Nestled within the first letter of Paul to the Thessalonians, we find a passage that is known to most of us.
Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Don’t stifle the Spirit. Don’t despise prophecies, but test all things. Hold on to what is good. Stay away from every kind of evil.
1Thessalonians 5:16-22, (CSB)
I’ll bet you could recite the first few lines of that. It’s an easy passage to toss into a youth Bible study or Sabbath School discussion – ‘rejoice always, pray without ceasing, gives thanks in everything’. But did you notice what follows that last admonition? ‘For this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus’.
While I don’t necessarily think Australians should subscribe to American holidays, my social media feeds last month were blowing up with American families preparing for Thanksgiving. Despite its origins and the madness of Black Friday sales the day after, I love the idea of spending time with your loved ones and verbalising what you are grateful for. This year especially.
Paul writes that we should give thanks in everything (CSB). In all circumstances (NIV). No matter what (MSG). That doesn’t mean times won’t be hard. That doesn’t mean everything will always be great. But God’s will for us is to be grateful. Thankful. Content.
Why?
Why is it God’s will that we are thankful?
I think the answer lies in the text itself. The verse says, ‘give thanks in everything, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.’ The Message version puts it this way, ‘This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live’. If we belong to Jesus, that is, we have accepted His sacrifice on our behalf, that is the ultimate reason to be thankful.
What greater gift, blessing, realisation in life is there? To know that the God of the Universe, laid aside heaven’s glory to come to this blue marble suspended in the Milky Way. To, as Ann Voskamp puts it, ‘fold Himself into our skin, and uncurl His newborn fingers in the cradle of a barn feeding trough…’ (The Greatest Gift, p. 139).
He took on our likeness so that we could one day be like Him. In Christ Jesus, God wants us to find our hope, our joy, our contentment and our gratitude. In Christ Jesus, God wants us to give thanks no matter what our situation is. Because in Christ Jesus, we are saved for eternity.
This world cannot eternally wound us. This world is temporary. This world will fall away. We will be with Him. That is the reason to be thankful. That is the reason to celebrate, every day. In all circumstances.
WRITER: Natalie Moore