Today we will look at the last verse in this study, 1 Thessalonions 5:18:
In Everything Give Thanks
We are to be a people of thanksgiving.
In our previous study we looked at 1 Thess 16 -17 which taught us to "rejoice always" and "pray without ceasing"; our constant joy and prayer should point us to the giving of thanks, and vice versa—they are all connected and intertwined.
According to the Bible, ingratitude is very displeasing to God, and it makes sense; how do you feel about someone you are always doing things for, or who always asks you for things, but never thanks you?
In Rom. 1:21, not giving thanks is one of the characteristics of those who knew God, but whose "foolish heart was darkened."
In 2 Tim. 3:2, it is included among other sins that would be prevalent in the "difficult times" of the last days.
There are many verses like this one in 1 Thess. 5:18:
In Ephesians 5:20, after speaking to them about singing and making melody with their hearts to the Lord, Paul said, "always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father."
In Philippians 4:6, he said, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God."
In Colossians 1:6-7, we are told, "Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude."
And in Colossians 4:2, he said, "Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving."
And again, we find a similar instruction—in everything. It’s easy to be thankful when everything is going well, but what about when it’s difficult? Even though you may be going "through the ringer," there are still things you can be thankful for.
Daniel (along with the other Israelites) was in exile in Babylon, and yet look at what is said of his prayers in Dan. 6:10 (that we read earlier), "...he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God..."
As in the old 1960 Hayley Mills movie Pollyanna, I think we need to play the "glad game." In case you haven’t seen the move (which you should go and do), it was a game taught to her by her father; it consists of finding something to be glad about in every situation. For instance, one Christmas, instead of a doll in the missionary barrel (as she wanted), there were crutches. In that case, they decided they were glad that they didn’t need them.
Complaining just dampens spirits; people full of gloom and despair are not very fun to be around. Are you a pessimist? It’s probably because you don’t play the "glad game."
In Philippians chapter one, Paul was in prison and you would expect him to be complaining up a storm, but we find him playing the "glad game." Philippians 1:12-14 states, "Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else, and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear."
I remember hearing a preacher recalling one of his friends prayers as they both stood there watching his friend’s business burn to the ground. The man prayed, "Thank you God that no one was hurt in the fire, and thank you for all the years we were taking care of financially because of the success of this business that you allowed us to have."
I was at a lectureship where Willard Tate was talking about a college class he taught really early in the morning. The students came in, and first thing he told them to do was to take out a piece of paper and write down twelve good things that happened to them that day. They started to complain, "What do you mean? I’ve only been awake for 30 minutes." He said, "OK, you got up this morning and you were alive. Is that a good thing? Write that down. You opened your eyes and you could see. Is that a good thing? You got out of bed and you could walk. You didn’t have to go down to the river; you turned the tap and you had instant hot water." You see, it’s not that hard to find twelve good things.
As William Barclay said, "There is always something for which to give thanks; even on the darkest day there are blessings to count. We must remember that if we face the sun, the shadows will fall behind us, but if we turn our backs on the sun all the shadows will be in front." It has been said that this is the secret of a happy life—It’s not the happy people who are thankful, it’s the thankful people who are happy. "
And so, as the song we sing tells us, count your blessings, name them one by one.
I agree with Walter Adeney: "We fix our thoughts on our trouble to the neglect of a thousand blessings."
I like the saying: "Never allow what you don’t have, keep you from being thankful for what you do have."
It has been said, "It is backwards to have only one day a year for Thanksgiving and three hundred sixty-four for grumbling."
For the Christian, the blessings always outnumber and outweigh the troubles. If nothing else, in every situation we can thank God for His salvation in Jesus Christ.
May we never be like the nine lepers in Luke 17 who didn’t return to thank Jesus. Let’s try to make thanksgiving a part of our lives and use it in every prayer.
You can give thanks in everything! | 
Posted by Mom 
