We are now past Thanksgiving and into the Christmas season.  Many of us spent part of the weekend sharing with our family and friends the usual things for which we are grateful.  Family, friends, good health, material blessings, vocations, ministries, the Lord’s protection, His love for us, His guidance, His comfort in the midst of trial all make the list along with other things.

We spend this time being especially grateful for His blessings and then when we go back to work and the leftovers are gone, we have a tendency to go back to living the same way we were living last Wednesday.  We sometimes have the attitude that “I don’t have to be grateful again until next year.”

When it is called to our attention, it is easy to express our thanks for the blessings of God.  It is much more difficult to be thankful in every circumstance.  But that is exactly what God tells us to do.  I Thessalonians 4:17-18 says “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in “all” circumstances for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

“In all circumstances”, you have got to be kidding.  But that is exactly what He says.  We serve a powerful and loving God that is even able to work with us in the bad stuff.  I have been praying  this morning  for a friend that has experienced a terrible tragedy in the loss of a loved one.  I do not know how the Lord is going to work in this area but I know He has the power to do so.  We will never be grateful for the tragedy but we can live with a spirit of gratitude.  This will always draw us closer to Him and that is what we need more than anything else.

Thanksgiving may be over but we should live our lives with a spirit of gratitude giving thanks in all our circumstances.