Thankful

This second Thanksgiving passage comes from a letter written by Paul to some Jesus followers living in the city of Colosse.

Colossians 3

15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.

16 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.

17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

Thankful. Jesus followers should be defined by certain characteristics: humility, graciousness, generosity and ... thankfulness. How do your actions and attitudes define the journey of following Jesus?

Thanks

With this being Thanksgiving week, I thought it would be good to look at a couple of passages that remind us of the importance of being thankful. This first one is a Psalm many scholars believe the people of Israel sang when they celebrated Passover ... thanking God for freeing them from slavery in Egypt.

Psalm 136

1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods. His faithful love endures forever.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords. His faithful love endures forever.

4 Give thanks to him who alone does mighty miracles. His faithful love endures forever.
5 Give thanks to him who made the heavens so skillfully. His faithful love endures forever.
6 Give thanks to him who placed the earth among the waters. His faithful love endures forever.
7 Give thanks to him who made the heavenly lights - His faithful love endures forever.
8 the sun to rule the day, His faithful love endures forever.
9 and the moon and stars to rule the night. His faithful love endures forever.

Thanks. I would encourage you, sometime this week, to sit down and physically write out what you are thankful for. It is one thing to say you are thankful. It is another thing to actually take the time to put it into words.