The Grateful Heart

“At all times and for everything giving thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father.” (Ephesians 5:20 Amp.) “Thank God in everything (no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks), for this is the will of God for you who are in Christ Jesus (the Revealer and mediator of that will). (I Thess. 5:18 Amp.) If there is one type of person we like to be around, I would venture to say it was the person who was sincerely grateful “in” and “for” everything in their life. I would think these people (they are rare) have been through dire and difficult circumstances and have chosen to believe that God loves them and has either caused or permitted every circumstance, good or bad, to come into their life to prove their faith, like job; and to show how He will be faithful to go with them and to strengthen them in and through the deep waters until they come out victorious. Looking in retrospect they see how God has used the “fire” to burn away the dross of pride, self-sufficiency, doubt, fear and lukewarmness, etc., that has consumed their life, even as a Christian. They choose to be thankful in and for all things. The above are two very astounding and puzzling scriptures. Does God really expect us to thank Him for the bad as well as the good? He said it, so we must believe it, and that should settle it. We may not understand this doctrine of “thanksgiving in and for all things,” but we must remember words are relevant to us, such as “good” and “bad” or “evil,” but not relative to God. Since He knows the beginning and end of every situation, the ramifications of that situation, the perfect time for it to occur, and every detail about it that will fit into His plans, who are we to question what He says is good or bad, He is the omniscient and all wise God. We are just told to give thanks for the situations, and even give thanks while we are in the midst of them. In the beginning God said all His creation was good, but after the fall His creations became what we would call “bad.” Some of the animals became vicious (bad), men’s hearts became “evil” and dark, storms occurred and destroyed life, and the innocent suffer. This all became what we would call “bad,” but God had already planned ahead for the redemption of mankind, and eventually the whole creation. Now sin is not “good” but without the evil and sin in the world, God’s perfect plan of salvation wouldn’t be necessary, so God permitted it. Since He said to “be thankful for all things,” we must thank Him that it was sin that brought us to a recognition of our complete depravity that caused a great gulf between us and God, and subsequently it was the recognition of our sin and our knowledge that we couldn’t save ourselves and needed a Savior, Jesus. There are some key words in these two scriptures we need to look at and study. Webster’s Dictionary says the word, “for,” is a “used as a function word to indicate an actual or implied enumeration.” The Ephesians’ scripture uses the word ”for” to indicate for what we are to give thanks and how often we are to give thanks - for “all” things at “all” times. The word “all” is defined as, “whole number or sum, every, altogether, everybody and everything.” So there is never a circumstance or a time for which we are not to give thanks. We can only do this when we are trusting Jesus explicitly – His wisdom, His love, His power to keep, and His plan. The more we know Him, the more we trust Him, to trust His love is to be thankful for “everything” He permits to come into our life. In the context scriptures Paul was heading toward Jerusalem where he knew he may be facing prison, or even death. But he admonished the Ephesian Christians “to walk in the light, in wisdom, in the will of God, and be filled with the Spirit, rejoicing in God and to give thanks for all things, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.” They and many others can, and should rejoice, knowing “they were counted worthy to suffer shame and exposed to disgrace for Christ’s name, ” and “when people hate us for Christ’s sake” (Acts 5:41; Luke 6:22-23). Now let’s look at two other words in the I Thess. 5:18 scripture which clarifies when and where we are to give thanks. The first is the word “in.” Webster says, “In expresses inclusion within limits of space, time, circumstances, sphere, etc.” The second word is “everything” which means, “each of all possible, everyday, everywhere and everyone.” So this scripture tells us we are to “thank God in everything, for this is God’s will for you who are in Christ Jesus.” We are to give thanks in the midst of every and all circumstances (good or bad). Why would we be commanded to give thanks for and in all things? This seems contradictory to all our thinking, but remember, “God’s thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways are not our ways” (Isaiah 55:8). We may not understand but we must trust the One Who knows the number of the hairs on our head; the One Who loves us with an incomprehensible and everlasting love; the One Who knows the way through the wilderness – all we have to do is follow. Paul gives us some of the reasons why God wants us to thank Him in and for all things. We should “rejoice in the midst of suffering to make the gospel known” (Col.1:24). Be thankful that to “share His glory we must share His suffering; and that He is working all things for good for those who love God; and that being thankful in all things we are being molded into the image of God’s Son. Be thankful that “if God be for us who can be against us? No one or nothing can separate us from God’s love? Be thankful because He has called us, justified us and makes us righteous. So we should rejoice and be thankful for that knowledge.” (Rom.8:17-18, 28-39). We can be thankful for the opportunity to love our enemies and those who despitefully use us, as Jesus commanded, so we can be like our Father in heaven” (Matt.5:44-45). Our rejoicing and thanks makes us like Him and glorifies Him, and because it shows our complete trust and faith in Our Father. Without trust and faith we cannot please Him (Heb.11:6). “Moreover let us be full of joy now, let us exult and triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produces patient and unswerving endurance. And endurance develops maturity of character. And character produces the hope of eternal salvation. Such hope never disappoints us, for God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who has been given to us” (Rom.5:3-5) (Amp). “REJOICE IN THE LORD ALWAYS, AND AGAIN I SAY REJOICE” (Phil.4:4)!!