1 Thessalonians 5:18, “in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” This verse is a commandment from God and underlines the importance by telling that it is God’s will for us. Man looks on the outside and expect things outwardly but God looks on the inside. So the primary obedience of this commandment is in the heart; and then outwards. God commands us to give thanks for everything. By everything, God means ALL things. There are no exceptions. We should be thankful for everything in the past, present and future. It is easy and convenient to give thanks when things are favourable and profitable. But when it is very unfavourable like sickness, torture, loss, persecution, pain, death etc it is difficult to give thanks. But we know that our loving heavenly father will not give an impossible commandment to His children.
It is the will of God to rejoice for everything in our lives.
In Romans 8:28, we read “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” When we truly believe that all things work together for our good, it won’t be difficult to give thanks to God.
We should be thankful to God and man for everything because God is doing most of the things through man. When giving thanks for everything is from our heart, there won’t be any place for murmuring, complaint, grumbling, fighting, and quarreling etc in our life. We will be rejoicing for everything in our life. This is the will of God for all of us.
Looking back over this past year, let us thank God and man for everything. Looking forward to the New Year, let us have hope in the Lord. In Romans 15:13, we read, “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Our God is the God of Hope. For anyone, whatever be his condition now, there is hope in the Lord. God is able to deliver us from the utmost (Heb. 7:25) When we look to God with faith, He will fill us with all joy and peace. This is a great privilege for all believers. So we will abound in hope in all situations by the power of the Holy Spirit. God made us born again for a living hope (1 Pet 1:3) and we are looking forward with a blessed hope (Titus 2:13) and to the coming of our saviour.
1 John 3:2-3, we read “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” So in this New Year, let us look forward with faith and hope to a life of Christ likeness by purifying us just as Jesus is pure.
2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” This is another promise for us in this New Year – since we are in Christ, He has made all things new! When you see anything in you that is ‘old’, remember God has made it to pass away. Say ‘Amen’ to what God has said and believe in it. Don’t cling onto the old things; they have passed away. See the ‘new’ things that God has done in your life.
May God bless us all this New Year to give thanks for everything, abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit and to be a totally new creation in Christ.
