Meaningful Life
Date: Nov. 25, 2024
1 Thessalonians 5:18
“Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus”
Meaningful Life
Bible Text: 1 Thessalonians 5:18
Title: Gratitude and Thanksgiving
Take-Home-Point: Gratitude Builds Happiness
November is a great time to reflect upon what God has done for us over the past months of the year and our lives in general. It is not just because we celebrate Thanksgiving this month, the year 2024 is gradually approaching the end of the year. This period is also a perfect time for us to take stock and reflect upon the past year and prepare for the upcoming new year. And gratitude is an important part of that process. Our text points us to three very important facts about thanksgiving and gratitude to God.
In the first instance, God expects gratitude to be the primary motivation behind everything in our lives. That is the one of the points the apostle Paul is telling us in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”
Secondly, I believe that our Heavenly Father would reward us with a long list of His blessings if we constantly express our gratitude and thanks to Him in all circumstances. Science is beginning to prove the numerous blessings and benefits associated with having a thankful attitude in our daily living. In Psalm 100:4-5, King David wrote “4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. 5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” God’s faithfulness in fulfilling His promises to us is one of the abundant benefits we receive from God for being thankful to Him. As parents we reward and appreciate our children for being thankful to us. No one wants to be around a grumpy and ungrateful fellow.
Thirdly, Christ's love, sacrifice, and gift of eternal life as recorded in John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” is more than enough reason for us to be thankful.
St. Gianna Molla stated that “The secret of happiness is to live moment by moment and to thank God for all that he, in his goodness, sends to us day after day.” Happiness is one of the blessings we receive from God when we offer our gratitude and thanksgiving to him day by day. King David remarked in Psalm 126:3 “The LORD has done great things for us, and we are very glad.”
The apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 4:6-7 “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”
St. Augustine of Hippo made this statement about Gratitude “O my God, let me remember with gratitude and confess to thee thy mercies toward me.” This week, we are being encouraged not to dwell or focus our energies or emotions on things that weigh us down, we should channel our energies on the good things that we find in nature God’s creations, and thank God for His provisions and mercies that have kept us going.
When we think about God’s unending love, His sacrifice of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins, His desire and gift of eternal life to all who believe him as Lord and Savior, we truly owe him our thanksgiving, our gratitude, and our praises. Hallelujah.
Happy Thanksgiving folks and I wish you a meaningful week.
Pastor David Kachi Jite