Thanksgiving, Part 4
by Cody Anderson Corinth Missionary Baptist Church
I hope you have already found yourself more thankful since the beginning of this series. I have found myself in times of frustration and irritation, reminding myself to be grateful for the very things irritating me. It completely changed my attitude and caused me to offer praise and worship to God.
Straight from the depths of despair, God lifted me to a pinnacle of praise. As we finish up this series and find the holidays upon us, I hope you find yourself practicing thanksgiving. In turn, gratitude will be the lifestyle of a follower of Christ.
The verses we will look at today are probably the most common verses in reference to thanksgiving. This is more than likely because of the brevity of the verses. Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you,” (ESV).
While we find these verses short, sweet, and to the point, I urge you not to glance over them. Reading too quickly causes us to turn a feast into a snack. Paul is stressing these imperatives. The words “rejoice, pray, give thanks” in the Greek are all in the present tense. This means that it is to be an ongoing, habitual process in life. Yet, Paul doubles-down on each of these verbs with an adverb that illustrates this again. Paul really wants the followers of the Way to understand that a lifestyle of rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks is the mark of maturity.
What are these adverbs saying or not saying? In verse 16, we find the adverb “always” modifying “rejoice.” Obviously, we cannot constantly be lifting our voices in praise to the Father. Paul wants to communicate that we should quickly find ourselves in praise. Looking for every opportunity may be another reading of this adverb. Verse 17 says pray without ceasing. Unfortunately, we are not able to find ourselves in constant conversation with the Father. But we should find ourselves in an intimate connection where we communicate consistently and without giving up. We don’t pray once for the salvation of a lost family member; for years, we continue petitioning until the Father answers that prayer. In verse 18, we find, “give thanks in all circumstances.” We know we are not to give thanks for evil, so what could this communicate? We find in every circumstance something to give thanks. So we do not give thanks for everything, but in every trial, tribulation, and blessing, we can find reasons to give thanks.
These imperatives go against our very nature. As a new creation, though, they should be woven into our very being. We should find these in our lives as evidence that we are new creations – just as a beating heart and lungs pumping air are signs of life. As you continue reading in verse 18, we find, “this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you,” (ESV). It is not just an effect on the believer, such as being in the sun will cause a sunburn. It is the purpose of what God has planned. Blanket statements seem radical or too allegorical, but this statement covers all people who have called on the name of the Lord. It is for all followers to find themselves in this lifestyle.
It is only those who are in Christ who posses these character traits. Worldly people, you can find happy or joyful, but it is only an emotion. Worldly people may be quick to pray to a God they don’t believe in when they find themselves in hard times. Yet, it is only the new creature with the Holy Spirit that has the capability to consistently or habitually rejoice. Only those who know God will be in communion with Him constantly. Those who are in Christ turn thanks to God because they know fully that He is worthy.
Thanksgiving to God is our wholehearted response to who He is. God is Creator, Provider, and Redeemer. He is compassionate, merciful, and faithful. He is so much more, but if this was simply all we found God to be, we should offer praise and thanksgiving constantly and for
