Thanksgiving

You might be a Christian, if you ... have a spirit of thanksgiving.

One of the benchmark characteristics of a Christian should be thanksgiving no matter what comes your way.  

You say, "But Sister, you don't know what I'm going through."

True. Life can be messy and difficult but there is always, always, always something for the Christian to be thankful.

Let me help you with a couple praise items:

You were given, not the deal-of-the-century, but the all-time best-ever deal that could possibly exist: your old crappy life for a new you that God and you work on together until the day you get Home.

Best ever!

Or, how about this:

You were rescued from hell.

... Yeah, that's blunt, but the truth, and it is something we should be thanking God for every day.

Did you know it's God's will for you to be thankful?

"... in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."  (1 Thessalonians 5:18 NKJV)

People say, "I just want to know God's will for my life." Well, there it is! You do that part and I feel sure that in time, you will know what else His will is for you.

Oh, by the way, notice it says IN everything give thanks, not FOR everything give thanks. You don't thank God for a disaster that hits you but you CAN find things in the midst of the disaster for which you can give Him thanks. If nothing else, "Thank you, God, that I don't have to do this alone. You promised to never leave me."

Hey! Did you know there is a reward for being thankful?

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."  (Philippians 4:6-7)

I don't know about you, but I sure could use more peace!

Do you practice regular thanksgiving?

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I'm so glad you are here! Follow me each day as I attempt to define what a Christian is ... and isn't. 

I'm always interested in your thoughts. Let me know if there is a word Christians use that you don't understand. I'd be interested to write about it.

This post was written for Day Twenty of my A-Z Blogging Challenge series, "You Might Be a Christian ... from A-Z." Go here each day to see all of my posts each day as they go live.

If you don't understand how a person becomes a Christian, you might want to visit my page, "A Ticket Home." 

If you'd like to read more A-Z offerings, visit the A-Z Home Page to view a plethora of A-Z links. With approx. 1300 bloggers participating, there is something for everybody.