| From
the Church on the Hill
by D. Eric Williams Pastor, Cottonwood Community Church pastor@cottonwoodcommunitychurch.org While it is an American tradition to set aside one day each year for giving thanks, the Bible tells us to give thanks in everything, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:18). I thought about this as I drove to Lewiston the other day. As a chaplain at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center, I make the long drive to Lewiston on a regular basis - and I often fail to give thanks when doing so. Yet God’s Word tells me to give thanks – indeed, to exalt Him with thanksgiving (Psalms 69:30). For instance, I should give thanks for the uninterrupted time for prayer and reflection I have during the commute. I should give thanks for the privilege of ministering to people in need at the hospital. I ought to give thanks for the car I have that enables me to make the drive in relative comfort. Thanksgiving is in order for the lunch and carafe of coffee in the seat next to me. I can also give thanks that paving has been completed on highway 95 at the top of the Winchester grade. I had better give thanks for the blessing of living in a country where the roads are kept in good repair as well. The fact that fuel for my car is plentiful and relatively inexpensive is a reason for thanksgiving. When I arrive at the hospital I should give thanks for the readily available medical care in Lewiston and the entire north central Idaho region. Since I’m in town frequently, I sometimes pick up a few things for home at Costco or Walmart. Again, giving thanks should be my immediate response to the cornucopia of food and other supplies available on demand. Even the presence of shopping carts should elicit thanks; I’m not required to carry my purchases in a basket on my head, for example. Back home, the Lord would have me give thanks for the parsonage we live in the church building for worship – and the repairs we were recently able to complete on the both of them. God wants me to give thanks for the family pets and the joy they bring to each member of the household. Thanks to God for my wife, my children and grandchildren is a regular activity but giving thanks in detail for the activity of our Lord in their lives should also occupy my time. The list could go on; giving thanks in everything touches every part of life. Yet even that is not enough. We are called to exalt God with thanksgiving. To do so requires right thinking about our Father in heaven. Exaltation of God in thanksgiving requires the acknowledgement of his sovereignty; his unmitigated superintendence of this universe. Without this fundamental doctrine, thanksgiving to God in all things lacks conviction. He must be Lord of all in order to deserve thanks for all in all events. This thanksgiving season I encourage you to meditate on the ramifications of God’s sovereignty. And then, I encourage you to give thanks in everything. |
 |