....everything

In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Think about the events of your day today or perhaps yesterday. Consider all that happened: disruptions, disappointments, delays, delights, diversions, dangers, and more. No doubt you were thankful for some events and not so thankful for others. What may surprise you is that the Bible says you should have been thankful for all those events.

To be more accurate, Scripture says to be thankful in everything, not for everything. That is, be thankful in the midst of a circumstance, whether pleasant or unpleasant, not necessarily for the circumstance itself. 

God doesn’t expect us to be thankful for an illness, a car accident, or losing a job. But it “is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” to be thankful in the midst of those circumstances. Why are we able to give thanks in every situation? Because “we know that all things work together for good to those who love God” and who are called to “be conformed to the image of His Son” Romans 8:28-29.

Whether you are reading these words at the beginning or the end of your day, breathe a prayer of thanks to God for EVERY situation and circumstance.  

God’s giving deserves our thanksgiving.

- david jeremiah