“In Everything Give Thanks”

1 Thessalonians 5:18— In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Is it possible to give thanks in everything… in every situation… in every circumstance… in every place?  As difficult as it may seem, I believe it is possible, otherwise God would not command us to do so.  Our text clearly tells us giving thanks in everything is the will of God.  It would be cruel for God to give a command that is impossible to obey.

So how can we obey this command?  I believe the answer lies in viewing our situation with a proper perspective.  For example, one young lady wrote home from college:

“Dear Mom: Sorry I haven’t written sooner. My arm really has been broken. I broke it, and my left leg, when I jumped from the second floor of my dormitory…when we had the fire. We were lucky. A young service station attendant saw the blaze and called the Fire Department. They were there in minutes. I was in the hospital for a few days. Paul, the service station attendant, came to see me every day. And because it was taking so long to get our dormitory livable again, I moved in with him. He has been so nice. I must admit that I am pregnant. Paul and I plan to get married just as soon as he can get a divorce. I hope things are fine at home. I’m doing fine, and will write more when I get the chance. Love, Your daughter, Susie

P.S. None of the above is true. But I did get a “C” in Sociology and flunked Chemistry. I just wanted you to receive this news in its “proper perspective!”

    To be thankful in all circumstances, we need a proper perspective of our circumstances and of our God, and remember—It could always be worse than it is! As Paul wrote, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed in us…” (Rom. 8:18). Now that’s the right perspective!