Give Thanks In All Things

Give Thanks In All Things

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
1st Thessalonians 5:16-18

When I read the scripture above, the words that draw me to it are, "give thanks in all circumstances". In our society today we are focused on the good things in life. We want, want, want and if we don't get our way, or all the things that our hearts desire, we are the first to complain about our situations. When we have sickness, or financial issues, or lose our jobs, or a relationship begins to go sour, we are the first to grumble and complain. However, why does Paul tell us to give thanks in all circumstances, even the bad ones? It is easy to thank God for all the good things He provides, but when we have trials and struggles, God wants us to thank Him for these as well. What we don't realize, is that as painful as the difficulties we are facing may be, God is preparing us for something better in the future. You need to realize that all things, even the bad things in life, are part of God's plan for us. We want things to always be our way, but often our ways are not God's ways, and many times we have difficulties in life to bring us back to God's ways. If God did not close any doors in our paths, we would not end up in the place He wants us to be. If He let us continue on our own paths, and let all the doors swing open everywhere we went, our destinations would be so much different than the one God has planned for us. So if you are going through the fire today, you need to thank God for this, as He is simply preparing you for a better tomorrow, and is setting you on His path. Give thanks in all things.