A Thankful Heart

A Thankful Heart

1 Thessalonians 5:18 “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” (KJV)

Notice that his passage does not say “for everything give thanks.” There’s a lot of teaching out there that would have us believe that as Christians we are to rejoice and be thankful for all the terrible events that inevitably come our way in life.

You can be sure that no one is thankful for the death of a child or spouse. No one is thankful that a flood or fire comes and destroys their home. No one is thankful about watching a loved one suffer.

We aren’t thankful for calamity, and we don’t need to feel like we’re bad Christians because of that. Scripture teaches us that we can be thankful in these situations, not for them.

Instead, there are blessings for which we can remain thankful in calamity.

We can be thankful that Father loves us and is working for good in every situation.
We can be thankful that calamity causes people to stop, reconsider their mortality, and call out to God.
We can be thankful that one day there will be no more tears and we will see Him face to face.
We can be thankful that we are free of the bondage we see ruining the lives of those who do not have the Spirit.
We can be thankful that Jesus is right there with us in the midst of trouble.

Here is some encouragement about applying this:

Colossians 2:6-7 “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.” (KJV)

Walk by faith and watch Father work in your life and the lives of those you love.

That's the way of grace. Gratitude and thankfulness are the natural result of life in the Spirit.