A Life of Thanks-GivingEsimerkki

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"