Separated from friends, unjustly accused, brutally treated – if any man had a right to complain it was this man, languishing almost forgotten in a harsh Roman prison. But instead of complaints, his lips rang with words of praise and thanksgiving.
This was the apostle Paul – a man who had learned the meaning of true thanksgiving, even in the midst of great adversity. Look carefully at what he wrote during that prison experience: “Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Think of it! “Always giving thanks…for everything” no matter the circumstances. His guards and fellow prisoners must have thought him crazy – but that didnt stop him. Thanksgiving for Paul was not a once-a-year celebration, but a daily reality that made him a joyful person in every situation. May that be true of us.
Credit: Hope for Each Day, Billy Graham
