Protestant Women of the Chapel

Thankfulness

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. (Col. 2:6-7)

In the verses above, Paul is exhorting believers to live their lives in Jesus, to be rooted and built up in Him, to be strengthened in the faith that they were taught, and to overflow with thankfulness. We must choose to do these things in obedience to the Word of God.

If you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, then you should be overflowing with thankfulness. Jesus has saved you from sin and eternal separation from God. He promises eternal life with God and abundant life on earth. According to The Oxford dictionary, overflow means to flow over the brim; be so full that the contents overflow it; extend beyond the limits; flood; to be very abundant (harvest). These are definitions that provide strong visual pictures in my mind. Our hearts should be so full of Jesus, that thankfulness is overflowing the brim of our hearts and pouring out of our mouths. There will be an abundance of thankfulness in our words (speech) and actions and the people around us will see and hear the evidence of Christ Jesus in our lives. It will flood everything around us and impact the lives of others. There will be a harvest of thanksgiving produced in our lives ‘in season’ and ‘out of season’ and it will bless those around us as we share our lives with them. Actually, it will be Christ flowing out of us; impacting the world through us.

I am so thankful my parents taught me from a young age about Jesus and raised me in the church. I thank God that at the age of twelve, I was convicted by the Holy Spirit of my sinfulness and received Jesus as Savior. At the age of thirty-one, in God’s grace and mercy, the Holy Spirit continued to draw me to the point of surrendering my life to Jesus to be Lord; to rule and reign in my life (and this is an ongoing process). Through Bible study, prayer, and seeking God in order that I may know Him intimately, I became more aware of the working of the Holy Spirit in my life and the power to live a victorious life in Him who loved and saved me.

I am thankful for PWOC. God has used this ministry to help strengthen me in the faith that I was taught from a young age and has kept me rooted and built up in Him through weekly Bible study, prayer meetings, monthly programs and conferences. PWOC has given me an outlet to serve God and others. Praise God this ministry flourishes within the military and blesses so many women.

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God, continue to bless PWOC! Bless the chaplains and the chaplain assistants that serve the military communities. Holy Spirit, help us to continue to live our lives in Christ Jesus and to be rooted and built up in Him. May we have hearts that overflow with thankfulness! Use us to be salt and light across the United States and abroad.

In Jesus name, Amen.

By Laura Miller