1 Thessalonians: Activity Express Gratitude

1 Thessalonians 1:2

We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers,

Give thanks: to be grateful, i.e. (actively) to express gratitude (towards)
Always: evermore
All: means "all" in the sense of "each (every) part that applies. The emphasis of the total picture then is on "one piece at a time. Then focuses on the part(s) making up the whole – viewing the whole in terms of the individual parts.
Mention:  recollection; by implication, recital -- mention, remembrance; a bringing to mind, a mention (recollection); a personal remembrance recalling a particular aspect of a person
Prayers: earnest prayer; addressed to God
https://biblehub.com/interlinear/1_thessalonians/1-2.htm

"Please" and "Thank You". Words that as a child I was reminded to say often. Sadly, in our society today, those words have disappeared. Expressing gratitude is only in fashion in November as we celebrate "Thanksgiving. But that's shortlived as the sales start on Thanksgiving day. We can't even be grateful for what we have for a single day? We have to begin to "get" after a few hours?! 

In 1 Thessalonians 1:2, the focus is not on being grateful for things, but rather people, in particular, the Church in the City of Thessalonica. And as we see from the meaning of the word, "all", but only as an entire group, but EACH individual in that Church. 

Give thanks to God always for you all. 
Stop and think of the people in your life. First, those who live in the same home as you. Next, those with whom you work. Then friends and acquaintances. When was the last time you stopped and thanked God for those whom He has brought into your life? 

Activity express gratitude to God for the people in your life. That's action. And I think a very good challenge! 

Will you accept the challenge of activity expressing gratitude to God for the people in your life? 

Forgiveness

cont..."a deep sense of reverence for God" (Act 9:31). 

"But there is forgiveness with You [just what man needs], that You may be reverently feared and worshiped." Psalm 130:4 (AMP)

I don't fully grasp the concept that Holy, God Almighty offers forgiveness... but I'm VERY thankful that He does. And because God Almighty does forgive, that should instill in me a deep sense of reverence for God. For the consequence of not being forgiven of my sin is eternal hell and separation from God. 

How does one say "thank you" to a Holy God for His gift of salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ? The "thank you" starts with developing a deep sense of reverence for God! And as that deep sense of reverence is developed..... my life will be impacted by the realization that God Almighty loves me and has forgiven me.... WOW, if that doesn't make your day..... not sure what will. 

Thank you, Heavenly Father for your forgiveness!

Met some Heroes

I had the opportunity to accompany my Dad to a VA Clinic today. I created some "Thank You" cards to give to some of the Heroes while there. 

It was an honor to meet and talk with the Heroes throughout the day. I enjoyed hearing their stories and getting to know them a bit. 

If you want to meet some amazing people visit a local VA Clinic. There are long waits, and the Heroes sure could use some encouragement as they wait (often for hours).

I was blessed in many ways by talking with some of our Heroes today. 

Creating a positive day, isn't very hard, when you are in the company of Heroes! 

Expressing Gratitude

This year, I'm sharing my "Treasures" of my study of my "Ponder the Morsels" book. I've picked 31 Psalms to study throughout 2013. Today I studied Psalm 100. Here is what I learned.

Enter his gates with a song of thanksgiving. Come into his courtyards with a song of praise. Give thanks to him; praise his name. Psalm 100:4 (GW)

Go through His gates, giving thanks; walk through His courts, giving praise. Offer Him your gratitude and praise His holy name. Psalm 100:4 (VOICE)

"Be thankful unto him." Let the praise be in your heart as well as on your tongue, and let it all be for him to whom it all belongs. "And bless his name." He blessed you, bless him in return; bless his name, his character, his person. Whatever he does, be sure that you bless him for it: bless him when he takes away as well as when he gives; bless him as long as you live, under all circumstances; bless him in all his attributes, from whatever point of view you consider him. The Treasury of David

Thankful: feeling or expressing gratitude; appreciative.

How do I express my thanks to Almighty God? 

1. In prayer. Tell God thank you. 
2. In my conversations. Let others know that I’m thankful for Who God is, and what He is doing.
3. In my life. Live a life pleasing to God. If I’m truly thankful to God, I’ll want my life to be honoring to Him. 
4. In my thoughts. What do I think of God? Remembering that my thoughts are words to God! 

Expressing gratitude to Almighty God will make each and every day a positive one! 

God's Sunrise

One blessing about waking up early is enjoying a beautiful sunrise from God! The following pictures were taken from my balcony this morning. 

When the day begins with a beautiful sunrise—

that God painted "just for me",

creating a positive day

is the least I can do to thank Him!

8 days and counting

Today was one of those days I had all planned out... you know the type of day when the "To Do List" is full and the pencil is sharpened ready to mark off each task. Well, what I had planned was not what God had planned. My headache was the worst it's been in a while, and I injured my ankle a few weeks ago....it was really swollen today. Therefore, instead of finishing my to do list....I knew I'd be confined to the sofa all day.
I was thinking that the day was a total waste...I wouldn't get anything done on my list....until I remembered that my list doesn't really matter. I was to accomplish what God wanted me to do....not some list I concocted.
So, I started rethinking my "To Do List". Rather than what I thought I had to accomplish today, I consulted God on what He wanted me to do. When I changed from "my list" to God's list....the day was much better!
What was on God's list? Extra prayer time. Recently a few people asked I pray for some special requests. Being able to spend time discussing those issues with God was a good use of my time.
As the day progressed, God sent some special blessings my way. I received a nice email. And later in the day I received a package from Hawaii!! A package brightens anyone's day! And since this package was from some very special friends—it made it even better! (A big shout out to Hawaii—Thank you VERY MUCH!!!)
So, my "To do list" remains full. But personally, today turned out to be a special day.

If your plans need to change, don't consider the day a loss. You can still create a positive day by allowing God to direct your plans.

Counting My Blessings!