“In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18, NASB).
The theme of our next online Call To Prayer will be thankfulness and gratitude. The Bible is replete with calls to give thanks and to be grateful.
Indeed, gratitude should be characteristic of a disciple and embedded so much in our speaking to God and others that it is second nature to us as Christians.
As believers in Christ, we ought to be more grateful than anyone else because we have salvation, and we’ve been called to serve God, even in this most challenging time.
Gratitude is not only the language of a Christian but likewise the proverbial fragrance of a Christian. The early Christians used incense during corporate worship. When they left these gatherings, they smelled like incense, which represented the fragrance of worship — the fragrance of having been with Jesus.
Even for today’s Christians, gratitude is essentially a virtual fragrance that lets people know that we are Christ’s followers and that we have been with Jesus.
In other words, gratitude is the lifestyle of a Christian. Gratitude is a “difference maker” — that is, the difference in making the best of life or making the most of life. It’s a difference in coping with life or celebrating life. It’s the difference between enduring life or embracing life.
As we gather online to focus on thanksgiving and gratitude, I hope many Alabama Baptists will join us at 10 a.m. Wednesday, May 6, for the next online Call to Prayer.
Rick Lance
Matt 6:33
