The Cause Of Thanksgiving

We find an interesting verse in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 that tells us "in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God..." When we talk about giving thanks in everything, you are probably prone to say, “but you don’t know my situation.” No I may not and others may not either, but it’s not so much about thanking God for the pain, or suffering, or discouragement, or whatever it might be. It is thanking God that He is working all things out for our good. That He is taking the things that come our way in life, and using them to bring glory to His name. A thanksgiving mentality puts a different perspective on our problems, it doesn't take them away. We are not thanking him for trials and tribulations, but rather thanking Him for bringing glory to Jesus through our suffering.
The spirit of thanksgiving should be a constant daily moment by moment experience because...

1. Thanksgiving is the command of God - Therefore, all forms of ingratitude are sinful
In everything give thanks (Col. 2:7 “abounding in therein with thanksgiving” Eph. 5:20 “Giving thanks always for all things…” Col 3:15 “Be ye thankful”)


Joni Eareckson Tada, who was involved in an accident that left her paralyzed from the neck down, writes, “Giving thanks is not a matter of feeling thankful, it's a matter of obedience.


2. Thanksgiving is the Will of God – Not only is it commanded of us but it is God’s will that we get to the place that we can in everything give thanks.
John Macarthur put it this way, “in everything give thanks—allows believers no excuse for harboring Ingratitude. In everything carries an unlimited requirement. It refers to everything that occurs in life…. If you’re not obeying that command, you’re not following God’s will. Think of it like this: If gratitude doesn't come easy for you, neither will finding God’s will. Or to put it another way, if you struggle with being thankful, you’ll struggle with following God’s will.”

3. Thanksgiving acknowledges the Omnipotence of God. - O give thanks unto the Lord for He is good. It shows that anything we have or get in this life comes from him. This includes all talents, abilities, personality, wealth, position, power, prestige, you get the message everything comes from God.

Giving thanks to God also shows that God is greater than any impossibility, problem or circumstance we may face in this life. It is always good practice to even Thank God in advance for what you believe or are praying for Him to do.

Let me share this poem with you by Lon R. Woodrum I think it speaks volumes about giving thanks in everything.

Be Thankful – Lon R. Woodrum
If you have many foes
And they press you pretty hard;
And from their bitter blows
You’re rather hurt and scarred-
But if you still can look around
And find a single friend
Who’ll stick to you thru thick and thin
Until the very end-
Thank God for that
Thank God for that.

If your purse is pretty lean
And you find that you are stuck
In tough financial bogs
Because of old Hard Luck-
Still if your heart is beating right
And your health is all okay
And by God’s grace you’re able yet
The game of life to play-
Thank God for that!
Thank God for that!

If sickness lays a grip
Upon your fevered form
If agony is in your world
And sweeps you like a storm-
But, still, if thru the mist of pain
The Holy Ghost has come
And thru your soul His raptures roll
When pain has made you numb-
Thank God for that!
Thank God for that!

If life has not seemed kind
Here on this sphere below,
And yours has been a homeless way
Like One of long ago;
Still, if by faith you see agleam
A house that brightly stands
In God’s own world of Home, Sweet Home-
A house not made with hands-
Thank God for that!
Thank God for that!