A Life of Thanks-GivingSample

Thanksgiving Is Our Purpose! Thanksgiving  is our PURPOSE! Some people think that thanks-giving is merely an  "attitude of gratitude" that makes life better or more bearable. They could not be more wrong! Giving thanks isn't the icing on the cake of  life - it is one of the fundamental reasons of our existence. Today's reading demonstrates this powerfully: Paul is praying for the Colossians. He prays that : * they would know God's will (through wisdom and understanding) * in order to life lives that please God by: \- bearing fruit in good works \- growing in their knowledge of God \- being strengthened by God to patiently endure \- joyfully giving thanks! For Paul, giving thanks was the outcome (the cherry on the top) of bearing fruit, growing and enduring. In his prayer, Paul also describes who we thank: * We thank the Father who has qualified us and rescued us (It is not us who have qualified!) * We thank the beloved Son in whom we have redemption and forgiveness. You can feel Paul echoing John 3:16 here. Finally, Paul tells us what the Father and Jesus did for us: \- He rescued us from the dominion of darkness \- He brought us into the Kingdom of the Beloved Son Read the passage below and notice: \- how God equips us \- what God did \- how He rescued us \- And how that all comes together in "joyfully giving thanks"