Oh, Give Thanks To The Lord - January 22

Read 1 Thessalonians 5:18 

…give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 

Reflect 

When you think about God’s will for your life, what comes to mind? 

We all want to know God’s will for our lives. But when we think about God’s will, we often just

think about our futures. Usually, we have a tough choice to make and we really wish God would just outright tell us which option is His will for us. It is definitely good and wise to consult the Lord in prayer for guidance during those times. But when we go back to the Bible, we see that there are aspects of God’s will for our lives that are clearly revealed to us in Scripture. 

In today’s verse and the verses that precede it, Paul outright tells us one aspect of God’s will for every single believer in Christ: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). Rejoicing, prayer, and thanksgiving—that is God’s will for us! We already discussed rejoicing always and praying without ceasing, now we are looking specifically at giving thanks in all circumstances.  

Let’s face it, there will be times in our lives when it is easier for us to be grateful than others. But giving thanks to God in spite of our circumstances glorifies the Lord and points others to Him. It may sound cliche but there is always, always something to be thankful for, especially for believers! No matter what we are going through in this life, we have been redeemed! We have been forgiven! We have been saved! We have been set free! We have hope in this life and we have hope in the next! We have been born again and made new! The Spirit of the Living God lives inside of us and we will live forever with Him in paradise! He did all of that for us. How can we ever say anything to Him except a humble thank you even in the midst of heartache and hardship?  

Because thanksgiving is God’s will for us, it is an identification mark of a true believer. Our hearts of gratitude should set us apart from unbelievers. Unbelievers may speak filthy, foolish talk, but believers should always speak thanksgiving (Ephesians 5:3-4).  

In his commentary on 1 and 2 Thessalonians, John MacArthur wrote: “It is spiritually abnormal for Christians to be unthankful.” He also said, “Being unthankful is the very essence of the unregenerate heart.” He cited Romans 1:21: “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him…” Those who have rejected the Lord, do not have the Holy Spirit. Thus, they will not praise Him, honor Him, or thank Him because He is not their God and they do not acknowledge Him. But when we give Him all the honor, thanks, and praise that He is due, everyone knows that we belong to Him! 

“Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! Let the redeemed of the LORD say so…” (Psalm 107). 

Respond  

“I will give to the LORD the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the LORD, the Most High” (Psalm 7:17). Lord, what can I say except “thank You?” Without You, I am nothing. Without You, I am lost. Without You, I am a dead man walking. But because of You, I am alive, I am found, and I am worthy because You are worthy, You found me, and You made me alive! Remind me that, in You, there is always something to be thankful for, in every circumstance. May thanksgiving always be on my lips and gratitude always be in my heart. Thank You, Lord. Amen. 

Reveal  

Attitudes of gratitude reveal that we are His. Express your thanksgiving and praise freely today.