“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18, NIV)
The Christmas season is a radical time for living and displaying Christ’s love as a thanks-gift for all.
The more deeply you understand God’s 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 God’s 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’s a big difference!
You don’t have to be thankful for the bad things that happen in your life. Not everything that happens in the world is God’s will. In fact, most of the time, God’s will is not done here on earth; instead, people’s will is done.
There’s a lot of evil in the world, and you don’t need to thank God for it. But you can thank God in the midst of it.
In my own life, I’ve learned there are certain things I can thank God for in every circumstance. Here are some of them:
- 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 can’t lose my salvation.
- No matter what happens, God isn’t 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. It says you should give thanks to God “in all circumstances.” The Greek word used here for “all” is the word “pas”, which means “any, all, everything, anyone, all the time, anywhere, everywhere, the whole thing.” That means all — no exceptions, no excuses, no exemptions.
That seems pretty radical, doesn’t it? That’s why it’s radical gratitude.
It doesn’t take any effort to be grateful for a nice present someone gives you. Anyone can do that. But being grateful in all circumstances, even bad ones, takes radical gratitude — and it “is God’s will for you.”
Prayer
Father, I thank You for this new day and the blessings You have given me! Give me the chance to share Your love and the good news of Your free gift of salvation to those around me, especially to those who need hope in their time of great troubles.
Stay encouraged!
Pastor Mike
