Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on our many blessings. As a Christian, it is easy for me to find blessings everywhere around me. Despite the challenges of this year, God has blessed me far beyond what I deserve.
Unfortunately, these are tough times for many people — and for the world as a whole. In fact, many in the world have been hurting and in need for generations. Only in recent years has our country joined the list of those nations experiencing increased poverty, increased crime, and increased fear. The number of Americans turning to antidepressants bears witness to the physical and mental toll of stress. The number of suicides in our country is rising, and the suicide rate among our military men and women now exceeds the national average.
The statistics are sobering. The prognosis is grim. However, we know that trouble is no stranger to this world. In writing to the church at Thessalonica, the apostle Paul instructed:
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thess. 5:16-18)
Let’s be honest for a minute or two. Most of us struggle with this notion of being joyful always. Western society is so focused on happiness, which is invariably dependent upon our circumstances at the moment. We understand with our heads this thing called joy, but we fail at many points to somehow separate our situation from our status as Christians, often falling prey to the prevalent message of the prosperity gospel that tells us God blesses us because we do good. I’ve been unable to locate the basis for that message anywhere in the pages of Scripture; perhaps that’s because it doesn’t come from there at all. Continue Reading…
