In, 2 Tim. 1:11-12, Scripture shows you what real thanksgiving looks like. Paul is in a dungeon, chained to a Roman guard. It is dark down in that hole. He can barely see well enough to write. He thinks back over thirty years as an apostle, teacher and preacher.
Most people in such a situation feel sorry for themselves. Can't you hear yourself crying out, "Lord, you certainly have a strange way of showing your love for me? I have sacrificed and suffered for you. What do I get for it? I'm locked up in this hole, and I'll probably be executed within a month. Thanks a lot!" But that's not what Paul said. Instead, he declared, "I am not ashamed of the Gospel." Then he gives two reasons for his confidence, even in a dungeon, even face to face with death. If you can claim these same two reasons, you can celebrate real thanksgiving in your life.
Paul said, He Could Be Confident because he Knows God Personally. There is a huge difference between knowing about God and knowing God. Even the devil knows about God, and trembles because of what he knows. To know God personally is to love and serve Him as Savior, leader, counselor and friend.
As a believer you can actually know God personally and can be assured that you have been saved, born again and reconciled to God. The key Bible verse is Romans 8:16: "The Spirit testifies with your spirit that you are God's child."
How do you get that type of inner assurance?" God alone gives it. But you can place yourself squarely in the bulls-eye of God's grace by taking these five steps: First, talk with God each day in prayer, even if at first you feel as though your prayers are pointless. Second, read God's inspired book each day, even if at first you read just a few verses. Third, as you begin to sense God's spirit touching your life, make a personal commitment to Christ. Dare to confess your sin to Him and believe that He paid for your sin on the cross. Invite the risen Christ to be the leader of your life. Step number 4 is this: gather regularly with other believers to worship God. Yes, you could worship alone in a trout-filled stream or on a manicured golf course. But Jesus said, "Where two or three come together in my name, there I am with them." (Matt. 18:20) The final step in getting personal with God is to take some risks with Him. Dare to do something that is not likely to succeed without God's help. Reach out to some alienated person. Try to tutor a child at a local school. Tithe your income.
When you take God-approved risks, you come to know God better and trust Him more. Where in your life are you taking God-approved risks that are not likely to succeed without God's help? If you want to know God personally, risk-taking is essential.
It is not enough to know about God. It is not enough to be an excellent student of the Scriptures. In order to celebrate real Thanksgiving, you must know God personally. Paul gave a second reason for confidence: He Could Be Confident Because God is Able to Guard All That He Entrusts to Him.
Your only assets that are absolutely secure are those that have been entrusted to Christ. When Wall Street is smoldering on the trash heap of history, your investments in Christ will be shining like pure gold.
You don't know what a day may bring, much less a year. Yet you can dare to give thanks to God because you can say, "You know whom you have believed, and your convinced that he is able to guard what you have entrusted to him " (1 Tim. 1:12).
Though the heavenly Father does not control you like a puppet, there is a kind of invisible rope between Him and you. He has wonderful and mysterious ways of pulling you out of trouble and keeping you secure in Him. For that you can be so thankful. Believe that with all your heart, then you’ll know the secret of your confidence, and you're ready for Thanksgiving!
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