“2017: A Year of Thankfulness”

2017: A Year of Thankfulness There is an old English tale of a poverty-stricken woman who was found by a minister on Christmas Day eating a piece of bread and a small fish. The minister spoke to her of how miserable and poor her little meal was. But the old woman’s face lit up and she exclaimed, “Poor fare? Dear minister, don’t you see how the Lord has troubled Himself and scoured the land and sea to feed me this blessed Christmas Day?” Because she was thankful, this woman owned the earth, though she only had a piece of bread and a small herring fish for Christmas dinner.

As a church, we are dedicating ourselves in 2017 to being a people of God who are thankful in Christ. Thankfulness is serious business to God. God commands His people to “give thanks in all things, because this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). God alone is worthy of thankfulness; He alone is the object of all thankfulness. Thank offerings were commanded for the people of Israel to bring before God as a sacrifice. “Thankfulness” is the spontaneous attitudes and actions of gratefulness to God for all He is and all He does. Thankfulness should always characterize the Christian; never complaining, grumbling, discontentment, or dissatisfaction. In fact, the Greek word for “thanks” is “eucharisteite,” or Eucharist, meaning the Lord’s Supper, our communion service. Our communion service is a way Jesus commands us to give thanks! Being thankful is a primary way for God’s children to accept and embrace His sovereign provision in their lives; a way we can let God be God.
 

This year let us dedicate ourselves to being thankful to God through Christ…in all things. Will you accept a “thankful challenge” in 2017?

  • Will you memorize 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18?
  • Will you keep a “Thank List,” writing down two things you are thankful to God for each day?
  • Will you humbly accept encouragement, exhortation, and admonishment from other brothers and sisters in Christ to be thankful during moments you are struggling to be thankful?
  • And will you tune your heart to learn from Scripture and sound teaching what it means to be thankful?

Because we are commanded by God to be thankful, there are undiscovered blessings and unrealized spiritual power waiting for us, God’s thankful children in Christ. Let’s join our voices together in 2017 as a congregation, as a people of God living in the world in a local church family, and become known as “the thankful people on the corner.”                                        Pastor Jeff


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