In everything give thanks

In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit.
1 Thessalonians 5:18, 19

Continual joy ought to fill the Christian life, continuously looking toward the fulfillment of all of God’s promises to us. By this, I mean experiencing the joy of the Lord regardless of any experiences we face along life’s path.

We so often quote passages of Scripture without giving any thought to their context. Immediately following the exhortation to give thanks in everything, Paul states that we are not to quench the Spirit. When we fail to give thanks and praise God in our lives, we actually quench the ministry of the Spirit of God Who dwells within the believer. We must not allow the work of the enemy to cause us to suppress what the Spirit of God wants to do in us and through us.

Last week, I passed out while working outdoors and apparently, I fell pretty hard on the driveway. Along with many skin scrapes, I managed to crack four ribs and one broke and is out of its normal placement. I also bruised my left lung. Along with all of this are numerous other problems. A good Calvinist might have said, “Thank God that one is over!” In truth, I am thankful, first because it could have been worse and secondly because it has given me opportunities to talk to others about the Lord.

Through the years, I have made hundreds of hospital calls in an attempt to encourage and pray for God’s healing and blessing upon the sick. This time it was strange, while in the hospital, to see my pastor walk into the room. It seemed some kind of reversal has taken place.

As long as we are on this sin-cursed earth, we will have experiences that we do not necessarily cherish, but when our perspective is God’s perspective, we can still rejoice always (Philippians 4:4) and say, “thank you” for everything that takes place in our lives (I Thessalonians 5:18). He is so very good and gracious and His mercy does endure forever. Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD; for He is good: for His mercy endureth forever (Psalm 106:1).

George Stiekes held successful pastorates in churches in Michigan and Washington among other places. He currently resides in North Carolina and blogs at Reverent Reflections. We recommend his ministry and republish his material by permission.

Editor’s note: Our friend, Pastor Stiekes, sent this out on Tuesday, November 26, 2019. We usually dig into his archives when publishing his material, but this one seems very apt for Thanksgiving Day this year. May we all learn to give thanks, no matter our circumstances, every day.