1Th 5:18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

     I believe these words sum up true Christianity. We can truly be thankful in a sick body or a healthy body. We can truly be thankful with a bank account full of money or we can be thankful with bill collectors hounding us. No matter the situation with our children, jobs or if a pesky fly is bugging us, we can be thankful. In 2 Chronicles 7:13 God is speaking to Solomon giving him an answer to his prayers about the temple. God said at times I might shut up the heavens so that no rain falls, or command grasshoppers to devour your crops, or send plagues among you. So what does this have to do with being thankful in all circumstances? Everything! Aren't all of these situations considered as a circumstance? No rain, Grasshoppers, Plagues all sound like a circumstance to me.

     There are going to be times in your life when everything dries up. You are going to look at these times and wonder what is going on? Prayers unanswered, Sickness not healed, blessings just not there. Why? Why? Why? Ecclesiastes 3:1(nlt) tells us for everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. When these times are in our lives we can rejoice and be thankful knowing how much God loves us. We can thank him for every trial and every blessing. Proverbs 20:24 from the New Living Testament gives us a great explanation of this. The LORD directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way. We don't have to understand everything, even though we want to, we simply need to understand God knows what He is doing. That's why He Is LORD!

     While I am writing this I am at work. It is extremely slow because the “Feed the Hungry Run” is going on through the street in front of where I work. I am watching literally thousands of people run, walk, cycle past my window. They have a set path with barricades blocking the side streets. Police and officials are all around keeping the people going in the right direction and keeping them from getting hurt. They all have a single purpose. Finish the race and go home to turkey and dressing. We as Christians all have the same ultimate purpose. Get to heaven. But unlike the race our road is not well marked with barricades and banners that keep us going in the same direction to the ultimate goal. But we do have police and officials keeping us going in the right direction. They are called Pastors, teachers, evangelists prophets and even an apostle thrown in there sometimes. But the greatest official of all is the Great Shepherd, Jesus Christ. 1Pe 2:25(nlt) Once you were like sheep who wandered away. But now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls. Do you trust the Shepherd? Do you believe He is trying to direct your path? I may not like the path nor do I enjoy the walk sometimes but I do love and trust the Shepherd of my soul.

     The most used, I believe anyway, verse in the old testament is right after the one we started with in 2 Chronicles 7:14(nlt) If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. This is what the Great Shepherd does. He leads us to repentance through situations that occur in our lives. We can thank God for the dry times in our lives because we know He is working something out in us that only through this dry season can He bring us back on the right path that leads to blessing and eventually heaven.

     The Apostle Paul had these famous words written down through the power of the Holy Spirit in 2Ti 4:7(nlt) I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. 8 And now the prize awaits me,the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of His return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to His appearing. Look at that! He fought, he remained faithful and he finished. These three things determine the heart of a man or woman of God but the ultimate one is to finish. Paul said we need to eagerly look forward. Not look to the now, not to the past but to the future and we need to be looking eagerly not all gloomy! Quit looking back and saying it was easier before. Quit looking in other directions so you can please your own self. Set your eyes on Jesus, the ultimate goal and prize who is also the author and refiner of you. Paul said, I fought a good fight, I finished the race and I remained faithful. He knew there was a crown of righteousness waiting for him. This is why we can, IN ALL THINGS GIVE THANKS, because we know someday it will all be over.