This Thursday, we celebrate Thanksgiving.  It’s important for us to take time to reflect on our lives and to give thanks for the many blessings that we have.  No matter what season of life we may find ourselves in, no matter how challenging our circumstances, there is always something to be thankful for.

This is especially true when we shift our focus from our circumstances to Christ and see more clearly who He is and all that He has done for us.  Even at our worst, when we place our lives into His hands, everything changes!  There’s nothing too hard for our great God!  Every one of His promises are yes and amen!

When fix our eyes on Christ, hope rises.  We realize the truth that it’s not over yet and that we will experience the goodness of God here in the land of the living.  God is able to redeem and restore, to heal and comfort, to breathe new life into any circumstances.  Not even death is too far gone for the power of our great God!

That is why Paul wrote these bold words that are likely being quoted all over the US this morning.  We’re just going to begin a few verses before them and continue on to the next verse as well.

1 Thessalonians 5:14-19

14 And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

19 Do not quench the Spirit.

So often we struggle trying to discern the will of God for our lives as if though it is one big event in our lives like when Moses parted the Red Sea.  Sure, we might experience a huge miracle in our lifetime, but we must recall what lead up to that world-changing event.  It was years of struggles and weaknesses and even some arguments with God.

However, it was lots of time spent with God.  It was time getting to know who God was and learning His ways.  And, it was a life learning how to fully trust God and simply obediently following His lead.

What is God’s will for each of our lives?  To rejoice always, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances.

To be able to give thanks in all circumstances, thankfulness needs to become for us more than just a holiday that we celebrate once a year where we watch a parade, overeat, and watch football.  Thankfulness needs to become so rooted in our lives that it transforms the way that we think, defines the way that we perceive, and saturates who we are.

Roots are incredible!  A plant’s roots define the entire plant.  Even if you cut it completely down, if the roots are intact, it will rise back again.  Often, it will grow back even bigger and stronger.  You may cut down a single plant, but many may rise up in its place.

Roots can break through anything and overcome any opposition that they may face.  They reach far and deep and wide until they are able to provide all of the water and nutrients that a plant needs to reach its full potential.

As amazing and critical as roots are, all of the work that they do and all of the growth that they achieve mostly goes unnoticed.  It’s all happening underground and often long before any activity is seen above the surface.  Depending on the plant, it can be weeks, months, or even years before any fruit comes from that growth.

It’s also a process that begins with death.  The death of a seed results in the brand new life of a new plant that can produce thousands more seeds and multiply over and over again from now until Jesus returns.

God’s word uses these plant analogies over and over again representing everything from our physical lives, our physical death, our spiritual lives, entire nations, and even Jesus, Himself.  He is the root of Jesse and the root of David!  Jesus is the vine and we are the branches.  We Gentiles ar