Our text for today is Colossians 3:17
“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
When we read this, it seems hard to believe. It is saying that no matter what you have to do today be thankful. What if I have to have surgery? What if I have to beg for a job? Even then you should be thankful.
One wise person noted that there are three levels of gratefulness. What you can be grateful for depends on how spiritually mature you are.
1. You can be grateful for the things you have IN a storm. I am thankful I have a roof over my head. This level of thankfulness is for things and stuff.
2. You can be grateful for God seeing you THROUGH the storm. God is God who helps you get through the storms of life.
There is nothing wrong with gratefulness in either of these levels. If fact, you should feel gratefulness for what you have IN the storm and that God will get you THROUGH the storm. There is however another level of maturity. It is made clear in James 1:2
“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials.”
3. Be grateful FOR the storm.
It takes spiritual maturity to be grateful FOR the storm. It takes maturity to think and be grateful for all the things you gain from the storm. You build strength for the next storm. A storm helps you build patience with life. In other words, a storm helps you grow your spirit.
There is nothing harder to live with than an ungrateful person. Let’s make sure we are not asking God to deal with an ungrateful person when he deals with us.
Let’s all strive to grow in our gratefulness until we can learn to be grateful FOR the storms that come our way. They can help make us who God wants us to be.
Lonnie Davis