Always Thankful

1 Thessalonians 5:18
Shortly after coming to Christ, Sadhu Sundar a Hindu convert to Christ felt called to become a missionary to India. Late one afternoon Sadhu was traveling on foot through the Himalayas with a Buddhist monk. It was bitterly cold and the wind felt like sharp blades slicing into Sadhu’s skin. Night was approaching fast when the monk warned Sadhu that they were in danger of freezing to death if they did not reach the monastery before darkness fell.
Just as they were traversing a narrow path above a steep cliff, they heard a cry for help. Down the cliff lay a man, fallen and badly hurt. The monk looked at Sadhu and said, “Do not stop. The universe has brought this man to his fate. He must work it out for himself.” The he quickly added while walking on, “Let us hurry on before we , too, perish.”
But Sadhu replied, “God has sent me here to help my brother. I cannot abandon him.”
The monk continued trudging off through the whirling snow, while the missionary clambered down the steep embankment. The man’s leg was broken and he could not walk. So Sadhu took his blanket, made a sling of it. And tied the man on his back. Then, bending under his burden, he began a body-torturing climb. By the time he reached the narrow path again, he was drenched in perspiration.
Doggedly, he made his way through the deepening snow and darkness. It was all he could do to follow the path. But he persevered, though faint with fatigue and overheated form exertion. Finally he saw ahead the lights of the monastery.
Then, for the first time, Sadhu stumbled and nearly fell. But not from weakness. He had stumbled over an object lying in the snow-covered road. Slowly he bent down on one knee and brushed the snow off the object. It was the body of the monk, frozen to death.
Years later Sadhu was asked, “What is life’s most difficult task?”
Without hesitation Sadhu replied: “To have no burden to carry.”
While our lives may be fraught with problems, there is still cause to be thankful. Indeed, the Bible teaches us that many of our problems become blessings, and so it is not surprising that the Bible would teach us to give thanks ALWAYS.

I. GIVE THANKS IN EVERYTHING-
Whatever the circumstances of our lives, we have cause to be thankful.
Right away, we may see the difficulty there. That would include difficult times, wouldn't it?
The last few years have been very tough for many of us. They have brought new challenges.
We may think that it is far easier to give thanks to God when things are going well.
Actually, human nature is such that we often take our blessings for granted.
It is in the lean times that our thoughts are brought into clearer focus.
It is then that we learn what our blessings truly are.
Philippians 4:4 "Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice."
The pressures and struggles we are enduring today have value.
God is using them to build our faith and make us more spiritual.
The comfort we are receiving from God will allow us to minister comfort to others.
God is using these circumstances to humble us, to teach us compassion.
These moments of our trials are not wasted. The Bible says they are more valuable than gold.
Listen to the words written by Andrae Crouch: “I’ve had many tears and sorrow; I’ve had questions