Complaining and bellyaching will be the forever accents of hell, and gratitude and thanksgiving the forever accents of heaven.
Paul tells us in I Thessalonians 5:18, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” This passage of text answers three important questions about thankfulness: when, what, and to whom.
When do we give thanks? ALWAYS.
For what do we give thanks? ALL CIRCUMSTANCES.
To whom do we give thanks? GOD.
It is worth noting that Paul doesn’t tell them to give thanks for everything. The preposition used in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 is the Greek en, which is best translated by the English preposition in. Paul isn’t telling them they must be thankful for the difficulties they were encountering; instead, he is challenging them to be thankful in any circumstance. Paul recognized that the secret of contentment isn’t found in circumstances. Rather, there is contentment in recognizing it is Christ who strengthens us for whatever we might face (Philippians 4:11–13).
Moreover, possessing an “attitude of thankfulness ” is not just a catch phrase. It’s not just a good idea, although it is. It is both God’s will and commandment of scripture. We are to give thanks to God always, in all circumstances.
An attitude of thankfulness helps us put any situation into the right perspective.
In Luke, we are given a great example of thankfulness to God in the beautiful story of ten lepers cleansed by Jesus. It’s a familiar story, and there is much we can analyze and learn from it. But focusing just on the idea of thankfulness, let’s look at what the one leper out of ten did to show thankfulness.
“And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks…” (Luke 17:15-16)
First, he wasn’t quiet with his praise. He didn’t slip Jesus a note. He didn’t whisper his appreciation. He cried with a loud voice, glorifying God! Like this man, we should be willing to proclaim the goodness of God in a way that others can see and hear.
Secondly, he fell down at Jesus’ feet, with his face to the ground. This was a scene of complete humility. When we give thanks, it must be done with the attitude that God alone is worthy of thanks for every good thing, and it is nothing of ourselves.
My brothers and sisters, like that one leper, we too can give thanks to a worthy God in all circumstances, knowing that the difficulties, hardships, and sufferings produces patience, perseverance, endurance, and maturity. There is power in understanding what God has revealed about how He causes us to grow. His methods may be painful at times (see Hebrews 12:7–11), but the outcome is the peaceful fruit of righteousness. When our perspective is informed by His Word, giving thanks in every circumstance makes perfect sense.
4GIVEN 