With Thanksgiving

   It’s that time of year already…The Thanksgiving holiday is upon us! We will be inundated with messages, reels, posts, and commercials promoting the concept of being thankful. I am convinced through the life-long study of Scripture that the practice of thanksgiving is something which is to be incorporated and woven into the fabric of our very lives. (Philippians 4:6-7)
   We could have gone in many directions in this article, but I specifically wanted to address the connection of thanksgiving to the prayer. Paul mentions this connection in this Philippian passage. I want to mention first that Paul begins with a directive…do not be anxious…about anything. These are more than just words on a page! This is an antidote to the deep propensity for all of us to be consumed with worry, dread, anxiety, fear of the future, and a plethora of other mental maladies that cause us to be consumed with things we can’t control. 
   We are not imagining the increase of stress and pressure that we are encountering; the Bible talks about how the days preceding the coming of Jesus would be filled with pressure. (2 Timothy 3:1 AMP)
   To be honest, I come from a long-line of worriers, so this is something I have to contend with in myself so this is not at all a disparaging look at anyone who suffers from anxiety or is prone to worry. The truth is, the days we live in are a huge contributor to feeling the increase in concern as we do. It is always amazing to me how relevant the Bible is to our everyday lives, even though these words were written long ago, the Holy Spirit knew just what believers would need in every generation.
     I also appreciate that Paul doesn’t just tell us to “stop worrying”; but tells us how to transfer our worries out of ourselves and release them to God in the form of prayer. He gives us 2 types out of the many types of prayer. Prayer is first of all a worshipful conversation with our Father. To Him, in this relational reality, we release “supplications” and “requests.” Supplications are tied to an expression of need and requests are the things we ask for.
    But all of this asking, supplicating, worshiping, conversating, is to be laced with thanksgiving.  All of us who know God and have been saved out of darkness by Him, could never exhaust the cavernous debt of gratitude that is to be given. But beyond this type of thinking, let us see the marvelous facets of thanksgiving that should accompany every aspect of our lives. We should live “with thanksgiving.” (Psalm 100 AMP)
   This is such a powerful expression of worship!! We find here a profound secret: thanksgiving is a word of access. It takes us somewhere and that somewhere is closer to God. As we encounter the presence of God, we become aware of His attributes. We are reminded of His goodness and His faithfulness! This actively produces enlargement and increase of what we are capable of receiving and experiencing in our lives! 
   This Psalm also teaches us that once we are with Him – we should be thankful and say it!!! In the majesty of Who He is, gratitude should overflow from our hearts for the absolute privilege that we are allowed to experience this – yes! This expansion through thanksgiving releases an undeniably astounding truth: God puts no limit on the expansion of operations He does in our souls!!!!! (Colossians 2:6-7 AMP)
   Just as we received Christ – not by anything of our own merit or works did we earn what He freely gave! WOW! The exhortation is to continue growing in this AND the way we do this is with thanksgiving! We will be established and deeply embedded in Him as we live our lives accompanied with gratitude. Let’s look at these verses in the Passion Translation for even more joyous expansion! (Colossians 2:6-7 TPT)
   The Christians overarching attitude and atmosphere ought to be one that produces gratitude. This will do so much more for us than we have time or space to record here. There are even scientific studies out now about the benefits of gratitude for our mental health. The Bible is always right! (Psalm 95:1-2 TPT)
   The bottom line is – He is worthy of it! We owe Him so much more thanks than we could ever offer in a hundred lifetimes!! (Colossians 3:17 The Message Bible)
   Let’s be conscious and expressive as we live our lives “with thanksgiving”!!! Happy Thanksgiving! (Philippians 4:6-7 The Message Bible)