Word of Hope Blog
December 2023- Thanks Always
1 Thessalonians 5:18 says “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
It’s important to remind ourselves of the use of words called prepositions. So much is packed into the meaning when it comes to those words. God is not commanding that we give thanks for all the situations in our life. He is saying give thanks in those situations. When we are in situations that we consider unfortunate, uncalled for, not part of our plan, or downright miserable, we are having an intimate relationship with our uncomfortableness. It’s a reminder to us of sin, not necessarily because we suffer consequences of our sins but because we are sinful by nature and the whole world around us is as well.
We give thanks in these circumstances, by command of our Lord, because He wants us to know that He is powerfully at work during those circumstances. So often we are blinded by our own passions and don’t see what is best. Giving thanks in the circumstances, whether we feel happy about it or not, forces us to stop navel gazing and look to Him for what is best. The intimate relationship we are meant to have is with Christ, not with ourselves. Which is probably why the phrase ends with “for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
-Deaconess Janet Nicol
Word of Hope
It’s important to remind ourselves of the use of words called prepositions. So much is packed into the meaning when it comes to those words. God is not commanding that we give thanks for all the situations in our life. He is saying give thanks in those situations. When we are in situations that we consider unfortunate, uncalled for, not part of our plan, or downright miserable, we are having an intimate relationship with our uncomfortableness. It’s a reminder to us of sin, not necessarily because we suffer consequences of our sins but because we are sinful by nature and the whole world around us is as well.
We give thanks in these circumstances, by command of our Lord, because He wants us to know that He is powerfully at work during those circumstances. So often we are blinded by our own passions and don’t see what is best. Giving thanks in the circumstances, whether we feel happy about it or not, forces us to stop navel gazing and look to Him for what is best. The intimate relationship we are meant to have is with Christ, not with ourselves. Which is probably why the phrase ends with “for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
-Deaconess Janet Nicol
Word of Hope