The Mixture Of Life

Read I Thessalonians 5:18

There is something about a thankful heart that God desires. Thankfulness enables us to see the “big picture” of our lives. When thankfulness is present, we tend to focus on God and His glory rather than on ourselves and our personal trials and triumphs. A thankful attitude should not be reserved for the month of November, but should permeate all aspects of our being. A thankful attitude openly expressed and lived out sends a powerful message to our families, friends, neighbors and community. The message states, “God is in control and I’m glad that He is!” Thankfulness breeds the proper attitude that says, “...we know that all things work together for good…” When we forget this promise, we begin to take God for granted and thankfulness becomes impossible. We then become self-focused and lose sight of what God is accomplishing in the greater scheme of life.
Staring into our past allows us to see the “cake” that we have created. Baking a cake requires a number of ingredients (I know, I had to read the recipe). If you happen to eat most of the ingredients on their own, you will find them most distasteful. Flour, raw eggs, baking powder, etc. can twist our taste buds in directions that they are not intended to go. However, if these same ingredients are carefully blended and baked for the right period of time, the finished product is a delicious dessert. God has, from the time that we were born, been standing at the “mixing bowl” of our lives. Our “flour and raw egg” experiences , however distasteful, are the ingredients of a wonderful creation. We must give thanks to God in all situations knowing that the end result of what He is doing in our life will blend perfectly for our good and His glory.
In your personal, or family devotion time, be encouraged to identify at least one good and not so good experience in recent memory. Take time to thank God for both situations, remembering The Master Baker’s perspective. It is Proverbs 3:5-6 that state, “trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not to thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.”