1 Thessalonians 5:18 - How To Be 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
Can You Really Be Thankful in All
Circumstances?
No matter what you ask God for, you need
to ask with an attitude of gratitude. You can
ask God for whatever you need, but do it with a
thankful heart for what he's already done.
The Bible says, Give thanks in all
circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ
Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:18 NIV). A lot of people
want to know what Gods will is for their
lives. But God's not going to show you step two
until you do step one. Here's step one: Be
grateful. This is God's will.
First be grateful for what God has
already given you - your life, mind, freedom, food.
Everything you have is a gift from God! Be grateful for
all of it.
The Bible says to give thanks in all
circumstances. Notice it does not say to give thanks for
all circumstances. There is a big difference.
There are a lot of things in life you should not
be thankful for. You should never be thankful
for evil, for example.
It says to give thanks in every
circumstance, not for, because God can bring good even out
of bad things. There is a lot of bad in the
world, and these days, you may see more of it than
you think you can bear. You shouldn't be
grateful for those things. God is bigger than sin. He
can bring promises out of pain, blessings out of
suffering. He turns crucifixions into resurrections.
God transforms the bad things in your
life into good things and uses them for good. You
can be grateful in everything for several
reasons: God has a plan for your life. He can use
everything in your life for good. The pain is not going
to last forever. If you know Jesus as Savior,
youre going to heaven. And he's going to use even
the hard things in life to build your
character.
Do you know what will help you be
thankful in all things? When bad things happen,
dont ask, Why is this happening to me?
Instead, ask, God, what do you want me to learn
from this?
When you learn from God, then you grow
more like Christ. Then youll be able to better
see how he is working in your life and give him
thanks in all circumstances. [Daily Devotional by
Rick Warren: https://pastorrick.com/devotional/]
COMMENTARY
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
I grew up in the age of Leave It to
Beaver and Father Knows Best, which is another way
of saying I'm no spring chicken. This
realization hit home when my husband experienced a
series of medical problems that started out with an
infection in his spine following surgery.
The infection wasn't the end of his
health issues, however. Wayne suffered a series of
small strokes known as TIAs, plus heart issues
that resulted in two stents in the arteries
leading to his heart. It has been one thing after
another, and he isn't the only one. While I might
think I'm still in my thirties, my body raises all
kinds of reminders that the years are
accumulating.
I've started reading books to help me
stay healthy both physically and also mentally.
The list of advice offered makes sense, and I
have been doing my best to make it all part of my
daily routine. One of the essential factors I've
seen mentioned multiple times is the importance
of having an attitude of gratitude.
For years now I've kept a gratitude
journal. Each morning I list five things for which
I'm grateful. I've found that the more things I
am grateful for, the more I have for which to
be grateful. It's through my gratitude journal
that I find myself looking for everyday miracles.
They are all around me in the petal of a rose, in
the laughter of one of my grandchildren, or in
the gentle touch of my husband reaching out to
hold my hand. It's true Wayne and I are aging,
but with God at our side, we intend to do it
well.
Lord, no matter how much change I
encounter in my life, You are my constant, unchanging
source of joy and strength. by Debbie Macomber
[Walking in Grace 2021 Devotional by Guideposts and
Zondervan]
In a relatively short period of time,
poor Job lost everything that was precious to
him. He lost his family, his health, and his
possessions. And to make matters worse, his wife said to
him, Do you still hold fast to your integrity?
Curse God and die! (Job 2:9 NKJV).
Job lost it all, yet he gave thanks to
God. He said, Naked I came from my mothers
womb, and naked shall I return there. The Lord
gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the
name of the Lord (Job 1:21 NKJV).
When something good happens in our lives,
we give God the glory. But what about when
things are not going well? We still need to say,
Thank you, Jesus.
Sometimes praising the Lord is a
sacrifice, but we should always do it. As the apostle
Paul wrote, In everything give thanks; for
this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for
you (1 Thessalonians 5:18 NKJV).
Notice that Paul tells us to give thanks
in everything. In Greek, this phrase means
in connection with everything that occurs.
Of course, this would not include personal sin.
We wouldnt give thanks for a sin we
committed or the repercussions we face as a result.
But we should be thankful for the other things.
There are no exceptions, no excuses.
Nothing is outside these parameters.
You might say, My heart is not in
it.
It doesn't matter whether your heart is
in it. This is about giving thanks because God
is good. Its about giving thanks because God
is in control of your life. Give thanks because
Hes in control of all circumstances surrounding
your life.
The fact of the matter is that for the
Christian, every day should be Thanksgiving, minus the
turkey dinner, of course. Like Job, we can give
thanks, even when times are hard. [By Greg Laurie
from Harvest Ministries;
https://www.harvestdaily.com]
Daniel was a man of God and a man of
prayer who was an adviser to the king. The other
advisers were upset that Daniel was greatly loved and
respected by the king, but the problem was that Daniel
didnt have any skeletons in his closet.
They said, in effect, We have to get
rid of this creep. Hes getting all the
attention. Lets bring this guy down. So they
decided to get a law passed that would trap him.
They knew Daniel had an interesting habit. Every
day he opened his windows, faced Jerusalem, and
got down on his knees and gave thanks to God.
His enemies knew they could set a clock
by Daniels prayer schedule. So they proposed
a law to the king that appealed to his ego:
Give orders that for the next thirty days any
person who prays to anyone, divine or
human"except to you, Your Majesty"will be thrown into
the den of lions (Daniel 6:7 nlt).
The king signed it into law, not
realizing he was dooming his friend, Daniel, to death.
Or at least it appeared so.
Then we read this: When Daniel learned
that the law had been signed, he went home and
knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its
windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times
a day, just as he had always done, giving
thanks to his God (verse 10 nlt).
This is what Daniel always did. He had an
attitude of gratitude. However, he had never read the
book of Daniel. He didnt know that when they
threw him into the den of lions, God would deliver
him.
Daniel didnt know any of the story,
but he got down on his knees and prayed anyway.
And he knew this: God is good. God is in
control. So he gave thanks. [By Greg Laurie from
Harvest Ministries; https://www.harvestdaily.com]
When Do You Thank God?
I often think of when Jesus visited Mary
and Martha after their brother, Lazarus died
I always found it interesting that Jesus
thanked God for hearing his prayer before Lazarus
took one step. Years ago, I made a mental note of
that. God is worthy of praise. We dont have to
wait to see if God delivers on something we ask
him before we thank him. And if God chooses to
say, No, that doesnt mean God is less
worthy of our praise.
Gods Word tells us its impossible
to please God without faith (Hebrews 11:6).
When we choose to be thankful and praise God at
all times, we are exercising faith. We are
praising God because we know God is capable of doing
everything we ask and then so much more. When we thank
God, we are pleasing our heavenly Father.
God is worthy of praise. Just because
hes God. It pleases God when we praise him ahead
of time because were saying, God, whether or
not you choose to answer my prayers, I praise
you for who you are. I thank you for all
youve given me. And Lord, even when you choose to
say no to my requests, I know you have
your reasons. You know the beginning from the
end. Your thoughts are much higher than my
thoughts and your ways are higher too (Isaiah
55:8-9). And Lord, if you withhold something Im
asking you for, then maybe the thing is not good
for me, or the timing is not right. I know
its not good because youve said you will not
withhold any good thing from me (Psalm 84:11). God, I
trust you.
We can choose to be thankful in all
things. Simply because God is all wise and he allows
what he does with his wisdom. And when things
look like they will never work out, those
impossible times are Gods specialty. The things that
are impossible with man are possible with God
(Luke 18:27). I love it when God does what seems
impossible, because theres no question at all who did
it. And when we get discouraged because of our
circumstances, God promises that in all things he can work
for the good, for us (Romans 8:28).
www.annepeterson.com
LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE
1 Thessalonians 5:18 - How To Be Thankful
Always.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2019/20191123-1531.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
Steps to Peace by Billy Graham:
https://stepstopeace.org/
A Man without Equal by Bill Bright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo
Seeking God Made Real:
http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
Importance of Choice:
http://creationhealth.com/CREATION-Health/Choice [click on video]
Medical Seminar on Healthful Living by David
DeRose, MD, MPH:
https://www.smartlifestyletv.com/lifestart
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies:
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Hope Awakens Bible Study Guides:
https://www.hopeawakens.study/lesson-header;id=2
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies:
http://www.bibleresearch.info/
LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS
Islam and Christianity in Prophecy, The
Third and Final Conflict by Tim Roosenberg:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHSJB-fuHLU&list=PLWhQIHGTHlkaGg5Cwe3NDzWtFX8vNSpsE
Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of
Adventist World Radio: https://www.awr.org/bible
Revelation Now by Pastor Doug Batchelor:
https://www.revelationnow.com/
Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW:
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
