Col. 1-12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
	This morning, we are brought together because of the great Love of God Who has made us one with each other in Christ Jesus. The Christian world is remembering and commemorating the miracle of the birth of the Son, God incarnate, in that humble stable in Bethlehem. Jesus Christ’s birth, over 2000 years ago, brought to earth, and to us, the fulfillment of the heart of God in drawing mankind unto Himself in a relationship, in an inheritance in Christ, into His very family. 
	Today, let us consider our Colossian passage with our eyes set upon the miracle of Love that is our Lord Jesus Christ. The remembrance of His birth pales in light of the knowledge of what His life is in us now and for eternity. 
	There is a treasure inherent in the heart of God as expressed in the earthly life, death, and resurrection of our Lord. God has brought us livingly into a place of daily communion with Himself. It is a place of righteousness, peace and joy as the Holy Spirit indwells our beings and works to bring forth the life of Christ on a continual basis. So many people are being robbed of the inheritance that is theirs in Christ Jesus because they refuse to allow the Holy Spirit access to their heart in revealing the fullness of what God has accomplished through the giving of His Son, Jesus Christ. They have hardened their hearts to all the God has purposed for them, in Christ, because of the path that must be traveled in order for a complete reliance upon God to be their everything, great and small! The infestation of this realm in proclaiming the self-worth of the creation over the Creator, has been a road block to the fullness of what God has always intended in His Heart toward us.
	The beginning of the life we have in Christ is the acceptance of Him as our Lord and Savior. In that acceptance of the verity of His death and resurrection on our behalf, to deal with the sin and trespasses of our old life, we are indwelled by the Holy Spirit, Who begins to manifest the new life that is now true of us in Christ. As He works mightily, we learn to obey and to cherish the love and the comfort with which we are lead through the paths of our journey to the fullness of our inheritance as saints in Christ.
	The daily death to self and resurrection unto Christ, become lessened as we are directed, comforted and protected by the Loving and Omnipotent power of the Holy Spirit. It is in this avenue that our morning’s text comes to life. We are to give thanks to God, Who has done this marvelous work in us and for us unto His glory throughout all creation.
	The church, those who are the living Body of Christ, needs to realize, as a whole, the importance of giving heart-felt thanks to God for His magnificent work on our behalf. It is at this point of unadulterated thanksgiving, that our walk in Christ, becomes a reality. This is where we need to be today, and every day, with one another and by ourselves, if we are truly to recognize the fullness of God in us. Thankfulness is a key-stone to everything that God is doing. It is to be grateful for all that God is and has done for us. To be grateful! This is a truth that needs to be instilled in us by virtue of our hearts in Christ. He set the example for us as He walked on this earth. He taught His disciples, His followers, and us, to give thanks to God for all that we receive, counting it all a blessing unto us from the Father.
	This was not a new concept. The Old Testament has many teachings about the need for thanksgiving before God. Psalms 100:4 is but one example. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. There is a key to thankfulness that we are being taught as we are instilled with this truth. That key is that we are receiving from the heart, from the bounty, from the grace of God, not because we deserve something, not because we have earned anything, but because He loves us. He loves us so much He has given and given and given again. Even when we were separated form Him by our hatred an our animosity toward Him in wanting our way and our desires, He loved us unto Himself in Christ Jesus. He is at work to teach us what true thankfulness entails. We are to be the living expression of the same selfless expression of the Love of God unto others, because we are indwelled by the living expression of that Love, Jesus Christ.
	True thankfulness means that we cherish others above ourselves. It means that our hearts are set on pleasing others, and bringing forth the best that we have to offer unto even those who are not the most loving of people. We set our hearts on blessing those who are lost, and cherish the opportunity to bring joy to those who are downcast. It is only when we are truly thankful to God, that we are able to appreciate, and to express the great love of God at work in us. 
	Read Psalms 107: 22 in that light, And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing. The sacrifices of thanksgiving. If we are truly in a living relationship with Christ, our entire life is to be a living sacrifice unto God, wholly consecrated and dedicated unto Him in our every word, thought, and deed. That is a true sacrifice as we are continually being brought to the death of ourselves and our desires for Him to be livingly manifested unto His glory. That is the key to our thanksgiving, don’t you see? We are to be living tot he glory of God on this earth. For that to be true, we need to know, and to live in the thanksgiving of what He has done. We are to make known, in life, the glory of God in the effective work of Christ Jesus, every day of our walk on this earth. How is that accomplished? This is where the collision between our earthly and our spiritual life is most often at its peak. It is when others behold how we deal with the problems and the disasters of life. If we are not acknowledging, in a living manner, the thankfulness to God for who we are now in Christ, we will complain, and be frustrated, and angered, and explosive, and downcast, and confused, and self-absorbed as our life is tested and tried by God. We will deal with the problems and worries just as the rest of the world deals with them, doing the best we can under the circumstances. There will be no difference between our handling of the difficulties and the world’s attempted solutions to the difficulties. Why should the world acknowledge or look to a god who cannot do any better than that? In our selves and our self efforts, we cannot be thankful to God, but rather concentrate on the unfairness of the situation and the damage done to us and our self-interests. We become sullen, negative and, quite frankly, someone to be avoided at all costs. We become repulsive to ourselves and to others.
	If, however, we are thankful to God for everything that comes into our lives, as attested to in I Thes. 5:18, In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you., then those around us will see a difference, a tremendous difference brought into our lives by the plan of God instituted in Christ, and initiated by His earthly birth 2000 years ago. The difference in difficulties will be centered in Christ, and in our thankfulness to God for Christ and for the Holy Spirit Who is keeping us safe and secure throughout every difficulty, and to the Father for so loving us unto Himself that He has made every provision for us, in health and in sickness, in wealth and in poverty, in life and in death, in everything, in Christ Jesus. 
	The world will see a tremendous distinction in those who are allowing the life of Christ to be evidenced no matter what the circumstances or dilemmas. That is the very course that our earthly walk is to be evidencing daily. It is a road that you and I can not travel by ourselves. It is only as we are lead by the Holy Spirit, that the church can give evidence to the whole Glory of God. That road is full of opportunities to give God thanks for the great Love with which we are loved in Jesus Christ. 
	The birth of our Lord and Savior those many centuries ago should be bubbling forth in newness of life in our thanksgiving unto the Father for all of eternity. Our celebration of His great Love should evidence hearts that are learning the fullness of giving God the sacrifices of thankfulness every moment of our walk in Him. Today, tomorrow, and always, let us manifest, in life, the truth of Christ, in all humbleness before the throne of Him, Who deserves all that we are and have to bring Him with the lives that we live before Him. Let our prayers be for the glory of God to evidence our thankfulness for Christ with everyone brought into our lives. Let our celebrations center themselves in sacrifices of thanksgiving to God for Who He is and what He has done in Jesus Christ!
	Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: