Give Thanks in All Circumstances - Happy Thanksgiving
Give Thanks in All Circumstances
First read of the above Scriptural command may generate such responses as: “Are you crazy?” and/or “You do not understand my circumstances”. Both responses and some other shocking responses can and should be expected from any one of us. After all, we are only human and what God is commanding us to do is contrary to normal human behavior which is to constantly complain and gripe.
As we celebrate the biggest holiday in the USA – Thanksgiving Day, we should reflect on these words of Paul inspired by the Holy Spirit that he spoke to the Thessalonians. From our previous studies, remember that these are final words of a five chapter letter to the Thessalonians. Therefore Paul has reason to say what he is saying. Going back to the beginning of the Letter and the middle will help us understand why Paul is instructing the Thessalonians to give thanks. “For we know, brothers and sisters[b] loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction (1Thessalonians 1:4-5). Paul also reminds them that 8 “Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given[a] us His Holy Spirit” 1Thessalonians 4:8. You can see why Paul is imploring the Thessalonians to live a life of gratitude for what God has done. And what did God do for them and for us? God loved us, elected (chose) us to be His children and then gave us His Holy Spirit to live in us. God gave us the GIFT of ETERNAL LIFE.
Are you still looking for a reason to be thankful to God in all circumstances? You got it!
1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18:
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Here are my observations in addition to the ones you may have:
1. Notice that the three commands, rejoice, pray, give thanks go hand in hand. They are all to be done concurrently. They are all connected to each other. You cannot rejoice, if you are not constantly thanking God. And you cannot pray continually if you are not constantly thanking God. You can run out of what to pray in terms of requests and petitions, but you cannot run out of what to thank God for. Hey just try it. Let’s pray to God for all our circumstances, and then we will rejoice and give Him thanks for all He has already done and will do (Philippians 4: 4-7). “When joy and prayer are married their first born child is gratitude.” (Spurgeon)
2. Also notice the perpetual practice and obedience required of these commands. We have the three words “always”, “continually”, and the all inclusive word “all” as in “all” circumstances. The question then is, “Is it possible to rejoice always, pray always/without ceasing and in all things and circumstances to give thanks to God? Yes, it is possible when we let the one who now lives in us to do it. The Holy Spirit of God who now resides in us is the only One who can help us in this mode of constancy. “The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans…Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God” Romans 8:26-27.
3. Praying without ceasing cannot therefore be referring to time, place, use of words or posture and any other form with which we associate with praying. However it does include all of these but much more. If it were a matter of time, use of words or being in a place or posture, you will not do anything else because you will spend all 24 hours kneeling down and talking non-stop and locked up in your prayer closet.
4. Praying without ceasing or continually is like breathing the air that keeps us alive. This is again, the work of the Holy Spirit. Or I would say it is a command to be constantly in line and in touch/communion and obedience of the Holy Spirit promptings.
5. Note that this passage says that “for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus”. Paul is not saying that your circumstances is God’s will for you but rather rejoicing always, praying always and giving thanks always is God’s will for us. God wants us to rejoice, pray and give thanks always. It is an attitude of living in contentment and a state of feeling of gratitude. Some people actually think that rejoicing always is an exceptional practice in Christian living. Did you see a scripture that says “moan and be sad always”?
6. Notice the verses that come before and after these commands of rejoice, pray and give thanks? 15 “See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
19 Do not quench the Spirit”. Taking vengeance and seeking pay back and not forgiving will stop us from rejoicing always and giving God thanks. If I ever forget that I have been forgiven by God; that is when I am most angry and irritated with people. Likewise, if we quench the Holy Spirit’s nudging and repeated prompting, we cease to rejoice, pray and give thanks to the Father who has richly blessed us with His Holy Spirit – our enabler and teacher. Is there someone you need to forgive today? Also, looking for what is good for us and others will generate the joy, prayer and thanksgiving God desires. Is there someone you can bless today and especially this season?
7. Many a times, our circumstances are imposed on us and many a times they are beyond our control especially when it is the result of some else’s behavior. Yes, we may have brought about some of our circumstances as a result of disobedience and we are living out the consequences. However, God is saying to us, you can still trust me and have faith in me since I chose you, so make a decision and effort to rejoice, pray always and give thanks regardless of your circumstances. Yes, I don’t know your circumstances and it may be deplorable but God knows and He has you covered since you trust Him.
8. So let’s get to practice this command. What are you thankful for? I am thankful for the presence of the Holy Spirit in my life. I am thankful that God has called me righteous though I am not except for Christ. In addition, I am thankful for my immediate family - for my wife yes, she is not perfect but I am not perfect either. I am thankful to God for our marriage, though not perfect and likewise yours is not perfect too. I thank God for my children though they may not always obey and the last time I remembered neither was I always obedient to my parents as a child. I thank God for food on our dinner table and roof over our heads and for friends and extended family. I also thank God for His providence in allowing me to reside in this country of America (though not perfect) for such a time as this until I reach my final HOME COUNTRY – i.e. GOD’s PRESENCE.
9. Are you waiting for the perfect circumstances right now in your life? Forget it; if you don’t, you will never thank God and you will never live a life of gratitude and joy. We have already experienced the perfect circumstance - “At just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” Romans 5:6-8.
This Thanksgiving and for the rest of our lives, let’s rejoice with our families and friends. Let’s always pray keeping in tune with the Holy Spirit of God. And let’s give thanks to God in all our circumstances. God’s will is that you and I “Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances”. Is God asking too much? Which good Father does not desire that his son or daughter be joyful and thankful always and constantly able to be in touch with daddy? We have to work at it because it is hard and I am not yet there in the “always”. I give thanks to God for you as you read, study the Scriptures and live out the faith we have in God. Thank you for your prayers and May God bless you.
EXCHANGE GRUMBLING FOR GRATITUDE!
Happy Thanksgiving
First read of the above Scriptural command may generate such responses as: “Are you crazy?” and/or “You do not understand my circumstances”. Both responses and some other shocking responses can and should be expected from any one of us. After all, we are only human and what God is commanding us to do is contrary to normal human behavior which is to constantly complain and gripe.
As we celebrate the biggest holiday in the USA – Thanksgiving Day, we should reflect on these words of Paul inspired by the Holy Spirit that he spoke to the Thessalonians. From our previous studies, remember that these are final words of a five chapter letter to the Thessalonians. Therefore Paul has reason to say what he is saying. Going back to the beginning of the Letter and the middle will help us understand why Paul is instructing the Thessalonians to give thanks. “For we know, brothers and sisters[b] loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction (1Thessalonians 1:4-5). Paul also reminds them that 8 “Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given[a] us His Holy Spirit” 1Thessalonians 4:8. You can see why Paul is imploring the Thessalonians to live a life of gratitude for what God has done. And what did God do for them and for us? God loved us, elected (chose) us to be His children and then gave us His Holy Spirit to live in us. God gave us the GIFT of ETERNAL LIFE.
Are you still looking for a reason to be thankful to God in all circumstances? You got it!
1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18:
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Here are my observations in addition to the ones you may have:
1. Notice that the three commands, rejoice, pray, give thanks go hand in hand. They are all to be done concurrently. They are all connected to each other. You cannot rejoice, if you are not constantly thanking God. And you cannot pray continually if you are not constantly thanking God. You can run out of what to pray in terms of requests and petitions, but you cannot run out of what to thank God for. Hey just try it. Let’s pray to God for all our circumstances, and then we will rejoice and give Him thanks for all He has already done and will do (Philippians 4: 4-7). “When joy and prayer are married their first born child is gratitude.” (Spurgeon)
2. Also notice the perpetual practice and obedience required of these commands. We have the three words “always”, “continually”, and the all inclusive word “all” as in “all” circumstances. The question then is, “Is it possible to rejoice always, pray always/without ceasing and in all things and circumstances to give thanks to God? Yes, it is possible when we let the one who now lives in us to do it. The Holy Spirit of God who now resides in us is the only One who can help us in this mode of constancy. “The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans…Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God” Romans 8:26-27.
3. Praying without ceasing cannot therefore be referring to time, place, use of words or posture and any other form with which we associate with praying. However it does include all of these but much more. If it were a matter of time, use of words or being in a place or posture, you will not do anything else because you will spend all 24 hours kneeling down and talking non-stop and locked up in your prayer closet.
4. Praying without ceasing or continually is like breathing the air that keeps us alive. This is again, the work of the Holy Spirit. Or I would say it is a command to be constantly in line and in touch/communion and obedience of the Holy Spirit promptings.
5. Note that this passage says that “for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus”. Paul is not saying that your circumstances is God’s will for you but rather rejoicing always, praying always and giving thanks always is God’s will for us. God wants us to rejoice, pray and give thanks always. It is an attitude of living in contentment and a state of feeling of gratitude. Some people actually think that rejoicing always is an exceptional practice in Christian living. Did you see a scripture that says “moan and be sad always”?
6. Notice the verses that come before and after these commands of rejoice, pray and give thanks? 15 “See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
19 Do not quench the Spirit”. Taking vengeance and seeking pay back and not forgiving will stop us from rejoicing always and giving God thanks. If I ever forget that I have been forgiven by God; that is when I am most angry and irritated with people. Likewise, if we quench the Holy Spirit’s nudging and repeated prompting, we cease to rejoice, pray and give thanks to the Father who has richly blessed us with His Holy Spirit – our enabler and teacher. Is there someone you need to forgive today? Also, looking for what is good for us and others will generate the joy, prayer and thanksgiving God desires. Is there someone you can bless today and especially this season?
7. Many a times, our circumstances are imposed on us and many a times they are beyond our control especially when it is the result of some else’s behavior. Yes, we may have brought about some of our circumstances as a result of disobedience and we are living out the consequences. However, God is saying to us, you can still trust me and have faith in me since I chose you, so make a decision and effort to rejoice, pray always and give thanks regardless of your circumstances. Yes, I don’t know your circumstances and it may be deplorable but God knows and He has you covered since you trust Him.
8. So let’s get to practice this command. What are you thankful for? I am thankful for the presence of the Holy Spirit in my life. I am thankful that God has called me righteous though I am not except for Christ. In addition, I am thankful for my immediate family - for my wife yes, she is not perfect but I am not perfect either. I am thankful to God for our marriage, though not perfect and likewise yours is not perfect too. I thank God for my children though they may not always obey and the last time I remembered neither was I always obedient to my parents as a child. I thank God for food on our dinner table and roof over our heads and for friends and extended family. I also thank God for His providence in allowing me to reside in this country of America (though not perfect) for such a time as this until I reach my final HOME COUNTRY – i.e. GOD’s PRESENCE.
9. Are you waiting for the perfect circumstances right now in your life? Forget it; if you don’t, you will never thank God and you will never live a life of gratitude and joy. We have already experienced the perfect circumstance - “At just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” Romans 5:6-8.
This Thanksgiving and for the rest of our lives, let’s rejoice with our families and friends. Let’s always pray keeping in tune with the Holy Spirit of God. And let’s give thanks to God in all our circumstances. God’s will is that you and I “Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances”. Is God asking too much? Which good Father does not desire that his son or daughter be joyful and thankful always and constantly able to be in touch with daddy? We have to work at it because it is hard and I am not yet there in the “always”. I give thanks to God for you as you read, study the Scriptures and live out the faith we have in God. Thank you for your prayers and May God bless you.
EXCHANGE GRUMBLING FOR GRATITUDE!
Happy Thanksgiving
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