Always Give Thanks

Always Give Thanks
Written 2014-10-03 15:55:23, Friday

When are we to give thanks? (Prayer journal your answer before you read ahead.) 

We are to always give thanks. We are to give thanks in everything and for all situations continually and without stopping. This is what the Bible commands, according to 1 Thessalonians 5:18. And, in case we missed it, look at the end of the verse of 1 Thessalonians 5:18. 

1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 Expanded Bible (EXB)

17 Pray ·continually [without ceasing], 18 and give thanks ·whatever happens [in all circumstances; in everything]. That is ·what God wants [God’s will] for you in Christ Jesus.

Expanded Bible (EXB)

The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.

Prayer journal your thoughts to those verses. What did you learn? What do these verses mean to your life? 

Give thanks no matter what. 

How seriously do we take these verses?

Do we believe they are commands from God? 

Do our lives reflect the importance of these verses? Are we living these verses? 

THE TEST

Let's do a little test. List at least twenty blessings from two days ago, thirty blessings from yesterday, and forty from today. 

Those numbers may seem extreme, but seriously. If you are truly living 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 like the verses were commands given by God, then listing all of the blessings I just mentioned should be easy. 

DO WE WANT TO?

Do we want to live these verses?

Do we really want to or are just giving lip service to the idea? 

Do we want to apply these verses to our lives? (Or do we want to ignore them?)

The Bible commands we give thanks in and for all and at all times. 

How can we do so? What is our plan to live out these verses? 

1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) 17 Pray constantly. 18 Give thanks in everything, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.

 Prayer Journal your thoughts.