" Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. "
(1Thesso 5:18)
Dear God's people, have you ever thought about thanking God despite the situations? Yes, Paul encourages Thessalonians to give thanks to God in every situation. In all situations, we are subdued to God to thank Him. Wait, what?? do you mean the bad ones as well? Yes, my friends. But, why do we need to thank God? Well, foremost we ought to thank Him "because He is good", and so it is our responsibility to thank God always in Lord Jesus Christ. God never changes His goodness so should we never go weary thanking Him. Gratitude or being grateful is a heart tenderizer. Giving thanks to God constantly in all that we go through, ups and downs, highs and lows keep our eyes focused on God, the source of all good gifts.
The Scripture says, " Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. " (Ps 100:4) We do not deserve anything, but God provides us everything. The basic natural resources such as the sunlight moonlight fresh air to breathe, animals, and birds in our neighborhood are all the blessings of God for us. In the same way, We don’t deserve forgiveness or salvation, yet God extends it. Every good thing in our lives is an act of grace from our loving and merciful heavenly Father. Even strength and endurance in times of difficulty are grace gifts from God.
1) Give thanks for the good times.
At the time of Jesus Christ on earth, Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem. He traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As Jesus was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met Him. (Luke 17: 11-19) They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, pity us! "Lepers are not supposed to meet the people, they stay away from the community, rejected by everyone, even by their own family. Because leprosy was an incurable disease those days. They shout "Lepers here, go out. " whenever they hear the footsteps. Learning about Jesus Christ and the miracles performed by Him. They shouted(begged) at Jesus for their healing. When Jesus saw them, He was moved with compassion towards them. He said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed. They were healed on their way before they reached the Priest. What a mighty miracle of Jesus? Yes, by His stripes we are all healed from every sickness on the earth. If anyone reading this, are suffering from any disorders, ailments or illness lift your voices just like these lepers. Jesus will heal you completely. There's power in the name of Jesus and the blood which was shed for us. Believe and you will be healed. Back to the plot, One of the 10 lepers, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him and he was a Samaritan. 10 cried to Jesus, and all 10 members were healed but only one came back to thank God. This kind of thankfulness is worship to God. As loud as he shouted for the miracle, he still shouted aloud to offer thanks to God for restoring his life.
2) Give thanks in the troubles.
God told Jonah to go and preach to the wicked Assyrians, however, Jonah decided to flee. He boarded a ship heading in the opposite direction and fell fast asleep in the hold. He was awakened by the captain who pleaded with him to call on his God. The ship was in the midst of a great storm sent by God and in danger of breaking to pieces. The sailors cast lots in an attempt of figuring out who was responsible for the storm. God caused the lot to fall upon Jonah.
Jonah told them to throw him overboard so the sea would become calm. Immediately after doing so, the storm stopped and the sea became calm. The Lord appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah and this was Jonah’s abode for three days. It was from this fish’s belly that Jonah cried out to the Lord.
Jonah prayed " But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord. " (Jonah 2:9) By, giving thanks in the belly of the fish Jonah acknowledged the faith he had in God. God offered the sacrifice of Jonah and commanded the fish, it vomited him onto the dry land.
Giving thanks is a sacrifice we offer God each day. So never forget to thank God for His love endures forever. Amen!!
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