Living Thankfully

Happy Thanksgiving!If there was ever a time when we need a holiday like Thanksgiving it is now. Have you ever stopped to think of how many blessings we have just by virtue of living in the modern age? But no matter how we improve things the happiness of our souls seems to be almost completely disconnected from our technical advances and circumstances. Thanksgiving is a genius holiday, because if people could learn to be thankful we would know a joy that is quite separate from our circumstances. But thankfulness is quite often not a spontaneous outburst, it is a discipline of mind. We need to learn thankfulness because our base animal desires are never ever satisfied. Nothing is ever enough for our base desires, it you don’t believe me check out Twitter or just about any social media outlet sometime. You will find precious little thankfulness there. So let’s get some advice from Paul today and think about how to live counter to this unthankful culture.Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.   (Ephesians 5:17-21 ESV)Thankfulness changes everythingTo be thankful requires us to get our eyes off of ourselves. It forces us to think about what we have been given rather than what we lack. And maybe most importantly, it is something that draws us together. The humility that is required for thankfulness makes it easy to think about others rather than ourselves. Thanksgiving is a radical change of perspective, and it is the will of God no less. We spend so much time wondering about the will of God, but this passage makes it pretty simple, we are to give thanks and love each other. It’s not too hard.This Thanksgiving, let’s not forget the whole reason this holiday exists and let’s thank God always and for everything.be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father Have a great week! Get full access to On walking the Way at tompossin.substack.com/subscribe