How thankful are you right now in your life? We may not be able to measure our gratitude on a scale, but thankfulness is not just a moment… it’s a way of thinking, attitude, and even lifestyle. One pastor even refers to it as, “Thanksliving!” We are reminded in God’s word: “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). Written over a century ago, Professor James Denney of Scotland called these three commands “the standing orders of the gospel.” They are “standing orders” because they always apply to every Christian in all situations. The Greek makes this very clear because these imperatives are all in the present tense, translating as “continually rejoice, continually pray, and continually give thanks.” A great challenge, isn’t it? After all, we would have no problem if the text said, “Rejoice sometimes” or “Pray occasionally” or “Give thanks when you feel like it.” About this text, R. Pritchard writes, “This suggests that the real impact of the gospel will be seen when we don’t feel joyful, when we don’t want to pray, and when we can’t think of a reason to be thankful.” We have come to the point where when we see things, go through challenges of life, and encounter changes of life, but our attitude and approach should move from complaining to contentment and from grumbling to gratefulness. Where are you on the gratitude scale? If you can find at least one thing to be thankful for every day, that will be one less thing to worry about, and one more reason to live life with resonance!

The crisp air is setting in and we can feel a new season of change upon us! Are you ready for change? Think about how much life changes we face – moving homes, switching schools, uprooting to another country, changing habits, approaches, and even attitudes! In nature, a caterpillar struggles to crawl before it is changed into a creature that can fly! Likewise, we may have to face a storm, loss, crisis, or disaster that leads us to change. In scripture Job says, “I will wait all the days of my struggle until my change and release will come” (Job 14:14). It appears that change requires some type of discomfort and struggle, but the end result is always better than the beginning.

We recently had our Vacation Bible School (VBS) program; it was such a great blessings to have so many children learning about Jesus in creative ways. Jesus places a high priority on children as he rebuked the disciples who were preventing them from coming to him. In the Bible, Jesus said, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, whoever does not receive and welcome the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all. And He took the children [one by one] in His arms and blessed them [with kind, encouraging words], placing His hands on them.” (Mark 10:15-16, AMP). It is clear that our Lord wants us to consider being a little child – teachable, mouldable, and willing. By allowing ourselves to be available to God, He can do anything with anyone. His purpose and plan for our lives is to make us more like him and to make us become what were destined to be. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:17, that when Jesus is in us, “old things are passed away and all things become new!” How exciting and assuring that we can leave the old past behind and become a new person in Jesus. We should all want that change, we all need that change, and our prayers should be to “change us Oh Lord!” Let’s wait for our change to come!

We live in an age of despair. The personal and worldly dream is gasping for breath. We find ourselves amid a world in crisis a world that prefers darkness rather than light. A world that is becoming more atheist. A world that is becoming more isolated from reality and meaningful relationships. Shouldn’t the church have something to say? To do? To show? To share? To be? How can we be a church that says to promote and be something when we are really not there yet? The Bible says in John 13:35, “By this shall everyone (the world) know that you are my disciples if you have love one for another.” How will they know if we do not live it and practice it? How do we become that kind of people and church? How do we measure that love? Only God’s love can compel and change us (2 Cor 5:14). May God help us to become the church of the first century so the world may know that there is God of love who desires to know and save them (Acts 2:47). Will the world see Him through us? Are we there yet?

Let us focus on Psalm 100, a Psalm for giving thanks, which starts off with telling us to “Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!” (v1-2) Do you feel like making a joyful noise now when you come to Bronte? Do you feel like singing? When you wake in the morning and you make the decision to join us at church, what are your thoughts? Do you decide to go to church because it is part of your weekly routine? Or is it perhaps because of a burden in your heart that you need to have lifted? Is it possibly because you “Know that the Lord, He is God! It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.” (v3) … and it is our part of the commandments that we are here today? Or maybe you are coming to church because something amazing happened to you and you truly do want to thank the Lord. Whatever the reason, we are to “Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!” (v4) How very true! One famous quote tells us that “in happy moments, we are to praise God; in difficult moments, seek God; in quiet moments, worship God; in painful moments, trust God and in every moment, thank God.” No matter what we are going through, no matter what our mindset may have started out like, let us be thankful to God for another day, another breath of life, another opportunity! “For the Lord is good; His steadfast love endures forever, and His faithfulness to all generations.” (v5) Amen!