"We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise."
I have spent a lot of time wishing I was like so and so, but when it comes down to it, I was fearfully and wonderfully made to be me. I am not anyone else, I am the person God made me, yes the sins of the world cloud who I am, but I am still me. What I do to obtain what God wants me to be is not up to others, but up to me allowing God to work in me. Start making a list about attributes in yourself that you are thankful for and start being thankful in those things, stop saying if only I was thinner, if I was smarter, because guess what you are who you are and know what be thankful just the way you are. In the thanksgiving you will find more attributes to be thankful for.
I have said this many times before and in many different ways, but I can't be more straight forward then this and the Bible states in clear as a image you are reading:
1 Thessalonians 5:18 "give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." How does one give thanks in all things? Just by making a change. The more we thank God for where we are at, the more we are able to see all that God has done in our lives. If we are constantly wishing we where somewhere else, the more we are not giving thanks for just all that God is doing in us.
Take today to make a list of all you have:
Lord thank you for giving me life, thank you for allowing me to breath, to see, to hear, thank you for giving me this life, thank you for where I am at, for You have me right where You want me, thank you for this morning, thank you for the sun that warms us, thank you for an amazing wife, thank you for my son for he was born in my heart and in that it shows me that a person does not have to have the same blood to make them my child, thank you for my step kids, for you continue to allow us to grow as a family, thank you... and I can go on and on.
Once I change my perspective from being negative about things, to giving thanks about everything. God allows us to change our focus from all the bad things that could happen and the what if's, to a heart of thanksgiving and praise.
How does the Bible say to come before the Lord? It says come before the Lord with thanksgiving and enter His courts with praise. How are you coming before the Lord today? Thank Him for what you have, thank Him for where you are, because He has you right where He wants to teach you and make you, you may have entered a storm in your life, thank God for that storm and see what He wants to teach you in it. If you are in a difficult spot, see what He is saying to you, thank Him for the spot you are in and be thankful. It is very difficult to do this, but we can't climb a mountain and expect it to be easy and once you get to the top, the view down is amazing. Look at each day as a step forward and you can't climb the mountain in a day, it will take time. Take it one day at a time, moment by moment, from glory to glory He is changing me.
Do you want change? Well, change starts with a step, it starts with you saying it is time to change and start doing something, change your perspective and change, but say you want to change and do nothing to allow change to come and guess what??? Yes you are right no change will come, but allow God to change your heart to show you the new perspective and you will start to see that coming before God in thanksgiving is a choice, just like getting up to see the positive in the day is a choice. Will you make that choice today?
