Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.  Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets before you.   Matthew 5:11  HCSB

We have spent this week talking about living a life of gratitude.  Now this is easy to do when things are going our way and we feel as though we are on top of the world.  However, our circumstances and emotions will bring us highs and lows.  When we remain in God and remain true to Him we can stay steady through whatever we face.

When we commit our lives to Christ there is this pattern that everyone goes through.  First, we realize our great need for Christ in our lives and we turn to Him.  Then we realize that we need to give it all over to Him. When we do this it angers the devil and he comes against us.  He will use friends and loved ones to do his dirty deeds without them even knowing that they are being used.  Now when we are in this La-La land phase where we are giving it all over to God and we are trusting Him and loving Him with our heart, our soul, and our mind it’s all good.  But what about when people come against us?  Well, actually that shouldn’t be any different.  Oh, I know that this isn’t what we prefer, but it is what we can expect and it is just one of those storms that we must be prepared to weather as Christians.

We should be able to thank God when we face these types of situations.  We should thank God for the strength and the hope that we find in Him.  We should thank God for His protection during tough times.  Anything worth having is worth working for.  When I used to run, sometimes the race was hard but it was worth it to be able to cross that finish line.  I considered myself a winner just by accomplishing the goal that I had set forth.  When you go through an intense training, you have that sense of completion and are proud of a job well done.  Well, our Christian life is like that.  There will be ups and downs.  There will be good times and bad times.  But, it is important that we remain steady.  It is most important that we are able to thank God through all of these things.  We must be able to finish strong.

Our scripture passage says that we should rejoice and be exceedingly glad when we face times of persecution for Christ’s sake because of the great reward that awaits us in heaven.  In the 8 years since I committed my life to Christ, I have lost association with some friends and some family members.  But what I have gained has been so much greater.  Yes, it does sadden me that some may never understand the awesomeness of a life filled with Christ, but I won’t let that deter me from trying to save others.  I won’t let that stop me from  doing what God has called me to do.

My prayer for you today is that you are weathering the storms under God’s magnificent shelter.  I pray that you are able to be grateful in all circumstances.  I pray that you are not controlled by your circumstances, but that you fully understand that God is in control of all things.  This is the way to live so that everyday is Thanksgiving.

So before you grab the Christmas decorations and rush out to the black Friday sales, stop and thank God for whatever circumstances you face today.  Stop and let Him know that you know that He’s got this!

Have a great day!