For this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus - to be joyful always, pray continually and give thanks in ALL circumstances.
To give thanks in all circumstances, whether good or bad, requires a relationship with God, otherwise it would be impossible. When we are intimately connected to our Father it is then that we can find a heart attitude of thankfulness.
To be joyful always is another attitude that would be impossible without intimacy with the Father. God calls us into intimate fellowship with Him, it is there only that we will find a heart that can thrive in a spirit of joy and thankfulness in all of life.
Sometimes it will require choosing to be thankful even when the attitude is not present. It's then an attitude of choosing obedience, for it is God's will and desire for us to be thankful.
Those things that are good are easy to be thankful for, they do not require a choice of obedience over attitude. I believe that when we choose thankfulness in times of turmoil we end up with a deeper sense of joy.
In celebrations, trouble, trials and turmoil we need to have an attitude of prayer.It will only be in intimacy with our Father that we will find thankfulness which will lead us to joy in various circumstances.
Visit Iris at Sting My Heart.to see how others are choosing to be thankful in all things.
What a beautiful verse! Blessings to you today!
ReplyDeleteBlessings Sharon...is this you, my sweet friend? Oh...here come your colors...and your beautiful header
ReplyDeletephoto? Yep...it's you because I saw
your Monday post I read...now I have to read and catch up on the ones since then. This was my WFW verse and I'm so glad that you chose this for TT!!! You wrote beautifully about our need to have an intimate relationship with Our Heavenly Father!
I'm inspired by your thankful heart
and I know from where this well springs up...let it burst forth from your depths of your being & heart...let that healing balm run
overflowingly and give Our Lord the
awesome thanks & praise! Amazing thoughts!
I pray that you brought home my AUTUMN FRIENDs AWARD and even the AWESOME BLOGGER ONE from Tuesday!
For you are both Sharon and all that God created you to be!!!
This was an awesome post and something I needed right now. I am going on over to Iris to see what others have posted. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Sharon! It is so hard to be thankful sometimes, but we are told to do so. It really is amazing how many things we are able to see God doing that we can be thankful for, in those tough times.
ReplyDeleteHappy Thankful Thursday! I really enjoyed visiting your site and wish you a great week ahead.
ReplyDeleteI am so thankful for you!! Blessings:)
ReplyDeleteI love the insights you shared on this verse... how true that everything we need in our walk with our Lord stems from having an intimate relationship with Him.
ReplyDeleteHe is vital to my life, without Him I am nothing and do nothing good...
Thank you so much for sharing today! And I love your new look!
Blessings!
Dear Sharon,
ReplyDeleteI am so thankful that I have come to know you and share Jesus together.
Please come and visit me so I can honor that closeness & friendship:
http://mazmagi.blogspot.com/2008/09/proximityclose.html
Friday's post 9-19 and Weds.too!