ขอบคุณ พระเจ้า Thank you God

I wanted to write this long before Thanksgiving to avoid sounding trite, but let's be honest. I'm not wise. This isn't a brilliant post, but for many of us it is a necessary reminder of a less that we all too often forget on a daily basis.

One of the aspects that impressed me most about the Thai church was their penchant for giving thanks to God. This supplemented their fervor for prayer. Before our ministry got rolling, it seemed like there was a prayer meeting at the Lighthouse church every other day. At the start of each prayer meeting, they would start by asking if there was anything for which we could say, "Khawp khun Prajao (Thank you God)." This really struck me on multiple levels.

Here, they were regularly giving thanks for the plethora of blessings in their lives. Technically yearly is regularly, but I was encouraged because they were doing it almost daily as a group and I wouldn't doubt that privately they were giving thanks each and every day. More importantly I got this sense that they were genuinely thankful for the things that they spoke of. Even during the one time a year that we as Americans are scheduled to give thanks, I can't help but feel it's just lip service. I'm guilty of it myself. And I'm sure that at least one of my friends this year is going to go through the alphabet spouting off a bunch of blessings that he or she is supposedly thankful for. But really, how thankful could you possibly be for xylophones and x-rays or yo-yos and yaks and zebras? And why limit yourself to just 26 blessings?

For once, I don't think that the problem is our inherent sinfulness. Our culture of entitlement has brainwashed into thinking that we either deserve everything that we have, or that we have earned it through our own diligence and effort. But that is not true.

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change." - James 1:17

I don't deserve this beautiful, crisp autumn day. I don't deserve to have a healthy heart and lungs. Even the good grades that I've "earned." One of the points Hector always touched upon in prayer that I really admired was his thankfulness for the new day. Sometimes we say it because we've received some good doctrine, but he meant it. It really drilled it into my heart that each and every morning--whether warm and sunny or cold and dreary-- is truly a gift.

This isn't meant to send you off on a guilt trip, but rather as a gentle encouragement to remember what God has done for you. If you're guilty of ingratitude, repent of an ungrateful heart. Reflect on all that God has done for you, given to you, been for you. Savor it. Let it warm your heart. And if it seems like your life is falling apart at the seams and you feel like you're losing everything, remember that if you are a child of God, He will never lose you-- and He is all that you need.

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you... Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it." - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, 23-24