Give Thanks in Everything

Paul commands us in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, “to rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything, to give thanks for this is God’s will for us in Christ Jesus.”  So here’s my question, how is that even possible?  How can a person rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in everything?

Well, it’s only possible by recognizing that the Lord is God and the Lord is good.  Just listen to what the Psalmist says in Psalm 100, “Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful singing.”  But how is that possible?  The answer is in verse 3, which says, “by knowing that the Lord is God. It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture.”  Do you see?  We can rejoice always when we know that the Lord is God.  The Psalmist goes on to say, “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name.”  And how is this thanksgiving possible?  Verse 5 says, “By knowing that the Lord is good; His loving kindness is everlasting and His faithfulness to all generations.”  Do you see?  The only way to “rejoice always and to give thanks in everything” is to recognize that the Lord is God and the Lord is good.  But here’s the question, do you know those things to be true only in Christ Jesus?

Something to think about from the Proclamation point of view.