"In every
thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning
you" (I Thessalonians 5:18).
Dear reader, do
you ever think much about what is the Lord's will for you? Well, you may know God's will for you
without any mystical revelation or dream, for the Holy Scriptures tell us what
is the will of God for each of us. Our text tells us it is God's will for you
and I to be giving Him thanks in everything. Truly, everyone of us have much
for which to be thankful.
First of all, I
will point out that thanksgiving presupposes
God. Thanksgiving presupposes there is a God to Whom we should be thankful.
We do not have to prove the existence of God for every man knows there is a
God. The image of God is stamped upon us, and we are inwardly aware that He is
there through the conscience He has put in us. His signature is upon all His
creation, and everywhere we look He is there. Each of us knows innately that we
were created by God and we owe Him our worship and thanksgiving.
Secondly, let us
observe that thanksgiving is a happy
duty. If you want to be happy, I would urge you to make it your daily and
continual business to be always thanking God. Giving thanks will dispel gloom
and despair. It has been my observation and personal experience that those who
have true joy and peace are those who recognise that "every good gift and
every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights,
with Whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning" (James 1:17). I
guarantee you it will lift your spirits tremendously to simply count your
blessings and thank our Great God for every one of them. When we start counting
our blessings we always find they are more numerous than we can count, and as
we "praise God from Whom all
blessings flow", we think of more and more for which to thank Him.
Thirdly, note
well that we are to be thanking God in
everything. If you are a believer, the first thing for which you will generally be thanking God is your
salvation. You will be thanking God for loving you with an everlasting love.
You will be thanking Christ for His glorious atoning death that put away your
sins. You will be thanking God the Father for raising HIs Eternal Son from the
grave and seating Him at His Own right hand where He intercedes for us. You
will be thanking the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Holy Trinity for
regenerating, converting and sanctifying you. But then you will be thanking God
for all your natural blessings as well. The believer is well aware that every
piece of food and every drop of water is from His Great God.
But some true and tried saint may ask, "how can I
give thanks in everything? I know I am blessed above measure, as you have
reminded me, but you don't know about all my troubles and sorrows. How can I
give thanks in my sufferings?" Well, first of all I will remind you of
God's supreme promise in Romans 8:28 to work all things for your eternal good.
Secondly, I will present for your consideration that you can thank God it is no
worse than it is. And thirdly, I will remind you that it will be better. No
matter how bad it gets in this life, that is as bad as it will ever be for a believer.
But no matter how good it gets for an unsaved man, that is as good as it will
ever be. Therefore, in everything, give thanks.
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