"BE THANKFUL (NO MATTER WHAT!)

April 28, 2020      Be Thankful (No Matter What) 

Good morning from Pastor Glen Brock, Baptist Tabernacle Church, Wendell, North Carolina…“give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”      (1 Thessalonians 5:18)… Bad things happen. It is just reality. None of us has it perfect. On some days, things go well and on other days things go terrible, it’s just the way it is. My life has been a series of events that resembles a roller coaster ride, ups and downs. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” It is this little verse that causes me problems. God, are you serious?  You actually expect me to be thankful no matter what is happening to me? Do you really mean that I am to be thankful when I mess up? Do you mean, to be thankful when my feelings are hurt?  Do you mean to be thankful in ALL circumstances? I am to be thankful, no matter what is happening to me?  Lord, you can’t be serious! Bad things actually happen and I am supposed to be grateful? How can I be expected to be thankful in all things? It is just simply not realistic. Maybe you are like me, and you struggle with this idea of how to be thankful in all things, no matter what is happening around us.  Does this seem possible or realistic to you? Can God really expect us to possibly be thankful in everything that happens to us? Think about some of the difficult things that have happened to you. Sure, it’s easy to be thankful when good things happen and when things are going our way, but what about the other times? We are expected to be thankful, no matter what we are going through? Does this sound impossible? I know, that for me, it sounds unrealistic. Why is it so hard for us to be thankful, no matter what is happening to us or around us? It is so hard for us because, let’s face it – life is not fair and never will be. Life is hard and bad things happen. However, it is God’s will for us to be thankful in all circumstances, no matter what is happening to us, or around us. What this means is that we can’t allow circumstances to dictate our attitude. Paul said, very simply, that what is happening around you or to you, cannot be allowed to dictate your attitude. Why? Your circumstance cannot dictate your attitude because your attitude must always be thankfulness regardless of what is happening.  If I am always to be thankful, then I can’t allow what is happening around me to dictate how I feel or what I think. What does this mean? It simply means that attitude is a choice, which means that thankfulness is a choice.  I choose how I react to circumstances, whether good or bad.  God says that it is His will for us to be thankful in every situation that comes into our lives, because God is pleased when we are thankful in all circumstances. When we do God’s will, we are making God happy. The application is simple and yet so hard. You need to be thankful no matter what is happening to you, no matter what circumstances you are in. It is God’s will for you to give thanks in all circumstances. You do this by making a choice: How will I respond to the things that are happening to me or around me? Will I respond in thankfulness or will I allow my circumstances to dictate my response? If you allow your circumstances to dictate your response, then you will find yourself not giving thanks. You will find yourself responding in anger, frustration, bitterness, rebellion, and in reality sin. You have to choose to be thankful, BEFORE the circumstance happens. Will you choose to have an attitude of thankfulness? Most Christians desire to do God’ will. We desire to please God. One of the things that we can do to please God is to be thankful in all circumstances. It’s hard! I know! I struggle with this too, but we have got to work on it. We have got so much to be thankful for and we have been blessed so greatly. He has promised us that He will empower us to accomplish our task and please Him! Ask God for guidance and strength and power to turn a negative into a positive.  Do not allow the present circumstances, with so many unknowns to dictate your attitude or your gratitude. We can’t let this situation dictate our attitude or we will fail to please God and make Him happy. I choose to please God!  How about you? Stay Strong, Stay Focused…Remember, THE BEST IS YET TO BE!