Be Thankful for the Unchanging Glories of God

  The Colorado Springs doctor who was rescued by SEAL Team 6 in Afghanistan said he has deep appreciation for the officer who was killed during the mission."My heart goes out to the family of the fallen hero for his service, commitment and courage," Dr. Dilip Joseph said.

Joseph works with Morning Star Development, a Colorado Springs-based nonprofit founded in 2002, focused on economic and community development, primarily in Afghanistan. The organization is not a religious-missions organization but is faith-based, with Christians and Muslims on staff.

Joseph and two other Morning Star employees were abducted Dec. 5 by Taliban insurgents. The other two were released after successful negotiations. Military officers moved in when intelligence indicated Joseph's life was in imminent danger.

Petty Officer 1st Class Nicolas D. Checque, 28, died from combat-related injuries on the mission, the Defense Department said in a previous statement.

Checque, who was from the Pittsburgh area, was part of the elite SEAL Team 6 — the same group credited with killing Osama bin Laden in 2011. It remains unclear if he was part of that mission.

Joseph has made several trips to Afghanistan and said Friday he "will continue to pray and hope for its peace and long-term stability."

Because of "ongoing security issues," he said he will not be available for direct interviews, though he did say he has been in contact with the sailor's family and will work on ways to honor his service.

"I ... deeply value the sacrifice of one of their own servicemen for the success of this mission," he said.
-Denver Post, December 21, 2012, Jason Pohl 

If there is one sin that most prevalent today, it is the sin of ingratitude. God does so much for us. Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done.

In fact, most professing Christians don’t even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives. For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season, it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hour.

One of the most explicit Bible verses related to the matter of thanksgiving is 1 Thessalonians 5:18. This verses says, "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." This verse commands believers to give thanks to the Lord, not FOR everything, but IN everything! There is a big difference there! Certainly, we ought to be thankful, not just because we are told to be thankful, but because we have much to be thankful for!

However, I have discovered that thankfulness is a very fickle thing. Often, our thankfulness focuses on things that are physical in nature. We are thankful for our health. We are thankful for our families and our homes. We are thankful for our financial stability. We are thankful for the things we have.

Yet, all of these things are subject to change. Think about it, health can break, families can split up and bank accounts can run dry. What do we do then? How does that affect our thankfulness?

I'd like to suggest that we remain thankful for all the physical blessings we enjoy, and that we learn to look beyond those changing things to some things that never change. I would also like to share a few of those unchanging blessings with you.

The following verses tell us of just a few of the unchanging glories of our Lord! The things revealed here are causes for thankfulness at all times...

• (Hebrews 13:5) His Abiding Presence - Regardless of where the path of life leads, the saint of God will never walk alone.
• (Hebrews 13:6) His Assisting Presence - When we are in need, the Lord runs to our aid.
• (Hebrews 13:8 His Anchoring Presence - Jesus never changes! What He was then is what He is now! From before creation on into eternity, Jesus has never, nor will He ever change! He is still "I AM!" 
• (Hebrews 13:9) The Price Of Our Salvation - We can thank God that salvation is given without cost. It is purely the operation of grace! 
• (Hebrews 13:12) The Pain Of Our Salvation - For us the price was low, for God, the price was unimaginable! Our salvation cost God the life of His Son, John 3:16. His death on the cross is what provided salvation for you and me! 
• (Hebrews 13:12) The Purpose Of Our Salvation - We are told here that He suffered the death He did so that He might "sanctify the people." He died to take vile sinners out of their sins and set them apart from this world for the glory of God.
• (Hebrews 13:13) This verse calls for us to do on the outside what He has already done on the inside. That is, He has set us apart inwardly through the redemption of the blood of Jesus. He call to us is that we willingly take our stand with Jesus on the outside of society.
• (Hebrews 13:14) We are reminded that we are living in a world that is constantly changing. If all of our hopes are placed in this world and in the physical realm, then we are going to be disappointed more than we will be happy. However, the child of God can rejoice in the fact that this world is not the end all, tell all of our Christian experience! Verse 14 tells us that there is something better just down the road!

In closing, Let's be thankful for all the things He gives us. Let us praise Him for our health, our families, our financial blessings and so on. Let's not take them for granted. But, let us learn to be more thankful for those things which we can never lose! Let's learn to be ever thankful for those things that cannot change! 

When all the physical blessings have faded and we can find no reason for praise in them, let us thank the Lord that there are some things that will never change! In these things we have an unchanging reason for eternal thanksgiving!

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:17; Isaiah 55:1; Revelation 22:17; John 14:16; Matthew 28:18, 20: Isaiah 41:10

Prayer: Lord, there are marvelous things that I do not know, nor can I comprehend. Lord, things that happen in my life, and things that happen in my friends lives. Lord, I desire to be thankful, to appreciate everything that comes across my path. Lord, so often life hurts, I get angry -- upset, I do not understand, yet Lord You ask me to be thankful for everything, and have faith – thank You.

God bless you,

Beth