In Everything Give Thanks

Patrice Tsague, RCE Partner

"In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God
in Christ Jesus for you"I Thessalonians 5:18

I do not know about you, but as the year draws to a close and I reflect on God's goodness - all He has done on my behalf, who He is, all that He means to me, and where He has brought me from - I have a lot to be thankful for. I am thankful for life, His grace and mercy that kept me throughout the year and in spite of all that is going on in the world - economic crises, terrorist threats, sickness and even talks of global warming- He has protected me from premature death.

Moreover, I am thankful for my wife and children, the body of Christ, friends and finally, the fact that Jesus is Lord. We are always to be thankful to our Lord no matter what our circumstances, because He gave us the greatest gift, the gift of salvation; a gift that never wears out. We ought to be thankful every day, every hour, and every minute because without that gift we could not experience abundant life on earth and would be condemned to eternal punishment. Moreover, we ought to be thankful for our clients and employees; without whom we would not be in business; our family and friends, for the joy and support they bring into our lives; and angels; those we have no relationship with but God uses to be a special blessing to us.

What are you thankful for? You may be as thankful as I am, or you may not feel as thankful because of the way your business is going, the way this year has been for you, or the issues that you are currently facing. Remember the scriptures instruct us to be thankful in all things for such is the will of God concerning us. Thankfulness is a condition of the heart, which manifests itself in appreciation towards someone. We are usually thankful when someone does something kind to us but once that moment passes we forget his or her kindness. The reason we forget is because our thoughts of gratitude are conditional and our emotions fluctuate based on our circumstances. We recently received a generous contribution from one of our board members. This gift created a level of gratitude in my heart towards God for using them; as a result, I was moved to demonstrate my gratefulness in words and in deeds. The question is, how long will this feeling of gratitude last? In my pursuit to maintain a heart of gratitude my prayer is that the Holy Spirit continually brings them to my remembrance.

Many people have a hard time being thankful in times of need because they do not realize that in those times they should be most thankful. What need do you have? What circumstances are you facing in your business that you need God's supernatural intervention in? Just begin to thank Him for who He is, what He has done, His promises, and what He will do. As you thank Him, have total confidence that He knows your need, and at the appropriate time, He will bring it to pass if you do not give up.