This week we will be celebrating Thanksgiving. It's the day we're supposed to give thanks for what we have. That's also the day in which we eat more than we should just because we're "thankful" for the food. Truthfully, everyday should be Thanksgiving. Everyday we should be giving thanks to God for all things. We start our day giving thanks for waking us up, giving us our right minds, giving us the activity of our limbs, etc. Those things are easy to give thanks for. However, we are to also to give thanks for AND in ALL things. What does that mean?
1 Thessalonians 5:18 states, "Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will]." According to this verse, we are to give thanks to God no matter the circumstance - whether good or bad. How can we give thanks to God when things are going bad, or when we get a devastating report from the doctor or our employer? How can we give thanks when a loved one passes away? There's no easy answer. One thing I do know that God is Sovereign and knows all things. If we are His children, He only wants what's best for us. He's the only One who can see into the future and see how things will affect us. So when things are going "bad", thank God because it could be worse than that. When we get a devastating report from the doctor, thank God because He is a Healer either in this life or in the life to come. When we get a devastating report from our employer, thank God because He's our Provider and will take care of us. When we lose a loved one, still thank God that they had a great life and if they were believers, they're in a better place.
Give thanks for and in ALL things? Yes! We should ALWAYS give thanks NO MATTER WHAT. God always has the final say and we can trust Him for the end result. God's end result is ALWAYS for our good. This week as we're celebrating Thanksgiving, let us remember to give God thanks for and in all things NO MATTER WHAT. Have a blessed week!