As Fall has finally fallen upon us, we remember it is time to get ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas which will not be too far behind. As much as I love Christmas, I want to value Thanksgiving more.
The Christian life is one of Thanksgiving. In Colossians 2:6-7 Paul described the Christian life as that which is received, that which is practiced, and that which is appreciated. “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.”
Our lives aren’t always in wonderful circumstances, but our lives are always enveloped in the wonderful Christ. Because we have our wonderful Savior, we can always abound in thanksgiving despite our external circumstances.
If we learn to “abound in thanksgiving” our lives will be forever changed. The word “abounding” (περισσεύοντες) is used 39 times in the Greek New Testament. The word is defined as: “to be or exist in abundance, with the implication of being considerably more than what would be expected” (Louw and Nida pg. 599). Abounding then “to have considerably more than what is expected.” How unfortunate it is that our thankfulness is considerably less than expected.
Let us ask God to help us be more thankful and count our blessings every day. He blesses and blesses again.
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