1 Thessalonians 5:18 - Being Thankful Always.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV) Give thanks in
all circumstances, for this is God's will for
you in Christ Jesus.
INTRODUCTION
"In everything give thanks: for this is the
will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." I
Thessalonians 5:18. This command is an assurance that even
the things which appear to be against us will
work for our good. God would not bid us be
thankful for that which would do us harm. MH255
COMMENTARY PEARL
On a recent Saturday evening, as my
husband and I returned from dinner, fire trucks
blocked our street. We couldn't tell whose house was
on fire, but we smelled smoke. Sadness covered
me. One of our neighbors would be devastated.
The next day as I rode my bike in the
neighborhood, I saw the homeowners standing in the yard,
assessing the damage. I introduced myself to Vert and
his wife, Mel, told them how terrible I felt for
them, and asked how I could help.
Vert responded, "We are blessed."
What? Vert told me he, his wife, and
their three boys, one of whom is in a wheelchair,
all got out safely, by the Lord's grace. A great
blessing indeed. I admired Vert's faith. I
contemplated what a close, trusting relationship he must
have with Jesus to remain grateful in such dire
circumstances.
When I pray, there are so many things I
want to ask for, so many people who need prayer,
just like Vert and his family. I want to launch
into those pleas right away when I come to Jesus
each morning. But I've trained myself to thank
Jesus first thing - before I start all the
petitions and requests.
Expressing my gratitude to Jesus first,
for my blessings and the blessings He bestows on
others, including my neighbors, allows me to remain
close to Him and not feel devastated, even when
devastating circumstances arise. Pat Butler Dyson
Faith Step: When Your Eyes Pop Open In
The Morning, Train Yourself To Make Your First
Thought One Of Gratitude To The One Who Gave You
Life. [Mornings With Jesus 2023 Devotional by
Guideposts and Zondervan]
COMMENTARY
Instead of Grumbling, Give Thanks
Fretting and fighting over the small
stuff will always cause you to lose your
happiness.
This is a hard habit to break because
people are negative by nature and conditioned by
culture. Ever since Adam and Eve, we have been going
around excusing and accusing. We excuse ourselves
for the mistakes we make, and we also accuse
everybody else for our mistakes.
We say, If I just had a different
spouse, then Id be happy. If I had just never
gotten married, then Id be happy. If I just had
children, then Id be happy. If my children would
leave home, then I would be happy.
Thats when and then thinking.
But you are as happy as you choose to be! You
cant blame anybody else for your unhappiness
because happiness is a choice. You have to stop
excusing and accusing; you have to stop fretting and
fighting over the small stuff.
The Bible says, Do everything without
grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless
and pure (Philippians 2:14-15 NIV).
Those may be some of the most difficult
verses in the Bible. But the scariest verse in the
Bible to me is Matthew 12:36, where Jesus says,
And I tell you that on the Judgment Day people
will be responsible for every careless thing they
have said (NCV).
That ought to send shivers up your spine.
How many times have you complained, grumbled, or
argued about something when you shouldnt have
been sweating the small stuff? The first law of
life is this: Dont sweat the small stuff. Law
number two is this: Its almost all small stuff!
The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 5:18,
Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is
Gods will for you in Christ Jesus (NIV).
Study after study has shown that
gratitude is the healthiest attitude.
What do you have to be thankful for?
Remember, no matter what is going on in your life, God
is always with you, God is always in you, and
God is always for you.
Thats cause for gratitude, not
grumbling. [Daily Devotional by Rick Warren:
https://pastorrick.com/devotional/]
Have Radical Gratitude in All Circumstances
In many cultures around the world, people
set aside certain days or seasons for giving
thanks. But God wants you to be intentional about
your thankfulness every day. He wants you to
develop this spiritual habit, one that is reflected
in the life of a radical believer. The more
deeply you understand Gods love, the more
grateful youre going to be.
What does it mean to be radically
grateful?
The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 5:18,
Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is
Gods will for you in Christ Jesus (NIV). In
every circumstance give thanks"because its
Gods will for your life. Thats radical
gratitude.
How can you be thankful even in difficult
circumstances? You can thank God in every circumstance
because he is in control. He can bring good out of
evil. He can turn around the worst mistakes
youve made. No matter what happens, God isnt
going to stop loving you.
You can find a hundred things to be
thankful for in any circumstance, even when the
circumstance stinks.
Radical gratitude"being thankful in all
circumstances"is Gods will because it creates fellowship.
What do I mean by that? Gratitude always builds
deeper relationships between you and other people
and between you and God.
If you want to get closer to someone,
start expressing gratitude to that person. Maybe
youre feeling distant from your spouse. Youve
lost that lovin feeling because you stopped
doing the things that created that lovin
feeling early on"and now you take each other for
granted. Start doing what you did when you were
dating: Express gratitude. Write little notes of
kindness and encouragement. Call or text during the
day, just to tell your spouse that youre
thankful for them.
Do you want to build your small group?
Dont just go to your gathering. During the week,
contact the people in your group. Say, Im
grateful for you, and heres why. Youll find
that the more grateful you are for your group,
the more your group will bond.
Let us enter his gates with
thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to
him and praise his name. For the LORD is good
and his love endures forever; his faithfulness
continues through all generations (Psalm 100:4-5
NIV). [Daily Devotional by Rick Warren:
https://pastorrick.com/devotional/]
What Does It Mean to Have Radical Gratitude?
The more deeply you understand Gods
love, the more grateful you will become.
In fact, the Bible says that gratitude
should saturate your life: Give thanks in all
circumstances; for this is Gods will for you in Christ
Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:18 NIV).
Notice that the Bible says to give thanks
in all circumstances, not for all
circumstances. There is a big difference!
You dont have to be thankful for the
bad things that happen in your life. Not
everything that happens in the world is Gods will.
In fact, most of the time, Gods will is not
done here on Earth; instead, peoples will is
done.
Theres a lot of evil in the world, and
you dont need to thank God for that. But you
can thank God in the midst of it.
In my own life, Ive learned that I can
thank God in every circumstance. Here are some
reasons why:
God is in control.
God can bring good out of evil.
God can turn even my mistakes into
something that works out well; he can
bring good out of them.
I won't live on Earth forever; I'm
going to heaven one day."
I cant lose my salvation.
No matter what happens, God
isnt going to stop loving me.
The truth is that I could think of a
hundred reasons to be thankful in any circumstance,
even circumstances that seem horrible.
Look again at 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV).
It says you should give thanks to God in all
circumstances. The Greek word used is the word pos, which
means any, all, everything, anyone, all the time,
anywhere, everywhere, the whole thing. It means no
exception, no excuses, no exemptions.
That seems pretty radical, doesnt it?
Thats why its radical gratitude.
It doesnt take any effort to be
grateful for the nice present someone just gave you.
Anyone can do that. But being grateful in all
circumstances takes radical gratitude.
People say they want to know Gods
will. They want to know what God wants them to do
with their lives. In 1 Thessalonians 5:18, God
makes that very clear: Give thanks in all
circumstances; for this is Gods will for you in Christ
Jesus (NIV).
Giving thanks in all situations is
Gods will for you. And the more thankful you are,
the closer youll get to God! [Daily
Devotional by Rick Warren:
https://pastorrick.com/devotional/]
CLOSING THOUGHT
Nothing tends more to promote health of
body and of soul than does a spirit of gratitude
and praise. It is a positive duty to resist
melancholy, discontented thoughts and feelings - as much
a duty as it is to pray. If we are
heaven-bound, how can we go as a band of mourners,
groaning and complaining all along the way to our
Father's house?
Those professed Christians who are
constantly complaining, and who seem to think
cheerfulness and happiness a sin, have not genuine
religion. Those who take a mournful pleasure in all
that is melancholy in the natural world, who
choose to look upon dead leaves rather than to
gather the beautiful living flowers, who see no
beauty in grand mountain heights and in valleys
clothed with living green, who close their senses to
the joyful voice which speaks to them in nature,
and which is sweet and musical to the listening
ear - these are not in Christ. They are
gathering to themselves gloom and darkness, when they
might have brightness, even the Sun of
Righteousness arising in their hearts with healing in His
beams. MH251
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
Gracious God,
As I journey with You today, please help
me to thank You all through the day. This
practice makes it more feasible for me to pray
without ceasing, as the apostle Paul taught. I long
to be able to pray continually, and thanking
You in every situation facilitates this pursuit.
My thankful prayers provide a solid foundation
on which I can build all my other prayers.
Moreover, it's so much easier for me to communicate
freely with You when I have a grateful attitude.
If I keep my mind occupied with thanking
You, I'm less likely to fall into hurtful
patterns of worrying or complaining. I've seen that
when I practice thankfulness consistently,
negative thought patterns gradually grow weaker and
weaker.
A grateful heart opens up the way for me
to draw near to You. And Your glorious Presence
fills me with Joy and Peace.
In Your joyous Name, Jesus, Amen (1
Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV; James 4:8 NKJV; Romans 15:13)
[Jesus Listens by Sarah Young]
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY
1 Thessalonians 5:18 - How To Be Thankful
Always.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2019/20191123-1531.html
https://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20210907-0929.html
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
https://abible.com/links/
