Thankfulness: Part 4

#4 Way being thankful helps when our world just doesn't seem right:

As soon as you are thankful, you begin to link your life to God's promises. You learn how to see your circumstances through the lens of God's Word, instead of interpreting God's Word through the lens of your experiences, which always dilutes, devalues, and diminishes God. It's like looking through the wrong end of a telescope.

This is what happened when the nation of Israel was on the outskirts of the Promised Land (Num. 14). Moses sent twelve men to scout it out before they went in to conquer it. They all agreed that it was a wonderful land, just as God had promised. Yet ten out of twelve concentrated on the dangers they would face if they tried to conquer it. They instilled such fear in the people that they wanted to turn around and go back to Egypt!

The Lord responded, "How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the miraculous signs I have performed among them?... Not one of the men who saw my glory and the miraculous signs I performed...will ever see the land I promised on oath to their forefathers. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it" (14:11, 22-23).

God made promises to Israel that he was committed to keep, and he kept them. In Christ, he has made many more promises to us, and he intends to keep them as well. He wants us to believe him! He is a person--and when we trash our relationship with him in unbelief, it matters! Being thankful helps us to interpret our lives in the light of his faithfulness.

My thankful list today:
1. The Holy Spirit who stopped me in my tracks today with my complaining.
2. my pastors' wives who creatively plan, pray and work hard for the women at Chesapeake.
3. my boys have buddies who live very close by who they'll be able to play with on rainy days.
4. a good report at the doctors yesterday! Thank you, Lord, for your mercy!
5. my mom who loves to lavish as many material blessings as she can afford on us, in addition to all the spiritual and emotional blessings she generously bestows.