I have many favorite bible verses. The Bible is filled with so many fabulous nuggets of Truth. One of my favorite verses is found in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18:
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
It is a theme verse for me that I try to live out. It is hard though because the verse deals with absolutes: always, continually, all. It is a verse that takes active practice to live out.
I have done a series on the phrases, but I never got to posting about the last part on giving thanks in ALL circumstances. There are posts on rejoicing always and praying continuously.
Now with giving thanks:
I’ve always heard that “thankful people are the happiest people”. This is SO true.
A thankful person can always find some positive that he or she can be thankful for, and that produces an element of joy even in the midst of negatives. Focusing on giving thanks for the positives reduces the magnitude of the negatives.
Now, it is naïve for me to think that every person can always be happy or always have a positive to be thankful for. There is a lot of negatives and suffering. I am not always happy, but I try to always find something to give thanks for.
As I said above, this verse and the giving thanks in EVERY situation does take active practice, but the key is the recognition that we are never actively trying alone. The Lord is an unlimited source of everything: all loving, all knowing, all providing, all powerful, an unconditional source of everything.
When we ask for the Lord to come into our hearts, He is there for everything. Whenever I become overwhelmed, I can simply bring it to the Lord by just talking out loud to Him. As I do so, I even begin to feel a weight lifted from my shoulders. I can just vent to the Lord and I always feel better after venting—doesn’t everyone?
With Him, I have an unlimited source of love, strength, and peace to fall back on. We are not strong enough to take on everything that life will throw at us, but the Lord is. And if that is not something to be thankful for, I don’t know what is.
I pray for the ability for us to give thanks in all circumstances and to try to actively live out this verse. There will be suffering and negatives, but a small positive that the Lord is with you can help ease the negatives around you.
Love always friends,
Katie Girl
Katie Garrett. Nashville Native. Critical Care Nurse. Belmont University Alum. DNP Student. Enneagram 2w3. Reader. Writer. Starbucks Lover. Jesus makes my heart happy. Daughter. Sister. Sister in Law. Cousin. Niece. Forever indebted to Jesus Christ.
