Yes, it has been a difficult year in many ways. Over 263,000 people have died from COVID-19 in the USA alone. Worldwide, the number of people who have died from the coronavirus is 1.43 million -- yes, well over a million people; that is so sad and tragic. We have also experienced much societal unrest, with violence and rioting in our streets and the tearing down of statues and monuments, even of Presidents Lincoln, Grant, and Teddy Roosevelt. Racial tensions and unrest are extremely high. People are fearful. Many have suffered the loss of their jobs, health, or family members, and some are still grieved over lost elections. There has been much turmoil, no doubt. Yes, this has been a tough year in many ways, and many are ready to say goodbye to 2020.
But God! He is still on the throne, and He has given us clear guidelines on how to live our lives, even in a pandemic. As we are grateful and optimistic before a watching world, it causes them to pause and reflect upon what we have that they do not have. Also, it gives us opportunities to share the love of God shown to us in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The Bible teaches us that we, as the children of God, are to be thankful at all times. True, it is easy to thank and praise God when all is well in our lives; however, it is much more difficult to give thanks when we are suffering. This week in our daily devotions, I will write about the importance of giving thanks at all times. We will look at biblical texts that teach us about giving thanks to God in every season of life, in good times and bad. For example, on Thanksgiving Day, Ashley and I went to the Dallas Cowboys football game and watched them get beat soundly by Washington. It was painful to watch, but we stayed til nearly the end. Also, we had some problems with getting tickets online, and we are still trying to resolve paying for four tickets when we only wanted two! But Ashley and I chose to give thanks anyway. We were so grateful that God gave us the opportunity to go to the game. We had so much fun. We ate nachos, drank Diet Coke, and laughed at each other making some really strange noises imitating the sounds we heard at the game. Ashley wrote in a text to our good friend, Debbie Hurt, that she enjoyed being with her "Sweetie". (That would be me!) :D
Yes, it is possible to obey Ephesians 5:20 and be thankful even in the midst of trying times.
Tomorrow is Giving Tuesday. I will not send you a devotional like I normally do, but our team at DFEA will send a video and updates about how you can support our ministry. If you'd like to give an early gift towards the $5,000 GivingTuesday goal happening tomorrow, give here:
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