Colossians 3:15-17 MSG

Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.

Today I’ll be sharing on the gift of thanksgiving. Let me be honest and say I toiled with the thought of saving this newsletter for November in honor of Thanksgiving, but the Holy Spirit reminded me that God’s will for us is to be thankful in all things at all times! So in obedience we’ll be chatting about Thanksgiving in September! lol

I seriously love this passage above in Colossians 3. We are taught here to cultivate thankfulness and to live every detail of our lives thanking God the Father every step of the way!

When I read this scripture in the message version, I knew I wanted to get a clear definition of the word cultivate and here’s what I found: “cultivate is to acquire or develop (a quality, sentiment, or skill); to grow or cause to grow and become more mature.” This means that we can develop, grow and become more mature in our thanksgiving. We are actually instructed to do this! Why? I’m glad you asked! 🙂 lol

It’s super easy to see the negatives in life, especially when it’s all laid out in front of us. It’s not hard to see the bills stacked up, all the debt, the failed relationships, the broken promises, the disappointments! Need I go on? But it truly takes a person who is mature and disciplined to stop and give thanks in the midst of chaos! Doing this helps us to see all that’s going right in spite of the downfalls of life!

When we take a moment to stop and thank God for all that He has done before, what He’s doing currently and for what He’s about to do, it makes room for the unwavering peace of God to settle in our hearts. In Philippians 4:6-7, Paul makes it super clear for us to do the following: 1. Stop worrying and replace it with prayer; 2. Tell God what you need; and 3. Thank Him for all He has done! After doing these 3 steps, Paul continues and says “Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand!” Hallelujah! This is so encouraging!

So if any of you lacks peace right now, maybe its because you are worrying more than cultivating thankfulness! The peace that you need while getting through any season in life is linked to the level of gratitude you pour out to the Father!

Remember, we have been charged to develop the skill of thankfulness! So here’s my challenge to you! I want you for the next week to list 5 things you are grateful for and recite them daily! Small or big – from toothpaste to a home to sleep in! Whatever it is, take time to cultivate thankfulness and every week add an additional thing that you’re thankful for. This is a practical step in maturing in gratitude! If you find yourself worried or anxious, I want you to stop for 60 seconds and be intentional in giving God thanks! I truly believe as you do this, God’s overwhelming peace will fill you and you’ll realize that there’s more good happening around you than not! I love you immensely and I’m THANKFUL for you! 🙂

Prayer:

Father God, we thank you for all that you’ve done for us, all that you’re doing and for all that you’ll do! In the moments where we feel all hope is gone, we thank you for showering us with your love and with the gift of life. Holy Spirit teach us how to see the beauty in life when it feels dark and low. Give us the strength to take moments to grow in thankfulness to experience your supernatural peace that surpasses all of our understanding. We love you and are so grateful to be yours! In Jesus name we pray, Amen!

Until next time…