let my busy schedule or other events dictate my activity, and I let thanking God slip through the cracks. 

So in closing, let me just ask you, what are you thankful for?  Have you told the person(s) responsible for your blessings how thankful you are for what they have done for you?  Have you told God how thankful you are for what he has done for you?   

This is a wonderful time to be reminded that we have so much to be thankful for.  But being reminded doesn’t mean much if we don’t do something about it.  Give Thanks!

…give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus…. 

I Thessalonians 5:18 

Grateful Believer,  

Bob