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28th December 2024
SaturdayReflection
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'Jessica Brodie'
'Award-winning Christian Novelist and Journalist'
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"What Does "Give Thanks
in All Things" mean in the Bible? (1 Thessalonians 5:18)"
It helps to remember we are being asked not to give thanks "for everything" but "in everything."
This is an important distinction.
It is important to have a grateful and positive heart that thanks God for life or other blessings in spite of our present situation.
This year, when everything, from economic and racial unrest to a pandemic, is turning so much of our everyday routine and even our Thanksgiving celebrations on end, many of us struggle with thankfulness.
Sure, we're grateful for our health, our family, and the very breath in our lungs.
But how do we honour the words of the Apostle Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 to "give thanks in all circumstances" when so much hardship surrounds us?
How can we give thanks in all things?
The notion of thankfulness echoes throughout the Bible, and this particular line comes from Paul's letter to the early church in Thessalonica.
The full verse encourages us to "give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus".
Written around AD 51, Paul's letter to the Thessalonians was intended to encourage the early church, praising them for their spiritual maturity and persistence and pressing them toward deeper growth in their faith.
These three things - joy, prayer, and thanksgiving - are evidence of the fire of the Holy Spirit at work in every believer, something Paul knew well.
Indeed, he followed his directive to rejoice, pray, and give thanks with a command that these believers "not quench the Spirit".
Their joy, prayer, and thanksgiving fan the flames of the Spirit, helping ignite similar fires for the Lord throughout the land.
It is appreciating our gifts and blessings, which we are not entitled to but which God gives freely to us because He loves and cares for us.
He gave us not only life on this earth in our human form but also eternal life if we follow and believe in His Son, Jesus Christ.
Gratitude and thankfulness are important concepts peppered throughout the Bible.
Many of the Psalms are designed to offer thanksgiving, and we know gratitude was an important part of the Old Testament.
God's people would offer sacrifices as a way of showing thanks, as well as sing songs in appreciation.
In the New Testament, we see people offering deep thanks for miracles and Jesus offering thanks to God for food, healing, signs, and more.
We are supposed to be grateful for everything, even when life is not going as we would like.
We don't need to be happy, nor does life need to be perfect for us to be thankful.
Paul wrote a great deal about the importance of gratitude, much of which he wrote while experiencing deep suffering.
He thanked God for his life, the opportunity to know Christ, and the chance to preach God's word even while he was experiencing dire circumstances such as imprisonment and other persecution.
Gratitude helps us keep a thankful, positive attitude about life and the blessings we receive.
It helps remind us we don't deserve anything, and only because of God's great love and mercy are we even granted life.
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This is an edited version.
The full article and Bible references are avaiable on request
Jessica Brodie
is an award-winning Christian novelist, journalist, editor, blogger, and writing coach and the recipient of the 2018 American Christian Fiction Writers Genesis Award for her novel, The Memory Garden.
Learn more about Jessica's fiction and read her faith blog at http://jessicabrodie.com
She has a weekly YouTube devotional and podcast.
You can also connect with her on Facebook,Twitter, and more. She's also produced a free eBook, A God-Centered Life: 10 Faith-Based Practices When You're Feeling Anxious, Grumpy, or Stressed
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