Slippery slope…
Thanksgiving. Giving thanks.
This might be more important than we have ever realized.
Look what Paul says in Romans chapter 1:21-23...
"For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things."
Paul is bringing some serious urgency to this idea of gratitude or giving thanks.
When we don't honor or give thanks to God, life becomes all about us. When it becomes all about us...we become darkened.
When we live life on our own terms, it ALWAYS backfires. We seek freedom and yet are enslaved.
We want to "just do us" and find ourselves depressed.
We love the idea of finding and living in our own truth...and yet experiencing no joy and even less freedom.
Paul then doubles down on this futility idea...by saying "they became fools." Have you ever seen a friend or family member just kind of go off the rails...either a lot or just a little? Have you ever just shaken your head at the decisions he/she made?
Those 'shake your head' moments is this person acting like a 'fool.'
Then Paul tops this off by stating that when we are not consistently giving thanks, we create and worship idols. We rarely bow down and worship statues or physical structures.
But we will worship our job, kids, comforts, pornography, alcohol, the approval of people, etc.
So when we do not honor or give thanks to God, we become enslaved, darkened in our thought life, we lack wisdom, and we worship a million things other than God.
Make thanksgiving a daily practice.
The first and easiest place to start is to list all the things you are grateful for...big and small. For sure, your family's health should be on the list...but so should the smaller things, like a dishwasher or dryer. Or how about electricity to give you light, charge your computer, and keep the heat/AC going.
Make a list...then when giving thanks to God, don't just recite the list...feel the list. Pause on those things that you are especially thankful for that day.
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One of my weekly disciplines is scouring the internet for articles/tweets I can learn from and/or use with those I work with. Below are two that I hope will help encourage and equip you.
Article 1- Toughness
Article 2- What makes a person likable?
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