Our car has one of those gas gauges with a little light that comes on when you reach a certain level of fuel in the tank. It’s a warning light (I know this because of its orange-yellow color). It lets me know when the fuel level is getting too low. Through a series of experiments (none of which I will share at this moment), I’ve determined that when the light comes on, I have exactly 2.6 gallons of fuel left in the tank. If I need 2.7 gallons of fuel to get to the nearest gas station, then I’m doomed to roadside assistance.
And that light never comes on at a convenient time! It would be nice if it came on when I was driving along and just had the thought, “Oh, how I would love to stop and purchase some fuel!” BLING! There’s the light … how convenient!
Maybe we should install pre-warning lights to our warning lights. You know, a light that comes on to tell you the fuel light is about to come on. If we had one of these, we could plan our afternoon errands better.
Since we’re celebrating the New Year and reflecting on the last year, I thought we should check out this verse: “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18, NLT).
Thankful. Think about that word for a minute. Thank … full. Thank-full. Thankful. Full of thanks. I have a question for you: Is your “thank” full? Are you full of thanks? What’s your praise gauge on—“F” or approaching the dreaded “E”? Has the warning light come on, telling you to fill the tank with more praise?
Our “thank” tank has to be filled often, especially if we thank as often as 1 Thessalonians 5:18 tells us to thank. It says we’re to thank God in all—not for all—circumstances. That includes today’s bad day at work, the pain in your body that won’t go away, the relationship that’s gone south, the slumping housing market, the missed assignment at school, the … you get the picture. In all circumstances, give thanks to God, and don’t let the warning lights catch you off guard. As a matter of fact, let this little message be a “pre-warning” light.
