For today’s Thanksgiving edition of Thursday Thoughts, we are going to look at a single verse of Scripture. I think this is important because what the apostle Paul shows us in this verse is that what we have in Christ is so good and glorious that life circumstances cannot hinder it. This is so timely for my own heart. I wonder if it is timely for yours as well.
Do you find yourself feeling thankful today? We all know that Thanksgiving can be great for some of us, but it can also bring a lot of heart wounds to the surface for others. I want to encourage us, through Paul, that we can all be thankful today, no matter how we may feel.
“…give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
Give Thanks
It is God’s will for you, in Christ, to gives thanks in all circumstances. Not some circumstances. Not most circumstances. No, God’s will is for you to give thanks in all circumstances. If today is great for you, give thanks. If it is brutally hard for you, give thanks. How is this possible? It is possible because of the gift we have in Christ. Our sin has been taken away. We have everything we need in Him. Depression, pain, wounds, discouragement — nothing can hinder this truth.
So, give thanks today. Give thanks to God for Jesus, regardless of what your circumstances tell you in this moment. You have been given everything in Christ. Paul tells us that this reality trumps any and all life circumstances. This reality empowered Paul to give thanks in imprisonments. It allowed him to give thanks in beatings. What you have in Christ can surely empower you to give thanks in your circumstances as well. Do you believe it?