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LIFE MATTERS DISCUSS SERIES - HOW TO BE THANKFUL 57E03


TOPIC: HABITS OF A THANKFUL HEART

KEY BIBLE VERSE: I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel.

Philippians 1:3‭-‬11‭, ‬15‭-‬16 ESV


Things Aren’t Always What They Seem

Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance. (Philippians 1:19)


2004 was a disappointing year for me. I spent countless hours (and $1,500 I could ill afford) applying to graduate schools, only to be rejected. I wondered what good could come from such failure. Years later, it’s clear to me that God used those circumstances to answer prayers I didn’t even know I had. If I hadn’t been rejected by Notre Dame, I wouldn’t have met my husband in California.


Many of us have had personal disappointments that we later recognize were acts of grace. But in the midst of difficult circumstances, it feels impossible that God could transform something bad into something good.


Paul is in prison; his enemies are making his life even harder. Yet Paul is able to rejoice because he knows that a sovereign God is using these circumstances to spread the gospel. Paul also trusts that God will use those same circumstances to deliver him.


What gives Paul such confidence? Jesus Christ. On the cross, Jesus looked like a total failure. Yet what seemed like utter defeat was the means by which God purchased our redemption. If God can redeem even the cross, what can keep him from redeeming the circumstances of your life?


God is working through your circumstances to accomplish something greater than you can imagine. Give thanks! 


 Reflect: Recall a time when God transformed your failure or disappointment into something good.


PLS STAY TUNED FOR CONTINUATION TOMORROW BY GOD'S GRACE!


REMEMBER, WE LOVE YOU BUT GOD LOVES YOU MORE, STAY BLESSED, FOCUSED AND BE DETERMINED TO SUCCEED!

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