The Strand Study Bible

I THESSALONIANS Written From Corinth During Paul’s Second Missionary Journey 5:18 God doesn’t command us to be thankful for everything; He just wants us to trust Him enough to be thankful in every - thing . Ellen Vaughn in Radical Gratitude notes: 2010

Gratitude is like a pair of glasses that get progressively sharper: the more I thank, the more I see to be thankful for, and the more I end up praising God…All good gifts come from God. Not to enjoy them is to be ungrateful. 2

This word ( give thanks ) is the Greek word H υ F αριστ H ιτ H ( eucharisteite ), from which we derive our English word Eucharist (speaking of the bread that represents the Lord’s body when taking the Lord’s Supper). Did not Jesus, on purpose, give of himself freely so that we might be saved eternally? The same exact word is being used here to describe how thankful we should be for all the Lord has done for us. Interestingly enough, this verb ( give thanks ) is not in the aorist tense ( In every thing give thanks “once”). This verb is in the present tense ( In every thing give thanks “always and continually”), and in the imperative mood, which is the mood of command. Thus, I Thessalonians 5:18 could read: In every thing ( you must continually ) give thanks Dr. James P. Gills in Exceeding Gratitude for the Creator’s Plan notes:

I am convinced that the cause of many of life’s failures is that we, as human beings, lack exceeding gratitude for our Creator. As a result of taking His divine gift of life for granted, we live in discontent and misery, complaining about what we don’t have and failing to express genuine appreciation for what we do have. 3

According to Scripture, there are at least a dozen things that we need to be grateful for: 1. Our salvation (Rom 6:15-17)

Question: When’s the last time you not only thanked God for your salvation, but you actually thanked those whom God used to see you get saved? It’s always amazing to watch the progression of a believer who becomes disgruntled. It always begins with forgetting to be thankful. It’s not enough to be thankful; we must remain thankful if we are to finish our race well. 2. The ability to give back a small portion of what God has given to us (I Chro 29:10-14) Question: When’s the last time you sent God something other than lip service? When’s the last time you sent Him a soul or you invested your temporal dollars in eternal matters (Mt 6:19-21)? What are you hoarding here that you could be sending there as a way of a thank you? 3. Believers who encourage us (Acts 28:15) There are two reasons why we should take the time to write others who have encouraged us: (1) We have no idea what that card may do for them spiritually; and (2) We have no idea what sending that card to them may do for us spiritually. Learning to be grateful is a spiritual experience you can’t afford to miss out on. 4. The calling of people into the ministry (I Tim 1:11-12) Question: Where’s the grateful acknowledgment on our part for the calling of God of certain men and women into the ministry ( Lev 1:3a – point #3)? 5. Faithful Christians (Rom 1:7-8 and II Thess 1:1-3) Ever meet a believer who is so faithful, you wish you were them? When’s the last time you thanked them for being what you wish you could be? 6. An understanding of the Word of God (Dan 2:20-23) 7. Answered prayer (Jn 11:41-44) 8. A way out when tempted (Rom 7:21-25) Grumbling and gratitude are, for the child of God, mutually exclusive. Be grateful and you won’t grumble. 4 THE ADAGE IS TRUE: The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings NOTE – We know what the first thing is that God wanted us to schedule into our thinking. It was gratitude; an appreciation for things accomplished. According to Genesis 2:2 , the first thing God accomplished for us was creation . That’s what the keeping of the Sabbath was all about –getting us to appreciate who God is by what He accomplished for us. The Creator not only made us, but He made everything around us for us. God knew that if He could get us to become thoughtful (grateful), He could get us to become thankful; and if He could get us to become thankful, He could get us to become faithful. Jesus, who we know was faithful (Heb 2:17 & 3:1-2), was grateful and thus thankful for four things: 1. Provision , which points to meeting a need (Mt 15:36 and Jn 6:11) Two of the five required offerings pointed to provision (the providing of a need): *Burnt –The calling of God upon a man’s life (thus providing leadership for the people of God) required a burnt offering (Lev 8:1-20). *Meal –The meal (or, grain) offering came from the firstfruits, which depicted the tithes and offerings that provided food and pleasure for God’s ministers (Exo 22:29 and Prov 3:9). 2. Salvation , which points to revealed sin , cleansing and forgiveness , and resurrection (Lk 22:17-19) Two of the five required offerings pointed to revealed sin , cleansing and forgiveness , and resurrection : *Burnt –All revealed sin required a burnt offering (Lev 5:1-4) *Sin –The sin offering could not be offered until the sin itself was revealed to the perpetrator (Lev 4:14). Thus the sin offering was offered due to known sin , which differentiated it from the trespass offering (Lev 5:15-18). 3. Unity and oneness , which results in answered prayer (Jn 11:41-42 & 17:20-21) 9. People who respond properly to God’s Word (I Thess 2:13) 10. Not being used of the devil to cause division (I Cor 1:10-14) 11. Christians as a whole (I Cor 1:1-4) 12. The privilege of prayer (II Tim 1:1-3 and Phile 1:1-4) Billy Graham in Approaching Hoofbeats notes: