The people that discipled me, especially Robert F Terrell, made James 1:2-4 NASB95 an unforgettable part of my training:
Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, [3] knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. [4] And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
It was rare that Brother Bob, in any conversation, didn’t ask. “Are you rejoicing?” He taught with power how consequential it is when we choose to praise God no matter what. I didn’t know it to be true in my experience, but I was convicted in my spirit, and I really wanted to be like him. Slowly but surely, I saw the results happening in the lives of others and even in myself.
I’m reminded of our walk with Lee Pearson, Trina’s sister, who had a profound encounter with Jesus around 20 years ago. At first, literally through clinched teeth, she would tell me what was wrong and why she was justified in feeling that way. Now she fondly remembers when we talked about joy being a choice. She has gone from an acidic, self centered, sour puss to very regularly being the opposite.
Even though I was already a Christian, my paradigm for living by The Holy Spirit changed radically just over thirty years ago. I was very prone to fear and anxiety, easily manipulated by circumstances, and far too selfish not to have the devil stealing from my life experience on a regular basis (CLICK HERE to read about how that works in a Christian’s life). While I’m still very much a work in progress, learning how to give thanks to God in a trial, has been a major contributor to many spiritual victories in numerous areas of weakness. Thanking God, especially when circumstances are tough, will make us more like Christ in any situation that we encounter going forward.
Being Thankful
There is a different side to thankfulness, where we take a less active role, represented in scripture. Look at our familiar scripture:
1 Peter 2:9 NASB95
But you are a CHOSEN RACE, A royal priesthood, A holy NATION, a PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
This verse talks about more than mere character traits. They represent a process of change that takes place over the entire lifetime of any Christian. Developing the character to walk in something different from our natural inclination, the direction that circumstance would lead us, or what the voices in the world would tell us to do, is often a messy & painful process. Continuing in these standards is a constant challenge to the flesh for anyone. We are able to do this when we have a revelation that before we had Christ, we had darkness, loneliness and an absence of hope for the future. Only His presence in our lives gives us an inextinguishable hope. 1 Peter 2:10 NASB95 describes this perfectly and it isn’t a coincidence that it follows the call to action in the previous verse:
for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.
The season of thanksgiving in The USA is a prime time for anyone to reflect on the magnitude of what He has done. It is also an opportunity to double down on being grateful in every circumstance in order to be ready to participate in our part of His plan.
