Rise Above Your Circumstances and Give Thanks!

Today is Thanksgiving - the day when most of us take a moment to reflect on the many blessings in our lives.  Many of my Facebook friends have been posting all month long on a daily basis about the things they are thankful for this year.  I have seen the "usual" things I would have thought of myself (family, health, home, God, etc.) and I have seen several "unusual" things I would not have thought of myself (health insurance, HoneyBaked Hams, cease fires, Pinterest, etc).  In reading all these varying thoughts, I have come to realize that one thing I am truly thankful for is a church family.  And I don't just mean the church family of Indian Springs Baptist Church, but the community of Christian believers which binds so many of us together.  Though we all come from varying backgrounds and have different histories and walks that have brought us to where we are today, it is a humbling experience to stand back and watch as we work together to spread God's word and encourage each other.  Sometimes we make mistakes, sometimes we fall down completely, sometimes we get mired down in our circumstances and sometimes we find ourselves or others in the middle of controversy.  But knowing that God gives us the same capacity for love, compassion, encouragement and forgiveness for each other that He has for us is amazing!   Use these God given skills and be a blessing to someone.  And be thankful today, not only for the "usual" things but for the "amazing" things that He has empowered us with.  As Dr. Jeremiah says below, "Rise above your circumstances and give thanks!" 

~submitted by Beth Dishman
ISBC Women's Ministry
Publicity Coordinator


Daily Devotional from Dr. David Jeremiah
Thursday, November 22


Live Above Your Circumstances

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.  Psalm 100:4

Recommended Reading Daniel 6:10-11

Is your cup empty or full of gratitude today? Before you sit down and offer thanks around the dinner table, ask yourself: "Am I a complainer? Or a thanks giver?" It all comes down to perspective. Are you focusing on your blessings? Or on what you've lost in life?


It's easy to complain about circumstances -- recessions, disease, hurt, and mounting difficulties. But we should give thanks to our God who lives above the circumstances. The Old Testament saint Daniel developed a discipline of gratitude in his life while living as a prisoner separated from family and friends. Yet even through dreary days, disappointments, and disaster, Daniel was a perpetual praise giver.

If you've had a tough week, a tough month, or even a tough year, fill your cup full of gratitude for who God is. Viewing the scope of your life from beginning to end, God has designed a purpose for you, and He wants you to trust Him. Though your circumstances may have changed this Thanksgiving, the faithful, gracious, merciful God you serve has not. Rise above your circumstances and give thanks!

Gratitude develops faith. The surest path out of a slump is marked by the road sign "thank you, God."
Max Lucado