Good morning. I hope that your Thanksgiving was safe, satisfying, and joyful. Before we leave the joy of Thanksgiving, I would like to suggest some benefits of having a grateful heart. I would like to draw our thinking to Paul’s letter to the Philippians, where in the 4th chapter we read a passage that is filled with thoughts for how to live within the love and the will of God. Philippians 4:4-8
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
To consider that a life of joy is a command of God may seem difficult, but we are given excellent guidance in the next few verses to accomplish exactly that.
- Let your gentle spirit be evident. The word that is translated as “gentle” is sometimes translated with words like “reasonable” or “graciousness,” among others. The Greek that is being translated is not so much a word as a concept. The concept that is related here is that we should share with the world a commitment to find agreement rather than searching for something to argue about.
- Never forget, the Lord is always near you. Our God is not relaxing in the far reaches of the galaxy, He is near to each one of us at all times.
- Do not be ruled by anxiety. Stress robs us of joy, of patience, even our health.
- Pray. Do so by sharing with God what you see as your needs, but always join those requests for His attention to needs with thoughts and words of Thanksgiving.
- Seek the peace of God. Peace is promised to you by your Lord (John 14:27) and it is His desire that His peace will not be a passing notion but a constant companion. His peace is to “stand guard” over your heart and mind.
- Finally, we are told to think about all that is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. It is this last command that I would like to consider as we conclude the thought for the day.
With a thankful, joyful, peaceful heart may we pray that God will grant to us:
Vision to see all that is good.
Mouths ready to speak of what is good and helpful, that we may build each other up.
Body and soul ready to embrace the good in each other.
Minds that are eager to think about, even meditate upon, all that is good.
Hearts and souls that will feel what is good and appreciate the goodness of one another.
Spirits that are united with the Spirit of God so that all that is good in us will be seen, heard, and understood.
Courage to dismiss and disregard all the negatives that storm at us throughout each day.
Faith to believe that our heavenly Father intends to work with us to accomplish what is good, no matter what our circumstances. (Romans 8:28)
Amen!
God bless your day.
Vern