With Thanksgiving

David wrote Psalm 100 to encourage us to give thanks unto God. He encouraged us to make a joyful noise unto the Lord. We are to serve the Lord with gladness and come before him with singing. God made us to worship him and we belong to God. We thank the Lord for his goodness and faithfulness. We thank the Lord for his loving kindness which is better than life. God created us in his own image and likeness and he breathed his breath into our lungs. If we are alive today then we have a purpose to fulfil and hope for the future. I read before that gratitude is one of the most powerful human emotions that reduces stress. When we are grateful it takes our minds off our problems and focuses them on what is going well.

The world promotes the concept of optimism and the importance of looking at the brighter side of a situation. Modern thought theory supports the idea of the law of attraction which suggests that people attract more of what they focus on. In essence if we focus on our blessings, then we will attract more blessings. Alternatively, if we focus on our worries then we allow them to multiply. These concepts are not new phenomena and the bible have said from the beginning of time that we should focus on what is positive. “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7).

The following scripture can be translated to explain optimism. “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Philippians 4:8). In this verse, Paul was teaching us to train our minds to focus on what is good and worthy of praise unto God. There are many other verses that encourages us to allow our minds to be transformed and tells us that we have the mind of Christ Jesus.

No matter what circumstances we find ourselves in, there is always something to give God thanks for. Even in death we can rejoice that we are transitioning to be with God in eternal rest and peace. The perspective is that all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28). “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

A.P.-Y.