“Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”
1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NLT) When you’re going through a season of great change and stress, how do you maintain joy? You do it by developing the habit of thanking God for all that’s good, despite all that’s bad. This principle is found in 1 Thessalonians 5:18: “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus” (NLT). This means that we should develop an attitude of gratitude in every situation. It doesn’t mean that we have to be thankful for everything that happens to us, especially the bad things like cancer or car accidents. We don’t have to be thankful for all the evil in the world. But every time you take a minute to express gratitude to God about anything—it could be your favorite music, nature spot, or Scripture—it helps refill your empty emotional tank so you can move forward in life. Choosing to be thankful is for your own good; it keeps you from getting bitter and helps you make it to the finish line. Being grateful is easy when your emotional tank is full and things are going great in your life. It’s much harder to find something to be thankful for when you’re facing a crisis or prolonged chronic stress. But that’s when you need to express gratitude the most. The story of Job is a great example of gratitude during hard times. He was a wealthy and successful man, but he lost everything in a single day. He didn’t know why everything happened to him, and he had every reason to be angry and bitter. Despite this, he gratefully worshipped God. Even in his darkest moment, he fell to the ground and worshipped God, saying, “May the name of the LORD be praised” (Job 1:21 NIV). One of the most practical yet powerful habits you can develop is to make a daily gratitude list. Just sit down for five minutes each day and ask yourself, “What am I grateful for?” It’s a habit that will strengthen your soul and keep you going when you feel like giving up. Even in our darkest moments, we can follow Job’s example and gratefully worship God, knowing that his will for us is to give thanks in all circumstances.
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“I am the vine, and you are the branches. If you stay joined to me, and I stay joined to you, then you will produce lots of fruit. But you cannot do anything without me.”
John 15:5 (CEV) It’s better to rest in God’s goodness than to be overwhelmed with work and worry. But it’s also easier said than done. It can be hard to take the steps that lead to rest and the abundant life God has for you. Here are four daily habits that will help move you from overwhelmed to overflowing. 1. Stay connected to Jesus every day. “I am the vine, and you are the branches. If you stay joined to me, and I stay joined to you, then you will produce lots of fruit. But you cannot do anything without me” (John 15:5 CEV). If you try to go through life on your own power, you’re going to be overwhelmed. You cannot fulfill your purpose and enjoy God’s goodness unless you’re plugged in to his power. 2. Replace your complaining with gratefulness. “Do everything without complaining and arguing” (Philippians 2:14 NLT). Complaining is a deeply unhealthy emotion. On the other hand, studies have shown that gratitude is the healthiest emotion. It produces serotonin, dopamine, and oxytocin in your brain; those are the chemicals that boost happiness and lower stress. 3. Stop being stingy, and start being generous. “Bring the full amount of your tithes to the Temple, so that there will be plenty of food there. Put me to the test and you will see that I will open the windows of heaven and pour out on you in abundance all kinds of good things” (Malachi 3:10 GNT). God wired a universal law into the world: The more you give away, the more you’re going to get. God did that because he wants you to become more like him—and he is a giver. 4. Stop comparing, and start being content. “It is better to be content with what little you have. Otherwise, you will always be struggling for more, and that is like chasing the wind” (Ecclesiastes 4:6 NCV). Contentment doesn’t mean you don’t have any goals, dreams, or plans for your life. It simply means you don’t need more in order to be happy. By nature, people are discontent. But by God’s grace, you can rest contently in his goodness to you. When you grasp that most things in your life are simply gracious gifts from God, your life will go from overwhelming to overflowing with God’s abundance. “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”
Ephesians 4:29 (NIV) Radical gratitude means you’re going to walk through life being grateful in every situation, no matter what—in times of plenty, when times are tight, when times are good, bad, right, wrong, whatever. You can develop an attitude of gratitude by choosing to be grateful in every situation. The attitude of radical gratitude actually serves others; it becomes a ministry. Have you realized that every believer is a minister? You are a minister! Because every Christian is a minister, that means you should be serving other people. In fact, you’re saved to serve. And one ministry you can develop is the ministry of appreciation. Do you know what the word “appreciation” means? If you’ve ever bought a car, you know the meaning of depreciation. The moment you drive it off the lot, it’s worth less than you paid for it, even if it’s a brand-new vehicle. Depreciation means “to decrease in value.” Appreciation is the opposite. It means “to increase in value.” When you appreciate your husband, you raise his value. When you appreciate your wife, you raise her value. When you appreciate your kids, you raise their value. When you appreciate your co-workers, you raise their value to you and to the company. When you appreciate your boss, you raise his or her value. The ministry of appreciation raises the value of people. As you develop radical gratitude, you can make a ministry out of raising the value of people simply by appreciating them. The Bible says it like this: “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Ephesians 4:29 (NIV) You may have discovered that everyone needs massive doses of encouragement. Have you ever met anybody who’s said, “Oh no! I don’t need a compliment! I have too many. Please, stop! I’m too affirmed. Don’t give me anymore.” You have an unqualified need to be affirmed, to be loved, to be appreciated—and so does everybody else. If you want to be used by God, here’s one way: Affirm everyone. Appreciate everyone. Show gratitude to everyone. “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV) The more deeply you understand God’s love, the more grateful you will become. In fact, the Bible says that gratitude should saturate your life: “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18 NIV). Notice that the Bible says to give thanks in all circumstances, not for all circumstances. There is a big difference! You don’t have to be thankful for the bad things that happen in your life. Not everything that happens in the world is God’s will. In fact, most of the time, God’s will is not done here on Earth; instead, people’s will is done. There’s a lot of evil in the world, and you don’t need to thank God for that. But you can thank God in the midst of it. We can thank God in every circumstance. Here are some reasons why:
The truth is that we could think of a hundred reasons to be thankful in any circumstance, even circumstances that seem horrible. Look again at 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV). It says you should give thanks to God “in all circumstances.” The Greek word used is the word pos, which means any, all, everything, anyone, all the time, anywhere, everywhere, the whole thing. It means no exception, no excuses, no exemptions. That seems pretty radical, doesn’t it? That’s why it’s radical gratitude. It doesn’t take any effort to be grateful for the nice present someone just gave you. Anyone can do that. But being grateful in all circumstances takes radical gratitude. People say they want to know God’s will. They want to know what God wants them to do with their lives. In 1 Thessalonians 5:18, God makes that very clear: “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (NIV). Giving thanks in all situations is God’s will for you. And the more thankful you are, the closer you’ll get to God! “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV) In many cultures around the world, people set aside certain days or seasons for giving thanks. But God wants you to be intentional about your thankfulness every day. He wants you to develop this spiritual habit, one that is reflected in the life of a radical believer. The more deeply you understand God’s love, the more grateful you’re going to be. What does it mean to be radically grateful? The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (NIV). In every circumstance give thanks—because it’s God’s will for your life. That’s radical gratitude. How can you be thankful even in difficult circumstances? You can thank God in every circumstance because he is in control. He can bring good out of evil. He can turn around the worst mistakes you’ve made. No matter what happens, God isn’t going to stop loving you. You can find a hundred things to be thankful for in any circumstance, even when the circumstance stinks. Radical gratitude—being thankful in all circumstances—is God’s will because it creates fellowship. What do I mean by that? Gratitude always builds deeper relationships between you and other people and between you and God. If you want to get closer to someone, start expressing gratitude to that person. Maybe you’re feeling distant from your spouse. You’ve lost that lovin’ feeling because you stopped doing the things that created that lovin’ feeling early on—and now you take each other for granted. Start doing what you did when you were dating: Express gratitude. Write little notes of kindness and encouragement. Call or text during the day, just to tell your spouse that you’re thankful for them. Do you want to build your small group? Don’t just go to your gathering. During the week, contact the people in your group. Say, “I’m grateful for you, and here’s why.” You’ll find that the more grateful you are for your group, the more your group will bond. Let us “enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations” (Psalm 100:4-5 NIV). “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV) No matter what you ask God for, you need to ask with an attitude of gratitude. You can ask God for whatever you need, but do it with a thankful heart for what he’s already done. The Bible says, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18 NIV). A lot of people want to know what God’s will is for their lives. But God’s not going to show you step two until you do step one. Here’s step one: Be grateful. This is God’s will. First be grateful for what God has already given you—your life, mind, freedom, food. Everything you have is a gift from God! Be grateful for all of it. The Bible says to give thanks in all circumstances. Notice it does not say to give thanks for all circumstances. There is a big difference. There are a lot of things in life you should not be thankful for. You should never be thankful for evil, for example. It says to give thanks in every circumstance, not for, because God can bring good even out of bad things. There is a lot of bad in the world, and these days, you may see more of it than you think you can bear. You shouldn’t be grateful for those things. God is bigger than sin. He can bring promises out of pain, blessings out of suffering. He turns crucifixions into resurrections. God transforms the bad things in your life into good things and uses them for good. You can be grateful in everything for several reasons: God has a plan for your life. He can use everything in your life for good. The pain is not going to last forever. If you know Jesus as Savior, you’re going to heaven. And he’s going to use even the hard things in life to build your character. Do you know what will help you be thankful in all things? When bad things happen, don’t ask, “Why is this happening to me?” Instead, ask, “God, what do you want me to learn from this?” When you learn from God, then you grow more like Christ. Then you’ll be able to better see how he is working in your life and give him thanks in all circumstances. “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."
James 1:17 (NIV) Experts say that the attitude you have for the day is set in the first eight minutes of your day. Do you want to grumble, gripe, and grunt your way through the day, or do you want to be grateful? The Bible says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17 NIV). Gratitude gets you to focus on your loving Father who meets all your needs. Don’t start your day with confession or requests. Start with gratitude. Think about God and his goodness. Tell him he’s a good Father, thanking him for being caring, close, and consistent. List the ways he’s been good to you. Tell him what you’re thankful for: running water, bed and a blanket, a warm house when it’s cold and a cold house when it’s hot outside. You don’t have to worry about the right thing to say. Just say what you feel and what’s on your mind. One of the ways you can start your day with thankfulness is to make a playlist of songs. Choose songs of gratitude that remind you of who God is and what he has done for you. Turn it on as soon as you open your eyes so that your first thoughts are grateful. Worship is the best way to wake up! You can also make a list of the things you’re thankful for and keep it near your bed or wherever you have a quiet time. A gratitude list can help keep you focused on God’s goodness, and then you can pour out your heart to him in thanks. When you wake every morning, make sure the first thing you’re doing is thanking God for his consistent love and recalling all the ways that he’s good to you. Get up with gratitude. It will change everything about your day! “Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God.”
Philippians 1:3 (NLT) If you want to have healthy relationships, start with an attitude of gratitude. You will be far happier and enjoy your relationships more if you develop the habit of being grateful for the people in your life. Philippians 1:3 says, “Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God” (NLT). This simple truth is the foundation of good relationships. When you think of the people in your life, is your first feeling gratitude? Or are you more likely to ask, “What do they need to do for me? What are our problems? What do we have to get done?” Your first thought may not be gratitude. But Paul’s first thought for his friends was one of gratitude, and it is the model we should follow if we want our relationships to last. Here’s the problem: The longer you know someone, the more likely you take that person for granted. With the passage of time, it becomes easier to focus on that person’s faults and the bad times instead of the happy times. That’s why it takes effort on our part to choose to have an attitude of gratitude for the people in our lives. The longer our relationships last, the harder it may be to remember. But we experience an eternal impact on our relationships when we develop the habit of giving thanks to God when we think of our spouses, children, parents, siblings, neighbors, coworkers, and small group members. “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace.”
Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT) It’s not easy to stop worrying about the often-scary, everyday parts of our lives, but God tells us how to do it: “Pray about everything . . . thank him for all he has done” (Philippians 4:6 NLT). Grateful prayer brings peace. God says that when you start to worry, stop to pray. Parents understand the power of gratitude. Most parents wouldn’t appreciate their children always making requests without saying “thank you” for what they’ve already received. God sees it the same way. He wants us to ask him for what we need and want. More than 20 times in the New Testament, we’re told to “ask” him. But he wants us to ask with gratefulness. The Bible urges us to be specific in our requests—and our praises. Instead of a simple “thank you for everything,” he wants us to tell him what we’re grateful for. When I say to my wife, “I’m so grateful for you,” she tells me to be specific. She likes to hear what I appreciate about her and what I’m grateful for about her. God wants to hear the same things. So when you pray, tell God what you’re thankful for. Prayer is one of the most important ways we tell God “thank you.” Thanking God in advance is a big step of faith. The Bible says that when we have the faith to thank God ahead of time for an answer to our prayers, miracles happen. The more thankful we are, the more God works in our lives. The Bible says that God inhabits the praise of his people. He empowers and uses our thanksgiving as an instrument of power in our lives. “Isn’t everything you have and everything you are sheer gifts from God? So what’s the point of all this comparing and competing? You already have all you need.”
(1 Corinthians 4:7-8 The Message) Instead of focusing so much on what we don’t have and what didn’t happen, we can be grateful for what we do have. This doesn’t come naturally to us, and not even for the apostle Paul, who said, “I have learned to be content.” Being content is a learning process. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 4:7-8, “Isn’t everything you have and everything you are sheer gifts from God? So what’s the point of all this comparing and competing? You already have all you need” (The Message). Envy is based on the myth that you need more to be happy. Envy always looks at others and asks, “Why them? Why did they deserve it? I deserve what they have.” But gratitude says, “Why me? Why did God give me this? I’m blessed because I don’t deserve what I have.” It totally flips our perspective. Although we all struggle with envy, it’s hard to admit it because it’s such an ugly emotion. When you’re envious of others, you really want them to fail, because it makes you feel better that they don’t have more than you. That’s pretty crazy, isn’t it? If we could only learn to be grateful for what we have, we could begin to get rid of these feelings of envy. It’s important to understand that envy is not having a desire or a dream or a goal. It’s good to have those. Envy is not looking forward to something or hoping that something can happen in your life or even wondering if you should have some thing. Envy is instead resenting somebody who already has what you desire or has reached a goal you have yet to obtain. Envy says you can’t be happy until you get that desire or goal. Envy is not being grateful for what you already have. Yet the Bible tells us that we already have more than we need and far more than we deserve. Every good thing in our lives is a gift from God, and it is up to him to decide when and how he blesses us. It’s up to us to choose to be grateful and make the most of what we’ve been given. As Ecclesiastes 6:9 says, “It is better to be satisfied with what you have than to be always wanting something else” (GNT). |
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