A JARRING EXPERIENCE
Thursday, January 04, 2018
1Thessalonians 5:16-19 Rejoice always, pray without
ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in
Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. [Heb.13:15]
“1Thessalonians 5:18 In every thing give thanks - For
this reason, that all things work together for good to them that love God; therefore,
every occurrence may be a subject of gratitude and thankfulness. While ye live
to God, prosperity and adversity will be equally helpful to you. For this is
the will of God - That ye should be always happy; that ye should ever be in the
spirit of prayer; and that ye should profit by every occurrence in life, and be
continually grateful and obedient; for gratitude and obedience are inseparably
connected.” (Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible) [Rom.8:28]
“The American
Psychological Association’s 2017 annual Stress in America survey reports that ‘compared
to last year, Americans are more likely to report symptoms of stress, which
include anxiety, anger, and fatigue.’” (OW-H today)
In recent DTs I’ve
shared God’s provision for prevention of and relief from stress. (Psalm 1;
Psalm 119; Proverbs 23:7; Romans 12:1-3; 1Peter 5:6-7; 1Thessalonians 5:18;
Philippians 4:6-9; And the complete Serenity Prayer.) All of God’s provision are
not simply facilitated by an “I believe that.” They take spiritual, mental,
emotional, sometimes bodily exercise. Possibly using pen and paper to record
our attitude.
Sam and Emily
believe unto the exercise thereof: “Emily
and I spent every Saturday in 2017 writing down one thing we were thankful for
that week (with a few extra snuck in for good measure). One year later, we get
the amazing privilege of reliving 73 genuinely fantastic reasons to be
grateful. What a way to spend the waning moments of 2017 and welcome 2018!
We’ll definitely have to do it again this year.”
Their report on Facebook is accompanied by
photos of the large glass jar containing thankful notes.
Anyone else want to experience the jarring
experience of weekly recording and year-end reviewing of thankfulness?
EBB4
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