THE HARDEST COMMAND TO OBEY

Some would rank “Love your neighbor as yourself” as one of the hardest.” I’ll admit that sometimes it’s hard to love our neighbors because they make it hard for us to love them.

          In Ephesians 5:20, the Apostle Paul says, “Give thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” This command may be the hardest command in all of the Bible to obey. At the same time, obeying it may be the greatest blessing of all in your life.

          Are you a grateful person? Do we appreciate the blessings of God or do we take them for granted like a lot of people are prone to do.

          Thanksgiving shouldn’t be a once-a-year holiday that we overindulge at the dinner table and afterwards sit in the den and watch football and try to sleep off the effects of a feast.

          Thanksgiving should be a lifestyle, and we are called to live it.

          Thanksgiving Day is a religious holiday. But like so many of our religious holidays, the devil does all he can to sidetrack the purpose of observing them.

          For example, the day that has been set aside to give thanks unto the Lord for His bountiful blessings in our lives, is quickly being changed to:

• Turkey Day • Parade Day • Football Day – And the day after thanksgiving is known as “Black Friday,” and is the biggest shopping day of the year.

          We can’t help but wonder how God feels about blessing us the way He has, and having people celebrate Thanksgiving without even taking time to stop from what they are doing, and look up and say, “GOD, THANK YOU FOR YOUR BLESSINGS ON MY LIFE, HOME, NATION, AND MY CHURCH!”

          Thank God today for the simple things, the great things and sometimes even the sorrowful things we experience in life.

          It’s been said that “home is the place where we are treated the best and complain the most.”

          Marriage counselors say that “taking each other for granted” is one of the chief causes of marriage problems.

          Life is short. My wife and I will celebrate our 60^th wedding anniversary in two months and it seems like only yesterday that we stood before her preacher and he pronounced us as husband and wife.

          Being thankful to God for each other is a secret of a happy home, a happy life, and a life with no regrets and it is the Holy Spirit of God who gives us the grace of thankfulness.

          We are to give thanks for all things. God rules all things, and we should give thanks for all things. Look again what Paul writes in Ephesians 5:19-20, “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

           We are to have a song in our hearts no matter what happens. We should thank God for the good life that we have; for the opportunities available to us; for the kindness of others. How about this: We should be thankful for dirty dishes because that means that we have food to eat; for sweeping and mopping floors because that means we have a place to live.

           We are also to be thankful during the sorrowful times in life.

           When the apostle Paul wrote this passage, by divine inspiration, he was locked away in prison after having been unjustly accused of starting a riot.

           We can be thankful even in sorrowful times because of the overruling hand and providence of God. He can take even sorrow and use it for good in our lives because it may correct us. Listen to Psalm 119:66-67, “I believe in your commands; now teach me good judgment and knowledge. I used to wander off until you disciplined me; but now I closely follow your word.” If suffering and pain correct us, we need to thank God for it. It may cause us to have a greater dependency upon God.

          You remember from 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 where Paul begged God three times to remove his “thorn in the flesh.” The Lord told him, “My grace is sufficient for thee; for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” Then Paul could say with confidence, “Most gladly, therefore, will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

          Paul was grateful for the grace of God that allowed him to endure suffering and pain. Paul had a grateful heart.

          How does a grateful heart promote harmony in our lives? For one thing, the sincerely grateful person realizes that he is enriched because of others. The person who thinks the world owes him a living is never thankful for anything. He thinks he is doing others a favor by permitting them to serve him.

          The thankful heart is usually humble, a heart that gladly acknowledges God as James 1:17 says, “Giver of every good and perfect gift.
          You remember from John 12 where Jesus was at the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus. Mary had a gift for the Lord which was “a pound of ointment of spikenard,” and she anointed Jesus and verse 3 says, “And the house was filled with the odor of the ointment.” Gratitude fills the house with fragrance.

          Honestly, all of us are grateful for some things at special occasions; but Paul commanded the Ephesians to be thankful for all things at all times.

          Can we really be thankful in times of suffering, disappointment, and even loss? Only with God’s help and grace could we do it.

          When we find ourselves complaining, griping, fretting, and worrying the devil moves in and fans those flames. Thanksgiving in the Spirit defeats the devil and glorifies the Lord.

          The story is told of two old friends who bumped into one another on the street one day.     One of them looked forlorn, almost on the verge of tears. His friend asked, "What has the world done to you, my old friend?"

            The sad fellow said, "Let me tell you. Three weeks ago, an uncle died and left me forty thousand dollars."

          "That’s a lot of money."

            "But, two weeks ago, a cousin died and left me eighty-five thousand dollars free and clear."

          "Sounds like you’ve been blessed...."

          "You don’t understand!" he interrupted. "Last week my great-aunt passed away. I inherited almost a quarter of a million." Now he was really confused. "Then, why do you look so glum?"

          "This week... nothing!"

          That’s the trouble with receiving something on a regular basis. Even if it is a gift, we eventually come to expect it. This is the “entitlement mindset” that some have in American society at almost every level. We have been blessed to live in a land of plenty and as a result we become complacent and many times we are completely unwilling to give thanks to any one for anything.

          Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

          The word “gratitude” comes from the same root word as “grace.” If we have experienced the grace of God, then we ought to be grateful for what God brings to us.

          If we have gratitude in our hearts, then we will offer praise to the Lord. Psalm 34:1 says, "I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall continually be in my mouth." And we’ve come to the Lord's house today just worship the Lord, and we're to worship Him, not grudgingly.

          The Bible says in Psalms 119:108, "Accept, I beseech thee, the free will offerings of my mouth." May the God help us to offer to him the sacrifice of praise.

IN CLOSING

          Make an effort today to recognize the blessings we’ve come to take for granted. Focus on what we have rather than on what we don’t have, and see if it doesn’t improve our attitude.

Let Me Leave You With A few suggestions:

          Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you want. If you did, what would there be to look forward to?

          Be thankful when you don’t know something, this gives you the opportunity to learn.

          Be thankful for the difficult times. During those times you grow.

          Be thankful for your limitations, because they give you opportunities for improvement.

          Be thankful for each new challenge, because it will build strength and character.

          Be thankful for your mistakes. They will teach you valuable lessons.

          Finally, be thankful the Lord loves you and gave His Son that everyone of us can be saved and live in Heaven with Him for all eternity.

          John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

By Pastor Lamar Truitt