Thanks In All Circumstances

“Give thanks in all circumstances.”

1 Thessalonians 5:18. . .





Paul continues by telling the Thessalonians and us to express thanks in all. situations. Christians have wrestled with this verse ever since he wrote it.

The key here is with the two letter word, ‘in’.

God doesn’t expect us to give thanks for all circumstances in which we find ourselves. We could do a lot of damage if we counseled people to give thanks for their hardship or their loved one’s major illness.

We need to recognize that all we have, all we are, and all we go through have God as the source. He allows the tough times to enter our lives. He promised to ‘never leave us or forsake us.’ (REF) We have to learn to thank Him for being there with us as we walk through the problem no matter what it is.

Invited to Praise

“Come let us sing for joy to the Lord,

let us shout aloud to the rock of our salvation.

Let us come before him with thanksgiving

and extol him with music and song.” Psalm 95: 1-2



When we receive an invitation to a gathering how do we react? Are we happy, indifferent, or blasé? This passage is an invitation to praise the Lord our God.

In this passage we are asked to praise Him by singing for joy, by shouting an ‘amen’ or ‘praise the Lord’ or ‘Hallelujah’ When we praise God in worship we become a participant in the honoring of Who He Is.

What would happen if we each chose to worship our God with vigor? Would He be pleased? I believe so.

At the bottom of our church’s bulletin is the statement, “This service is subject to change by the leading of the Holy Spirit.” It does happen.

What would our personal lives look like if we were to praise God in our daily lives? Would we have difficult times as often in our homes? Would we be as subject to stress induced disorders? I think these conditions would lessen.

Always Joyful

Be joyful always;

1 Thessalonians 5:16



Paul tells the Thessalonian believers to do something that seems hard for people, then and now. He says, “Be joyful always;” what does he mean? Can a person be joyful in the face of personal tragedy, financial stress, illness that could become debilitating or even terminal?

When we know the Lord walks with us, guides us through, and comforts us. We can find joy in our circumstances. Sometimes we have to find a little beam of light in the dark times to see our way through. It is this little shaft of light that keeps us able to continue on our path.

For that little bit of light, we are thankful.

Out of My Comfort Zone

“Show me your ways, O Lord,

teach me your paths;

guide me in your truth

and teach me,

for you are God my Savior,

and my hope is in You. ” Psalm 25:4-5



On a trip to see friends in the southern part of our state, I did something for the first time in my life. Hubby and his friend were going to take a Jeep ride out across fields on his farm land and adjoining land belonging to his family. I got to go along.

Hubby drove first. The ride was bumpy; the vehicle jerked as he tried to get the 4-wheel dive to work.

When our friend drove, the ride went better. We still had bumpy terrain. But the ride was smoother. We crossed a creek bed in two different places. We made a big circle to get back to the barn.

I found myself thinking about how life can be like this off roading experience. In life we sometimes get pushed out of our comfort zone. We have no clear path to follow. Sometimes life puts things in our way and we become entangled in them.

On that Jeep ride we had fallen branches got in our way, even into our wheels. When we went across the creek bed, we had to descend it’s bank to get across and go up the other side. A couple of times I felt uneasy but, after that, I felt our friend knew what he was doing.

When God takes us out of our comfort zone, we sometime have times of fear and get tied up with things we shouldn’t. But, we learn to relax and rely on our Guide and we see His plan unfold.

The time we spent on that ride gave us a memory. It allowed me to see the beauty of God’s earth from a different perspective. I was in the scene, a small part of what was going on. The blue sky and the cirrus clouds formed a canopy over the fall display of God’s world. We even saw a deer off in the distance as it headed for higher ground.

God, Please Guide Us

Please, Father, guide us as we go through our days. Tomorrow is Election Day, a day set aside for the citizens of our nation to chose who will represent us, make our laws, keep us safe from crime.

We have heard from all those seeking office about their qualifications and why they will do a good job in the office they wish to hold. We also had to listen to several of them bring up their opponent’s past voting record and their pursuits while not in the public forum.

I ask you to guide us, your children, as we chose those who will lead us at each level of government.

We love You, Lord. We want what You want for each of us and for our land.

In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Sacrifice

For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it:

thou delightest not in burnt offering.

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit:

a broken and a contrite heart, O God,

thou wilt not despise. Psalm 51:1617 (KJV)



The people of the Old Testament made animal and grain sacrifices to cover their sins. This act was to make their hearts right with God. King David, in his sorrow for his sin realized what God wanted.

David decided The Father wanted his wayward children to be broken, to realize their error and display their sorrow. God expected them to have their hearts broken and to be humbled before Him.

Even in today’s world, God expects us to tell Him we’re sorry when we sin. People who have great interpersonal skills know to be adult enough to admit when they have hurt someone. It’s been a while since I have heard someone say, “I’m sorry, I was wrong.” Have we become a society of people who feel we are above revealing that we are aware that we can sin?


The sacrifice part comes into play in today’s world when party A realizes he or she has offended party B. In order to get back in B’s good graces, A does something extravagant for B. Not necessarily a mature thing to do.

A few weeks ago, I had a confrontation with a lady, I had to walk away. She acts unaware of how deeply she hurt me. I still have to deal with her but I am careful of what I say to her. I believe I will have to be wary of her and her ways for a long time. It’s not my nature to avoid people. But, it is my nature to protect myself. Am I doing the correct thing?

“So in Everything”

“So in everything, do to others what you

would have then do to you, for this sums up

the Law and the Prophets.” Matt. 7:12



We received the phone call. Our great-niece’s boyfriend had died. My husband’s sister called and suggested we go to the funeral

I didn’t want to go. I felt our presence wouldn’t be appreciated or understood. Our lifestyles were polar opposites. While I tried to fulfill my role as an aunt, I couldn’t condone the path this young woman walked.

I struggled with the decision my husband made, yes, we would attend this funeral, although we didn’t know the young man.

I sat at the kitchen table with my Bible opened. I found myself looking for the Golden Rule. When I found it, I noticed the introductory phrase, “So, in everything,” I stopped and thought about how this applied to my circumstance. I decided to start looking at this request as something I wanted to do rather than something I had to do.

When I left the house later that day, the leaves on the trees were move vivid with their summer color than I had ever seen. They seemed to dance in front of my eyes.

This memory came back to me when I heard one of our laymen speak recently. He told us he was a teenager and had accepted Christ before he noticed the green leaves on the trees and the birds singing in the air. I fully understood what he meant.