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Give Thanks In All Circumstances
Brian Mashburn
July 10, 2016
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Give Thanks In All Things
Paul. Just. Will. Not. Let. Up.
After telling us to "be joyful always", and then telling us to "pray continually" - two things that pretty much seem impossible to do - he then follows up in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 - "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
Seriously? All circumstances? ALL of them?
Cancer? Terrorist attacks? Bullies? Termites? Death? Divorce? Sickness? Car trouble? Failed Tests? Cavities? Earthquakes? A Trump Presidency? A Clinton Presidency? Plumbing problems? Poverty? Sin?
Evidently, Paul thinks that God thinks that we have reason to give thanks despite the circumstances we face. That no matter what is going on, there are always blessings to count. That regardless of what is happening around us, there remains still something for which we can give thanks.
Before we dismiss this text as impossible, perhaps we should sit with it for a minute. Perhaps we should consider it. After all, if there were a way to be untouchably grateful - a way to remain thank-full no matter what - don't you want to know how?
I do.
If God says we can be irrationally thankful, then I want to err on the side of belief in it. Rather than feeling the need to argue against this text, or defend yourself from it, can you first just consider it?
After all, Paul says it best, "for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."