Always be Thankful~

Happy Thanksgiving Day to you! I am so thankful for you!

The psalmist writes in Psalm 9:1-2-"I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High."

And Paul reminds us to Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5-16-19). It is a great day to be thankful and grateful for all God has done for us! The Bible says every good gift comes from above in James 1:17 so we should him thank for it ALL!

Last year this time I had a very hard time being thankful. But with God’s help I have risen above my circumstances and and trauma and have had to seek more intentionally after Jesus each day. So our sufferings are supposed to draw us to His Mercy seat and bring us running boldly into the throne room of His Grace! (Hebrews 4:16) The verse above does not say thank God for the circumstances but thank Him in the circumstance. This makes much more sense to me as I can praise and thank God for who He is and for my hope or confident expectation that His promises found in His Word will see me through. This increases and inspires our faith for which God rewards! And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (Hebrews 11:16)

I am thankful and grateful today for the things I have learned this year about myself and about how to respond to and pray for others. We must go through the times of suffering and discipline to continue moving forward in our sanctification or our life goal of becoming more like Jesus!

Additionally, “a daily gratitude practice and counting your blessings each day has been shown to significantly increase your happiness — and your physical health. In addition to helping you get more sleep, practicing gratitude can boost your immunity and decrease your risk of disease” says the Mayo Clinic. Gratefulness and thankfulness also stimulate endorphins and dopamine which can naturally fight depression in our brain. So go ahead, start thanking God for the many blessings throughout your day!
Happy Thanksgiving Day!
Kate