“Give thanks to God no matter what circumstances you find yourself in. This is God’s will for all of you in Jesus the Anointed” (1 Thes. 5:17).

Have you ever wondered what God’s will is for your life? Unless you’re that one weird guy who still lives in his mom’s basement and never leaves the house, then you’d probably say yes. Even that weird guy would probably say yes.

What is God’s will for your life? I can’t tell you everything, but I can tell you one thing. God’s will for you is that you give thanks. Be grateful.

Give thanks in everything, as one translation puts it. Not FOR everything, because not everything in your life that happens to you is good. You don’t give thanks for getting fired or totaling your car, but you can still give thanks in those circumstances.

Give thanks for the little things, like waking up this morning. For the sun shining on your way to work. For you still having a job. For having a working vehicle.

One thing I’ve learned is it’s better to give thanks specifically. Don’t be like me at the end of the day and say something like, “God, thank you for everything You’ve done for me in the last 24 hours.”

God knows what He did, but when you remember what He did, it changes your perspective. As I’ve quoted before, “Gratitude makes what you have enough.” When you’re thankful, you forget about how much you don’t have and realize that you have everything you need.

I love what I heard recently. If you have God and everything else, you don’t have anymore than if you had God and nothing else. God is enough.

So give thanks. Right now, I’m giving thanks for my mentally disturbed feline who likes to curl up in my lap and rub her face against the corner of my iPad. I’m thankful for a roof over my head, a comfy chair, and for warmth on a very cold night.

I know you northerners always get a kick out of us southerners complaining about how cold it is when it’s 40 degrees outside. Well, guess what. It really is cold outside. As in 24, headed for a low of 16. That’s cold for just about anybody, right?

I do love cold weather, as long as I get to enjoy it from inside a heated house. I even love snow as long as I don’t have to drive in it. Or better yet, drive amongst other people who don’t know how to drive in it.

But back to it being cold. It’s cold. Like winter cold. And it’s not even Thanksgiving. Where’s Al Gore and his global warming when you really need it? I’d settle for some Tennessee warming.

Anyway, it’s Monday and Monday is almost over. And I survived. I woke up this morning and God was still on His throne and that happy ending in the book of Revelations still holds true. Jesus wins. Spoiler alert.

Once again, I’ll be a broken record and say that I really and truly am blessed. That will never get old for me. Or at least I hope not.

This appeared in my emails and I thought it could not have come at a better time. Not just for me, but possibly for some of you as well:

“God knows how to give you a life far greater than the one you planned.

No matter where you find yourself right now, or where you have come from, you can trust that the plans God has for you are so much better than anything you could have ever thought of.

The word tells us that our minds can not conceive of the plans he has in store for us.

Honestly, I find this very comforting because so many times it seems I mess everything up.

Praise God for his redemption and commitment to bring us to a better life!

Trust that The One who loved you and gave himself for you wants the very best for you in every way – even better than the plans you have for yourself” (Neil Vermillion).

I hope this speaks to you like it did to me. May you find that life God has planned for you and live it to the brim.

Ok, I have to confess something. When I sang this as a kid, I always pictured the grumpy old man Scrooge who hated Christmas. Why would I want to life him up?

Now, I understand that an ebenezer is a kind of memorial stone. It’s a visible reminder of a time when God interceded on behalf of His people and brought deliverance.

I think it’s good to have an ebenezer handy for when times get tough and God seems so very far away. Maybe it’s a journal. Maybe it’s a family heirloom. Maybe it’s an actual stone from a place where you witnessed God’s care and provision firsthand.

We need these reminders because we are so forgetful, especially in the trials. It’s easy to look around and see only struggles and issues and problems and how everything seems to be going wrong. It’s hard to remember past the pain or to conjure up memories of good days.

The ebenezer is a kind of reminder that yes, God delivered you before and is certainly capable of doing it again. It’s a tangible witness to the mercy of God that met you when you needed it most.

I think even old Mr. Scrooge might have found his own ebenezer. Here’s hoping and praying you and I find ours.

Are you having trouble sleeping? Are you tossing and turning long after you thought you’d be asleep? Do all your efforts at falling asleep only lead to you being more awake, not less?

This isn’t an ad for a mattress or a pillow. It’s not a commercial for a pill that helps you sleep without leaving you feeling groggy in the morning. This is where I give you a suggestion or two.

Maybe you can’t sleep for a reason. Maybe God’s putting someone or something on your mind that you need to pray for.

Search your mind. What’s the first thing that comes to your mind? Pray about it. Whose name comes first to your mind? Pray for that person.

And when you pray, thank God in advance like He’s already done the thing you prayed for. I’m not saying “name it, claim it.” What I am saying is that if God doesn’t answer your prayer like you wanted, it’s only because He has something better in mind.

Just a suggestion. I’m not saying you’ll sleep better, although you might after releasing your worry to God. I am saying that the whole pray without ceasing thing is a pretty goof idea.

PS My cat never has trouble falling asleep. Maybe I should take a few pointers from her.

Technology is great. I love technology. When it works.

When it doesn’t, that is another story entirely. Sometimes I wonder if we’re not too tied up with technology to the point that if the power ever goes off, we’re in big trouble. But that is another topic for another day.

What do you do with frustrations? When your plans don’t quite go like you planned? When nothing goes according to plan?

The main question is this: do you see frustrations as obstacles in your path or opportunities for you to become a better person? Do you see them as a chance to develop your character as well as your faith?

I hate to say it, but I think some very un-Baptist thoughts when my laptop doesn’t cooperate. I easily get impatient instead of remembering to be grateful for the tech that didn’t exist 20 years ago.

The old saying is that you should never pray for patience unless you want to have what little patience you do have severely tested. That’s why God made technology.

Amen to that.

I experienced a little of this tonight. Literally. As in one moment I was watching yet another syndicated episode of Friends, and the next moment I was sitting in the dark. I think my exact words were, “Well, there’s that.”

It came out of nowhere. There was no reason for the power to go out. There was no storm outside or any excess of things plugged in. It was just a very random power outage.

Sometimes, life is like that. You may be going along, minding your own business when, just as suddenly, your lights go out. You lose a job. A loved one dies unexpectedly. A check bounces.

All of a sudden, you feel like you’re in total darkness. You can’t see to find your way out. You may even feel a bit of panic building up inside you.

In those moments, it’s like the old Corrie Ten Boom analogy. When you’re on a train going through a dark tunnel, you don’t automatically jump off the train as soon as it gets dark. You trust the conductor.

In the same way, the same God who has guided you all along in those well-lit places will get you through all those dark places, too. I’ve always heard the old cliche that there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel. I do know that when I can’t find that light or see my way, I can always trust the One who is leading me to get me where He wants me to be.