1Thess.
5:18: “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus
concerning you”.
If you study
the bible carefully, it is abundantly clear that God wants us to be in a
continually thankful state of mind.
Most of the chapters of Psalms and especially Psalm 111 show the Psalmist
praising God on various occasions. No wonder one of the signs of the end times
is that people will be unthankful (2Tim. 3:2).
There are some very bad things that
happen to a child of God - sickness,
sorrow, disappointment, death, divorce, abuse, murder, and mayhem. We often remember to thank God when something positive
happens in our life. But 1Thessalonians 5:18 tells us to give thanks in all
things, which includes difficult times as well as happier times.
Why
should the Christian be thankful to God always, and for all things?
Why be always thankful?
There are a number of reasons why the Christian should be thankful
to God; no matter the difficulties we are going through because it is always good to give thanks (Psalm
92:1-2). What has the Lord
done? If you ever find yourself not full of thanks, then take a minute
and start thinking of the things God has done for you. It will surprise you what
the Lord has done if you start counting. I'll help you start:
(i) He gave you life
today and therefore hope (Eccl. 9:4); He
gave you the food you ate or will eat today; He gave you the water that you drink; He gave you the air you just breathed; If you're saved, He gave you eternal life, forgiveness of
sins, eternal security, the privilege of prayer, the power
of the Holy Spirit, the fellowship of other Christians, and all the other
blessings that go with faith in Christ.
(ii) Another reason to thank
God is stated in Psalm 107:1; because
the Lord is good and His mercies endure forever. As you read this message, somebody is being rushed to the hospital,
somebody is spending his life in prison and others cannot sleep without
medicines; etc. we need to be thankful!
(iii) Because God is in control. He is sovereign. One of the favourite
promises in the Bible is (Rom 8:28) '... that all things work
together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called
according to his purpose.'
(iv) Thankfulness reinforces our faith. When we remember
how God has met our needs, protected us, and answered our cries for help, our
trust in Him is strengthened and equips us to face the future.
(v) For Chastisement. If you're having difficulty, it just
may be that you're under the chastening hand of Almighty God. In Hebrews 12:11,
chastisements are for our good.
(vi) For Dependency. Sometimes God allows us to have
problems to cause us to depend upon Him. In 2Corin. 12:7-10, Paul realized that
his strength is increased in his weakness.
(vii) Our Maturity. When you have difficulty, you learn
more during those times than you learn in the good times. See Psalm 119:71. Thanking
God in our difficult situations will become a way to witness to those around
us.
(viii) For Patience: When bad things happen to you, God
could just be working patience in you. See Psalm 27:14 and James 1:4. And so,
if God is teaching us patience, and it is a Christian virtue, should we not thank
God when we're enduring trials?
How do we show our thankfulness to God?
We
can thank God praising and worshiping Him in words (prayer), songs, donations,
testimonies and hymns. For example: (i) The widows mite (mk. 12:41-44); (ii) David
danced to music ‘till his cloth fell off; (iii) Samuel’s mum gave him up to
serve in the house of God as thank you to God.
Finally
In this stressful
and troubled world we live today, it can seem difficult for us to find
something to be thankful for. Yet, it is precisely because of the problems
around us that we need to devote ourselves to giving thanks. When darkness
grows around us, we cannot afford to become neglectful in this spiritual
practice. Instead, we need to renew our commitment to thankfulness. In fact,
being thankful can bring healing to a troubled heart.
On the other hand,
a lack of thankfulness can lead to depression as we focus on negative things
(eg. Elijah asking God to kill him-1kings
19:4). When we make a practice of thanking God for His many blessings, (like
the leper out of the 10 in Luke 17,) we will be focusing on the good things He
has given us, and He can begin to bring healing and strength to us.
Brethren, In every thing give thanks: for this is the
will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.(1Thess. 5:18). Amen!
No comments:
Post a Comment