Article: IN EVERYTHING GIVE THANKS | Jacob Varghese

Please turn your attention with me to 1 Thessalonians 5:18 for this meditation. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” In some other translations we see, “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
In this verse Paul exhorts his readers to give thanks in all circumstances. He adds that it is God’s will to do so. Regardless how difficult our circumstances may be, we can find reasons to thank God. When is it easiest to be thankful? When things are going good, right? While it might be easier to praise God when you are most happy and comfortable, it is just as important, if not more important, to thank Him in the midst of trials. As we meditate from God’s word, what are you thankful for? Are you thankful to God for everything and in all circumstances? As I was preparing this message, I was looking at my own life to find out what am I thankful to God for. I could immediately think of so many things which I am thankful to God for but few things took its priority in my list. 1.I am alive-my very life. As I breath now, someone is taking the last breath in their life. 2. My health 3. Opportunities in life. 4. The people in my life- my family, friends, colleagues, co-believers and so on. 5. The hard times I have gone through in my life. It is so easy to take people for granted, or even to complain and become angry because they do not meet our every wish. But we need to give thanks for those around us—our spouses, our children, our relatives, our friends and others who help us in some way. Do you let others know that you appreciate them and are thankful for them? The Christians in Corinth were far from perfect, but Paul began his first letter to them by saying, “I always thank God for you” When a group of believers (whom Paul had never met) came out to greet him as he approached Rome, we read that “at the sight of these men Paul thanked God and was encouraged” Thank God for those who touch your life.
We all have so much to be grateful for in this life, every single day. But reality is that sometimes constant life demands, difficulties and worries give more room to defeat than to a heart of thanks. Or in the midst of busyness and pressures of life we forget to give thanks for all that God has done and continues to do in our lives. Sometimes it really is a sacrifice to offer praise and thanks. When we are struggling, exhausted, or maybe, we feel like He let us down; we may not feel like Thanking God. We think God seems distant, like God is far away, or God doesn’t really care about what is troubling us. Do you want to be happy in life? Then be thankful to God. Paul simply says very directly: No exceptions, no excuses-in everything give thanks. No matter the situation, we are to find a reason to thank God.

I remember reading an incident. Corrie ten Boom was sent to a prison camp for hiding Jews from the Nazis. There, her sister said they should thank God for everything in their barracks. Corrie refused to give thanks for the bedbugs that infested their bedding, but later she found out that those bedbugs (fleas) kept the guards from entering the barracks, enabling them to have daily prayer meetings. So, she said, “Thank you, Lord, for the fleas!” So, while you are thanking God “who satisfies your mouth with good things”, remember that He is in control and He knows best. Let us thank the Lord in all things, because God is good all the time! In other words, as followers of Christ, let us believe that every piece of hardship is a grace gift from the Lord, sent for our growth, sanctification, and further intimacy with the Almighty. Though life may get hard – and it does- it all falls under God’s sovereign will. We don’t believe we are here on this earth all alone. We believe God is firmly in charge. When the peace of Christ rules in our hearts, thankfulness overflows. Even in the darkest of times, we can praise God for his love, his sovereignty, and his promise to be near us when we call.

Giving thanks in all circumstances is the most reliable indicator of our spiritual health. A grateful and thankful person is someone who appreciates both how undeserving he/she is before God and how generous God is to them. The verse says that we are to give thanks “in” all circumstances NOT “for” all circumstances. The Bible never tells me to give thanks FOR injustice or loss but to give thanks IN the midst of them. We can give thanks IN all circumstances because God IS found in each one. Yes, God is found in each circumstance, even the most difficult ones. Are we really supposed to give thanks ‘In Everything?’ “Thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.” It seems like God is asking too much of us, especially during times of great disappointments, tremendous losses, or unbearable heartaches. It’s hard for us to comprehend how we are supposed to give thanks during these types of difficulties and challenges. Ephesians 5:20 says “always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The misunderstanding comes in thinking we are supposed to give thanks “for” everything when God is leading us to give thanks “in” everything. It is a concept some of us struggle with and resist, thinking God is telling us to be thankful “for” the difficulties. During difficult times, God asks us to focus on Him and His faithfulness to us, rather than on our circumstances; to dwell on His promise to never leave or forsake us and to trust Him to help us in every situation we face in life.
As we meditate on the theme thanksgiving, we can see the Bible say about Thankfulness in many places in the Bible and it also speaks about for what we need to be thankful for.

Being thankful is a choice. Leviticus 22:29 says “And when you offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the LORD, offer it of your own free will.”
Start the day with a thankful attitude, and end the day with it. Psalms 92:1&2, say “It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High, proclaiming your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night.”
Give thanks in every situation. I Thessalonians 5:18 says “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
In giving thanks to God; don’t forget from where our blessings come. Psalms 103:2 says “Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.”
Give thanks for you are redeemed! Psalms 107: 1-2 “Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy”
Give thanks for all the good God does for you. Psalms 107:8. “Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind!”
We can be thankful for how God has rescued us from our enemies. 2 Samuel 22:49 says “who sets me free from my enemies. You exalted me above my foes; from a violent man you rescued me.”
Give thanks – the victory is ours! 1 Corinthians 15:57 says “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Praise God – He leads us into victory to help lead others along life’s way. 2 Corinthians 2:14-15, say “But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.”
Be grateful for the good people in your life. 1 Thessalonians 1:2 says “We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers,”
Be thankful for all the people in your life – even those in authority. 1 Timothy 2:1-2 say “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people- for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.”
Give thanks before the miracle. John 11:41 “Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.”
Give thanks to God to let others know where your good gifts come from. Psalms 69:30 says “I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving.”
In everything you do, demonstrate your gratitude to God. Colossians 3:17 says “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”
Give thanks to God who made us qualified! Colossians 1:12 says “giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.”
God is on the throne – give thanks! Revelation 11:17 says “We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, The One who is and who was and who is to come, because You have taken Your great power and reigned.”
In 1 Thessalonians, Paul tells the church at Thessalonica to rejoice always and give thanks in all circumstances. This can be hard to do, especially when things are not going well. So why do we have to give thanks? Because God calls us to a life of continual thankfulness. It is God’s will that we give thanks. This is not to say we need to be always smiling. Sometimes things in life are bad and we should mourn or be upset, but it is in these moments that God asks us to thank Him anyway. The trials in our lives are not pointless. God has a purpose for everything, even the bad. We might not be able to see the good, but God can see the whole picture and we can gain hope in knowing that our suffering is not in vain, but rather, part of God’s greater purpose.

Many times, gratitude does not make sense to those unfamiliar with the habit of cultivating a thankful heart. Based on the story of the ten lepers in Luke 17, we can assume probably only a tenth of us make an effort to express gratitude, since just one of the ten returned to thank Jesus for his healing. So, is it reasonable to be thankful even when things are difficult? On the surface, no, but I believe we can train ourselves to be grateful even when waves of adversity and challenge crash over us. Why we are not grateful? Now we look at ourselves and say. Here are some of our attitudes that form in the innermost parts of our hearts and hinder thanksgiving. First is doubt. We doubt God’s character. We are not sure that His Word can be trusted. Second is selfishness. This is the attitude that says, “I am not content with the way God is working out my life. It is not what I desire.” The third hindrance is the love of the world. If our vision is the material world, we will have no cause for thanksgiving. When everything we have attached our affection to does not fulfill us, it causes us to be thankless and ungrateful. Fourth, a critical spirit will steal our thankfulness. A critical spirit criticizes everything that is not exactly the way it ought to be. It rises from an enlarged ego that says, “I deserve better than this.” The fifth hindrance is impatience. Some of us do not give thanks simply because God does not move on our schedule. We do not say, “Thank you Lord, I can see Your hand at work.” We are like the child who throws a tantrum and says, “I want it! I want it now!” We should learn to thank God for the process. We should not try to rush what is happening perfectly on time in God’s plan. Finally, there is rebellion. We feel that our lot in life is not what we wanted so we purposely withhold thanks and say I am going to stay unthankful!” That is why God works in our life and do His own good pleasure in us. He is working to make us thankful through the power of the Spirit of God. If we are filled with the Spirit, He produces a grateful heart. And what happens when we are grateful? God is glorified, we are blessed, the church is built up and the lost are reached. We can have a tremendous impact on the world if we will only practice thanksgiving.

JACOB VARGHESE

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