Thankfulness leads us into the presence of God, but ungratefulness always leads us away from God.
We can develop a lifestyle of thankfulness by intentionally expressing our gratitude and practicing spontaneous appreciation throughout our day.
The Scriptures instruct us to give thanks to God with all of our heart.
Psalm 9:1
One of the ways we can express our gratefulness to God is through intentional thanksgiving.
Another way we can develop an attitude of gratitude is through spontaneous thanksgiving.
1 Thessalonians 5:16–24
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil. 23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.
We are not to offer thanks to God occasionally or only when great things are happening; instead, we are to give thanks in all circumstances.
Even when we experience trials, we can give thanks for God’s presence, His understanding, and Hiscomfort.
Verse 16 Rejoice always,
Verse 17 pray without ceasing
Verse 18 does not tell us to give thanks for all circumstances but “in all circumstances.
Verse 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Evil, injustice, and cruelty exist every day in this world.
Scripture never instructs us to give thanks for wicked, immoral, and sinful circumstances but to give thanks in them.
Verse 19 Do not quench the Spirit.
Verse 20 Do not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil.
23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
24 He who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it.
As followers of Jesus, we are not immune to the trials, pains, difficulties, and sufferings of life.
In fact, life can be very brutal at times. It can be extremely difficult to give thanks to God in such times.
Through the power of the Holy Spirit in us, we can give thanks in all circumstance for a several reasons.
First, God is always with us—even in the darkest times (Deuteronomy 31:6,8).
Giving thanks is an act of faith rather than not walking by sight. We have to “see” beyond our circumstances and look to Jesus.
Second, Jesus understands what we are going through (Hebrews 4:15). In His life on earth and death on the Cross, Jesus went through tremendous pain and suffering, and He understands how we feel.
Finally, the Holy Spirit is in us, comforting, encouraging, and strengthening us (2 Corinthians 1:4). The Holy Spirit ministers to us in the midst of loss and pain.