Wednesday, November 2, 2022

God's Will Is To Give Him Thanks

 

1 Thessalonians 5:18

In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

The born again believer does not thank the universe (the stars, the sun, the moon, the planets, etc) for the good things (blessings) that happen to them. We thank God for His many blessings on us.

The born again believer does not thank nature for its sacrifice when we hunt and fish. We thank God for His provision for us.

The born again believer does not thank idols and imitation gods. We thank the Living God Who created us and has called us out of the darkness of this world into His marvelous Light. 

The born again believer is born again by the mercies and lovingkindness of God through His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. We are the born again because we believe that Jesus Christ Is Lord, that He became sin and died on the cross in our place; that He fought hell and death, overcoming both and walked out of the grave in newness of life. 

Therefore, we give God thanks for His unmerited favor upon us. This favor can be yours, too, when you believe that Jesus Christ Is Lord. 

GIVE THANKS

In Everything

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
In Every Season of Life
 
Psalm 136
Because His Mercy Endures For Ever

All The Time

Psalm 34:1
I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise will always be on my lips.
Ephesians 5:20
Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

GOD'S WILL IN CHRIST JESUS 

Salvation
John 3:16-18
 (16) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 
(17) For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

I am asked often, What is God's will for my life? God's will cannot be identified singularly: it is a blueprint and a blueprint has several aspects to it. Giving God thanks is just one aspect. And even then thanks must be given through Jesus Christ, for there is no other way to reach God. 

To Have Faith
To reach God through Jesus Christ, we must first BE in Jesus Christ and He must be IN us. By faith. No matter how often we teach and preach Jesus Christ and Him crucified, if a person chooses not to believe in God or Jesus Christ, no words will sway him or her to faith. For "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1). 

The faith we have in God comes from God when we believe in His only begotten Son for our salvation. We receive a measure of faith from Him when we first believe, but it is up to us to exercise said faith that it might grow up in Christ. 
Romans 12:3
For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but think of yourself with sober judgment, according to the measure of faith God has given you. 

Let us give thanks to God in everything and for everything. Let us bless God when He blesses us by giving Him all the glory, all the praise.