Always Giving Thanks For All Things

For all things 
I closed yesterday's blog with some of the "what about this?" examples that we would find it difficult to give thanks for - cancer, abuse, illness, injury, divorce, rape, incest, death of a loved one....  All these things and any others you can come up with are part of "all things" in your life. So they are included in the "all things" for which we should be giving thanks. Let me share why I believe this is true and why I believe it is of vital importance for us as individuals and for the body of Christ, the Church.

Jesus is heir of "all things." You are a joint heir with Him. All things that happen in your life, all the things you do, all the things that are done to you - all things are given to Him, to Christ, to be used to the praise and glory of His grace, and for the purpose of molding you into the image of His Son. There is no thing that is not included in all things.

1 Corinthians 10:13 declares: "No temptation [test or trial] has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it." A key phrase here is "God is faithful." You can trust Him. He knows what you can and cannot bear, and what He can and cannot use in your life to accomplish His purposes. He does not promise we will not face temptation, persecution, testing or trouble. He does promise it will not exceed the limits of what we can bear. And, He does promise a way out. If you think about this verse, you'll begin to see the implications of this.

1. If you are facing, or have faced, a given problem or temptation, it is proof that it is not more than you can bear, even if there are times you feel like it is. To say, "This is more than I can bear," is to call God a liar. It is also to agree with the "father of lies."
2. You can have confidence that the situation or temptation you are facing will never go beyond the limits of your endurance, though it may push you to the very edge.
3. If God could not in any way use a given situation in your life, you will never have to face that situation.
4. The fact that you have experienced what you have (rape, abuse, neglect, whatever), done what you did (drugs, adultery, pornography, foul language, bad temper, whatever), is proof that God can use and is using those very things to mold you into the image of Christ.
5. Not only is there a way out of temptation, but since that word can also be translated "tested" or "tried," however you see your situation, there is a way out. You do not forever have to remain in bondage to the hurts or scars of the past, whether inflicted upon you or self-inflicted.

Giving thanks for some, or any, of these things may seem absolutely contrary to all you have ever been taught, but stay with me on this. This is the hope of healing and liberty for which you've been longing. I firmly and passionately believe that this is the key to victory in the Christian life - a heart of thanksgiving - not just for the good, but also for the bad.
If your brain is just not wrapping around this, that's okay. Feel free to comment, question, argue. You might look back at some of my earlier blog posts, as they were foundational to this. You might particularly look at the April 26 blog about Job. And follow the posts for the next few days as they will further develop and clarify what I'm saying.