Always Thankful
“Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belongs to Christ Jesus.” - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Have you ever been to a sporting event in which one team was winning big at the start of the game, and then blew the lead late? One thing that is always interesting is how the coaches interact with the referees in these types of situations.
When things are going their way and they are up big, they have no complaints at all. Then, as soon as they blow the lead and the game is suddenly in the balance, they are yelling down the ref’s neck as if it is the referee’s fault that their team blew a big lead. Their interactions with the officials are entirely based on the result of the scoreboard.
Now, I was describing a sporting event, but was I also describing your life? And more specifically, was I describing your relationship with Christ? See, everyone can thank God when life is going great. When you are in a great relationship, you just got promoted, or you moved into a nice new home.
But what about when life isn’t going great? You got broken up with, someone in your family died, you lost your job, or you don’t have enough money to pay your bills. Are you still as thankful? The Bible doesn’t say that our thankfulness is dependent on our circumstances.
On the contrary, it says in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belongs to Christ Jesus.” Did you catch that? Be thankful in ALL CIRCUMSTANCES. Not just the ones that you like, but in all of them.
If you want to remain faithful to God, yes you need to bring Him into every situation. Yes, you need to trust Him in every area of your life. But you also need to be thankful for what you do have. Because while you might be looking at what you don’t currently have, there are things in your life that others would die for.
Are you always thankful? Or are you only thankful when circumstances are in your favor? God commands us to be THANKFUL IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES. That is His will for you!
Have you ever been to a sporting event in which one team was winning big at the start of the game, and then blew the lead late? One thing that is always interesting is how the coaches interact with the referees in these types of situations.
When things are going their way and they are up big, they have no complaints at all. Then, as soon as they blow the lead and the game is suddenly in the balance, they are yelling down the ref’s neck as if it is the referee’s fault that their team blew a big lead. Their interactions with the officials are entirely based on the result of the scoreboard.
Now, I was describing a sporting event, but was I also describing your life? And more specifically, was I describing your relationship with Christ? See, everyone can thank God when life is going great. When you are in a great relationship, you just got promoted, or you moved into a nice new home.
But what about when life isn’t going great? You got broken up with, someone in your family died, you lost your job, or you don’t have enough money to pay your bills. Are you still as thankful? The Bible doesn’t say that our thankfulness is dependent on our circumstances.
On the contrary, it says in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belongs to Christ Jesus.” Did you catch that? Be thankful in ALL CIRCUMSTANCES. Not just the ones that you like, but in all of them.
If you want to remain faithful to God, yes you need to bring Him into every situation. Yes, you need to trust Him in every area of your life. But you also need to be thankful for what you do have. Because while you might be looking at what you don’t currently have, there are things in your life that others would die for.
Are you always thankful? Or are you only thankful when circumstances are in your favor? God commands us to be THANKFUL IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES. That is His will for you!
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