Give Thanks

1Thes 5:16-18

16 Rejoice evermore.

17 Pray without ceasing.

18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. (KJV)

Rejoice Ye Pure in Heart

What A Wonderful Saviour

Ah the Word of God so simple and so practical. Some although seem always to try to make it so complex so hard to understand.

The Bible says Rejoice evermore, Pray without ceasing, In everything give thanks. For this is the will of God in Christ.

It’s a good thing to be reminded at least once a year that there are reasons to be thankful. I believe as Christians we can always and should always be thankful.

The Bible says that this is the will of God. The Lord wants us as His people to be mindful, to be encouraged that He is working always for our good.

We make the mistake as Christians at times believing that God's blessings always come in the form of progress and growth and happiness.

When things are at their best is when we are blessed. That is the belief of some Christians. Isn't that right!

If we really know the Lord then we should be always be aware of His faithfulness to us on our behalf. We should be aware of His loving kindness and grace towards because we are the recipients of His love.

Ps 92:1 It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High: (KJV)

Ps 18:49 Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name. (KJV)

I fear though because we Christians go through hard times some may interpret their experience in the wrong way.

There are sometimes you feel like saying Lord what is going on! But that is the time when we need to realize the working of the Lord.

"Could Christians realize how many times the Lord has ordered their way, that the purposes of the enemy concerning them might not be accomplished, they would not stumble along complainingly." (PK p.576). . .

In fact in the book PK she says

"God has a purpose in sending trial to His children. He never leads them otherwise than they would choose to be led if they could see the end from the beginning, and discern the glory of the purpose that they are fulfilling." (PK p. 578)

Tell the story of John the Baptist.

If John the Baptist could see the end form the beginning and also see the purposes of God he would choose to be led in that way and praise God for that leading.

But there are some who still consider that there is nothing to be thankful for.

I suggest to you, today If we consider the value of life-----our lives as individuals we will have something to be thankful for. If we consider life itself just being alive is a miracle. How each of us were conceived

Our existence began with the mating of our parents. In a woman of child bearing age the ability to conceive only happens ONCE A MONTH, when a ripened egg burst free from an ovary and enters the nearby Fallopian tube where it awaits fertilization from a male spermatozoa.

We know that one female egg and one male sperm cell together starts the maturation process of a new baby.

In a female, the egg which embarks to the fallopian tube to be fertilized it was there before she was born (even though it is undeveloped).

At birth the an average female ovary has two million of these cells most don't live long, at puberty about 300,000 remain and of that number only about 400 will ever mature and break free. And those on a strict schedule.

Once the mating process takes place then the question of whether there will be life is answered against barriers of time and distance.

Sperm cells after copulation number in the millions, It is estimated 100 million cells are present they live only 48 hours, their goal -- to reach a ripened egg in the Fallopian tube. The ripened egg itself dies within 18 hours if it is not fertilized.

And although the distance from the female genitalia to the farthest reaches of the fallopian tube is only a few inches, it takes a single celled sperm an hour and a half to reach its destination.

And the journey is not easy a sperm cell makes its way upstream in the female genital tract fighting against currents of mucus and other fluids in the body to fulfill its mission.

Of the 3 million sperm cells the vast majority drop out along the way only a few thousand get as far as the uterus and of that only a few hundred make there way to the inner section of the Fallopian tube.

And the sperm cells that do reach the egg (which number in the hundreds) surround it besiege it butting their heads against the surface in a furious attempt to fertilize the egg and only one will succeed

The size of these partners are enormously mismatched. If the egg were to be magnified to the size of a dime then in comparison the sperm would be the size of a period in a sentence on a typed paged. Yet both carry equivalent burdens of hereditary information to their union.

Which union was not easy, we didn't mention a number of things that could happen.

Disease, sickness, damaged cells, and a 9 month period of incubation before birth.

Now if you didn't understand a word of what I said tonight listen to this it takes one female egg and one male sperm to make a baby.

From 2 million female eggs in your mothers ovaries at her birth

to the 100 million sperm cells that begin the journey to the Fallopian tube that houses the infertilized egg.

2 million - 100 million

What are the possibilities of you being born?

We are not here by chance! Even the so called illegitimate baby God has guided the life of every precious soul that has been born.

And even though we might believe we have problems and everything seems tough and hard and nothing in sight to be thankful about, but as Christians we have plenty to be thankful about we can always be thankful because its a miracle that we are alive and the fact that we are alive means we are recipients of God's grace!

You may believe this morning that there is no reward in life, there is no sense existing, there is no happiness in living. But the fact that you made it and your alive is good news honey because God has got good plans for you!

1 Timothy 2:3-4 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. (KJV)

Despite trials, temptation, annoyances, bills, troubles we still can be thankful. We might have trouble in homes, or on the job, or at school. We may have health problems, money problems, relationship problems we still can be thankful if we belong to Christ!!

What in the world can we be thankful about if we are down and out.

Just the fact that we’re alive means that God has been good to you and God has us on His mind. He wants you and I to be where He is and He’s making plans all the time for that to happen. He wants us to know that this live here is just a traveling road. This place is not our home and if we pass by hard times while traveling Jesus brings to each heart comforting news about God’s plan. . .

John 14:1-3

1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.

2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

(KJV)

Paul learned along time ago that Jesus never crossed the vast sphere of universes for nothing. He learned that nothing or no one on or off this planet can stop us from doing what God has planned for us . . . being saved

1Thes 5:16-18

16 Rejoice evermore.

17 Pray without ceasing.

18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. (KJV)

Paul learned despite hardships we can always be thankful.

1 Cor 15:57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (KJV)

One of these days.