"Giving thanks always for all things ... in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" ~ Ephesians 5:20
In the past I [Eugenia Price, the author] have found myself giving "lip service" go God's Word here. I "gave thanks," but not from my heart. From my mouth. And, of course, the joy that always follows obedience to God's Word did not reach my heart. My heart was not involved in the transaction at all.
I have called this a "blue stone" verse because at last I believe I am learning what "God is up to" here. And what I have seen in these brief glimpses has caused my faith to grow. There is no exercise at all in doing easy things. If God had said, "Giving thanks always for all the easy things," no-one would be challenged enough even to try to find out what He really means. But He said, "Giving thanks always for all things..."
Humanly speaking, this is an impossibility. And Jesus warned us that without Him we could do nothing. We will share much more along this line in our collection of "purple stones" where I will attempt to show how to give thanks. For now, let me promise you that a deeper faith always follows obedience to this divine instruction.
A deeper faith and a better look at the face of Jesus Christ. We are forced to look at Him in it! Otherwise we are snowed under by the "things" themselves. Our part is to be willing to look at Jesus. And the more we look at Him, the more we are drawn to Him, and the more quickly we are enabled to be willing to begin even that first feeble, "Thank you."
"... we all, with open face beholding as in a glass from the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord ... and Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, Father, I thank thee ..."
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