"Give thanks for THAT?"

Give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

~ Ephesians 5:20, NLT

I don't think that Ephesians 5:20 says to ..."Give thinks for some things..........or "Give thanks for only the real good things.........." or "Give thanks only for really really big things where you get a bunch of stuff or money..."........It says: "Give thanks for EVERYTHING to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." What about the "bad things"? Can we gain anything good from those? Remember that God works ALL things together to him who loves the Lord. So, if like me, you have made some pretty stupid choices in the past, God will take the outcomes of those choices and make something wonderful happen. I have known guys that were lost in addictions all kinds of addictions, and are now substance abuse counselors, leaders in 12 step type recovery groups, or just friends to the addicted of all types. When you go through something like that then it is easy to understand what is going on in their mind, lives, body......God uses your experiences, bad or good to help others. I have a nephew in prison, Shawn., I have mentioned him before, he has let his life shine, holding nothing back about his past, befriending other inmates, talking to them about his experiences while in jail. God is using Shawn in a mighty way while in prison. He has grown so much in there. He feels that God may be leading him to be a counselor when he gets out. To help those, like himself, that have been addicted to things of this world. I am in awe of my nephew, he is letting his past, through God, form his future. So what am I saying here? Thank you, Father, for the addictions that I gave into in my life, so that I may use those experiences to serve you? No, not really, but "Thank you Father, for taking me out of those addictions, forgiving me, allowing me to come back into your family, and letting me work for You, sharing my experiences so that others with the same problems can see, there is a way of redemption."

Thank You Father for................? Just all the good things? The nice car, the nice home, the love of my life in my spouse, my children, the money in the bank, my wonderful job...........? Is that all there is? Of course not, and if your like me, you don't have all those things, BUT you do have Jesus in your life, and you have the lessons you have learned thus far in your walk here on earth. Think about Paul for a minute. Look at what he was doing when God became so real to him, that he literately became blinded. Paul had to become physically blind, to be able to see what he was doing. Jesus Christ and anyone who "followed" Him, ie: Christians, Paul was hunting down and killing. It took a physical handicap for Paul to see who Jesus was. But now look at what Paul became. A writer, a starter of churches, a pastor, a minister, a lover of all things God and His Son Jesus. What a leader, what a Christian. What a example. Remember Paul's "thorn in the flesh"? You know the one we can put anything into, things that we suffer with? I think this is why we never really know what this "thorn" is, so that we can "fill in the blank" if you will. But thinking about his background, I believe his "Thorn" could have been regret, pain, remorse, sorrow, for the things he had done to Christians. Yes, God forgave him, but as a human being, it is very hard to forget, we dwell on our past mistakes. He had killed Christians, how could he not forget this? But look at what Paul did for the Christians of that day, and his writings still to this day. Paul had God given abilities that He used to talk and write and share like no one else. I love reading his writings, they are so easy to understand, they cut past all the stuff, the get right to the heart of the matter. Paul, though quite educated, comes across as someone normal, a "Man's Man", a average Joe, someone who understands the common man, he "gets us" type of guy. The type who would sit down and watch the game with you, and share the love of God with you at the same time. The guy who would do anything he could do to help you, help you move from a 5th floor apartment to a 6th floor apartment both with no elevators, just because you were his friend. I can see Paul with a big smile on his face, celebrating a touchdown with all the guys, and then after the game sharing prayer requests and victories with you. He carded,so much for people, he was a real people person. Is it any wonder that God went to so much trouble to get Paul to believe in His son? But how much trouble did He go to to get you? As much as it takes. There is no limit to the pain staking ends that God will go to to ensure you go to Paradise to spend eternity with Him. It wasn't just Paul, though he does seem like "quite a catch". Paul is no more important then any of us, and I believe, he would be the first one to tell us that.

OK, here is the deal. Yes, we should thank the Lord our Father, for all the good things in our life, I mean He gave them to us. But we also need to thank God for the way our lives have lead us to see things like no one else on this earth can. I have been told that my writings are different then anything else people have ever read. I have decided to take that as a compliment.:) I have a perspective that is uniquely mine>. I am looking at life from right here . see that is my spot. No one else is right there at that spot, just me. My view is from there, the angle that I see a certain events is from right there. Your spot may be close to mine because you are right next to me .. see? But there is a small space between us, we see things just a little different. God wants to use your perspective also. Why, they seem so close? That is just it, "They SEEM so close". Our different backgrounds, our experiences, our sins, our victories, the places that we lived, our jobs, our churches, our thoughts............all make up our perspective. All this makes up our outlook on life. Everything we have gone through in life up until now influences how we see life, right now.

So, get to the point!!OK here it is, "Give thanks for EVERYTHING to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ>" Does that mean: "Thank you, Lord, for all the sin I have committed in my life, for without it I could not be the man I am today"? No, God never wants us to fail, BUT He will use our failings to help others. God NEVER wants us to sin, BUT when WE DO, He will use those mistakes, if we ask for forgiveness and turn from them, to help others facing the same temptations. THAT is what we should thank the Lord our Father for. That He will not only forgive us our sins, but will use them to help others facing the same thing.

What is the best way to learn how to get somewhere? Someone drawing you a map, telling you how to get there, giving you landmarks, "Turn left at the ole crooked tree", or by getting in the car and giving you turn by turn directions. I used to drive a trash truck and had to learn new routes all the time. How did I learn them? Repetition. Driving them over and over, until it became second nature. But the first time I drove a completely new route they would send someone who had been on the route and knew it very well, they would show me where to go. If you are going through a divorce and are really having a hard time, who best to talk to then someone who was recently divorced also? Talking to a newlywed would be of little use. The same goes with ANY temptation we have, who better then someone who has had the same problems and has overcome them with the help of Jesus?

Give thanks for your past mistakes, for they can and will be used for God. But try and stay away from any more. Don't get the idea that you can sin a little here and there, because your going to ask for forgiveness and then help those that are tempted by the same things. I have tried that excuse, don't work, it's just that, an excuse to make yourself feel better.

Thank you Lord, for ALL my experiences, both good and bad. Help me to use them to help others who are being tempted. Let me realize that you did not want me to fail, but even though I have, you have forgiven me and will use me. You , Lord, were tempted while here on earth, and know EVERY temptation satan can and does throw our way. This makes you our ally, our friend, our counselor, our leader, our savior. You know what we go through, you know exactly what it feels like to be a human and be tempted with things that seem so fulfilling, and yet cost our very souls. Thank you Lord, for your Love, your understanding and your patience. You send help, even when we think we are OK. You know us better then we know ourselves.

Let's give thanks for ALL the Lord has done for us, even the lessons that we did not like learning, and God more then likely didn't like giving. You know, those "hard" lessons, the ones we learn from our mistakes?