The Apostle Paul focused on thanksgiving in several of his letters to the churches in central Asia. Being encouraged to rejoice and give thanks for God’s blessings is one of the ways Paul wanted them to live for God. In the middle Paul told them to rejoice and be thankful, no matter what came their way.īecause these people were so eager to see Jesus, it was easy to look around at the broken world and be ungrateful for what God gave them, in light of the glory and joy of being with their Lord and Savior. Part of living for God, according to this passage, includes giving encouragement to those who were weak in their faith, to work hard, to love and respect one another, and to reject evil. Paul wanted them to look forward to that return, but that living for Christ should be their priority. His audience was eager to meet their Savior face-to-face, and earnestly speculated about His swift return.
The rest of the chapter is a continuation of that encouragement about living a Christian life. Instead, they are to live for God, obeying His commandments and commissions out of love. The first eleven verses of chapter five focus on this moment, where Paul encouraged them to live diligently, waiting for the Lord, but not to give up everything and wait around for it either. One of their persistent questions was about the Rapture - the moment when the Lord returns to take His church to Heaven before the Tribulation - and when it would happen. The Apostle Paul wrote the epistle containing this recommendation to be thankful to the church at Thessalonica, a Greek city with Gentile believers who had questions about their new faith. Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Jair Ferreira Belafacce
In everything give thanks bible verse download#
Download and print this guide to keep with you as a reminder of God's love and promises. To help you in thanking God, we created a 30 Days of Gratitude Prayer Guide HERE. Thanking God for blessings through praise and prayer is the first step, and the second is by turning away from earthly wants and desires, and focusing on the future promises that will matter forever, that are guaranteed by the Word of God, so there is always something to thank Him for, even if current circumstances are difficult. Instead, it encourages an attitude adjustment and a re-focusing of priorities. Of course, the verse does not mean that every second of everyday Christians should be muttering “thank you God” under their breath. When He blesses, thank Him, and thank Him for the things unseen in which Christians place their hope. When the Bible says to give thanks in all things, it asks people to thank God for blessings both visible and invisible. The way to always give thanks is to remember to thank God for His eternal gifts and promises.
It is important to thank God for earthly blessings, but in order to always be thankful, there must be things to thank God for that do not rust, decay, or disappear. Ultimately, the Bible encourages believers to focus on eternal things. The eternal home in Heaven: Hebrews 12:28 Salvation through Jesus’ death and resurrection: 1 Corinthians 15:57 The Bible also encourages believers to be thankful for: When thinking about eternity together John 16:20-22 When the Father’s will is done: Luke 10:20-24 A sinner repented and became saved: Luke 15 He wants those who love Him to have His joy, and to be thankful for those things which bring joy. Jesus prayed to His Father, “But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves” ( John 17:13). What should be the Christian’s ultimate source of joy? To get through loss, suffering, and chaotic times, it would need to be something permanent and unchanging. In order to be thankful at all times it is important to have sources of joy, something to always be grateful for, and reminders to turn to those sources of joy and good things when times are hard. The Bible does not pretend there is no suffering, with the Book of Ecclesiastes acknowledged there will be, “a time to kill … a time to break down … a time to weep … a time to mourn” ( Ecclesiastes 3:3-4).
As difficulties pile on, it can be easy to look around and see nothing good, sinking into despair, perpetual anger, and an inability to feel gratitude.
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