1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 records a trilogy of exhortations. Verse 18 is the longest and broadest: “Give thanks in all circumstances.” This call to thanksgiving is among the practical instructions for Christian living. Yet it is basic etiquette that parents teach children to practice. We may need to be commanded to rejoice and pray. But giving thanks seems to be the most obvious thing to do. We instinctively respond to random acts of kindness by almost thoughtlessly saying, “Thank you.” Yet it is crucial that we hear and heed this command because of its far-reaching implications. Thanksgiving should not be limited to good days, positive outcomes, or favorable circumstances. Give thanks in all circumstances. 

Why give thanks in all circumstances? Verse 18 answers: “For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” It is the will of God that you give thanks in all circumstances. 

During World War II, Corrie and Betsie ten Boom were arrested for hiding Jewish people in their home. The sisters were placed in a Nazi concentration camp. Their barracks were infested with fleas. Corrie complained that she could not live in such terrible conditions. Pointing to 1 Thessalonians 5:18, Betsie challenged her to give thanks for the barracks. The sisters gave thanks that they were together. They gave thanks that their Bible was not confiscated. They gave thanks for the people in that cramped barracks, with whom they could share God’s word. But when Betsie led them to give thanks for the fleas, Corrie objected. Betsie reminded her that “in all circumstances” included the fleas. Corrie complied but was convinced that her sister was wrong. Corrie later discovered that the reason they were not harassed, tortured, or assaulted was that the guards refused to enter the flea-infested barrack. 

What infestation causes you to grumble, complain, or object? It is the will of God that you give thanks in all circumstances. What does it mean to give thanks in all circumstances?

The Mandated Activity 

Gratitude and thanksgiving are synonymous. But there is a noteworthy distinction. Gratitude is an emotion. It is the feeling of appreciation for received kindness. By its nature, gratitude cannot be commanded or compelled. One either feels grateful or does not. Thanksgiving, on the other hand, is more than an emotion. It is what you do with that feeling of appreciation. Thanksgiving is gratitude expressed. Sure, words of thanks do not necessarily come from a heart of gratitude. One may say “Thank you” simply out of respect or courtesy. Yet genuine gratitude cannot go unexpressed. It must be communicated in words or deeds. 

• Gratitude reveals what you feel about the gift.  
• Thanksgiving reveals what you feel about the giver. 

All of us are prone to cherish a gift and neglect the giver. To combat this tendency and temptation, the word of God instructs us to give thanks. The verb is an imperative. Giving thanks is not simply good manners. It is submissive obedience to a divine command. When the Australian aborigines wished to thank the earth for its gifts, they would open a vein and let their blood spill on the ground. You need not open a vein. You should open your mouth to give thanks for undeserved favor. Psalm 107:1-3 says, “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.”

The Holy Obligation 

The world categorizes people in different ways. The Bible only has two categories. 

• The saved and the lost.
• The saint and the sinner.  
• The holy and the evil. 
• The godly and the ungodly. 
• The righteous and the wicked. 

There’s another way scripture states these categories: the thankful and the unthankful. Luke 6:35 says, “But love your enemies, and do good, lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.” Both the ungrateful and the evil are beneficiaries of God’s goodness. Yet they refuse to acknowledge the source of their blessings. Romans 1:21 explains, “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him.” Unrighteousness is not just immoral behavior. It is to honor God by giving thanks. Thanksgiving is evidence of genuine conversion. It is the holy obligation of the redeemed. 

Martyn Lloyd-Jones said, “Surely praise and thanksgiving are ever to be the great characteristics of the Christian life.” If you have nothing else to give thanks for, give thanks for salvation. Colossians 1:12-14 says: “Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

The Universal Scope 

  The exhortations in verses 16-17 are perpetual in time.

• Rejoice always. 
• Pray without ceasing. 

Verse 18 is universal in scope: “Give thanks in all circumstances.” Circumstances may be good or bad, positive or negative, favorable or unfavorable. Yet we are not to give thanks in some or selected or special circumstances. Christians are to give thanks to God in every circumstance of life. Ephesians 5:20 says, “Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” I am tempted to water this down. But it is what it is. We should give thanks in and for all things. No, we do not thank God for sinful, evil, or wicked things – in and of themselves. We give thanks for everything with confidence that Romans 8:28 is true: “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

The Puritan commentator, Matthew Henry, was robbed while walking down the street. Later that night, Henry made the following entry in his diary: “Let me be thankful – First, because I was never robbed before. Second, although they took my wallet, they did not take my life. Third, because they took my all, it was not much. Fourth, because it was I who was robbed, not I who robbed.

It’s one thing to give thanks when things are going your way. It costs to give thanks in all circumstances. But God is worthy of your trust, obedience, and praise in all circumstances. John 11:21-22 says, “Martha said to Jesus, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.’” Giving thanks in all circumstances is faith’s way of saying, “Even now!”

The Biblical Rationale 

Verse 18 says, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” The justification for this command to give thanks is a call to trust. 

Trust God’s Will. The will of God is his sovereign and eternal purpose. The divine will unfolds in two ways. Deuteronomy 29:29 says, “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” We preoccupy ourselves seeking to discover God’s secret will. That is none of our business. Our primary concern should be to obey God’s revealed will. The will of God is revealed in the word of God. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 asserts that it is the will of God that you give thanks in all circumstances. Do you want to do God’s will? To be unthankful is to be out of the will of God. It pleases the Father when his children give thanks in all circumstances. Psalm 50:14-15 says, “Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High, and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”

Trust God’s Son. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 declares that giving thanks is God’s will for you “in Christ Jesus.” To be in Christ Jesus is to be in spiritual union with him. It is to believe in Christ, belong to Christ, and become like Christ. Jesus was a thankful person.

• In Matthew 11:25, Jesus gave thanks in the face of opposition. 
• In Mark 8:6, Jesus gave thanks before he worked a miracle. 
• In John 11:41, Jesus gave thanks at the graveside of Lazarus. 
• In Luke 22:17, Jesus gave thanks in the Upper Room before his betrayal. 

Jesus gave thanks in all circumstances. In Christ Jesus, give thanks in all circumstances. An elderly woman once said to Charles Spurgeon, “Ah, Mr. Spurgeon, if Jesus Christ does save me, he shall never hear the end of it.” She was talking better than she understood. If the Lord Jesus Christ has saved you, you should never let him hear the end of it! 

The Practical Benefits 

In Springs in the Valley, L.B. Cowman writes of a man who found the barn where Satan kept the seeds he sows in human hearts. The seeds of discouragement were more numerous than all the rest. Satan explained that those seeds could be made to grow almost anywhere. When Satan was questioned, he reluctantly admitted that there was one place in which he could never get them to thrive. “Where is that?” asked the man. Satan replied, “In the heart of a grateful man.” 

Life is filled with dangers, toils, and snares. Following Jesus does not exempt you from the trials of life. John 16:13 says, “In the world you will have tribulation.” Acts 14:22 says, “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.” 2 Timothy 3:12 says, “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”Isaac Watts asked, “Must I be carried to the skies on flowery beds of ease, while others fought to win the prize, and sailed on bloody seas?” Absolutely not! But the life of pervasive thanksgiving has practical benefits. 

• It will reorient your selfish ways. 
• It will keep your attitude from going sour. 
• It will remind you of God’s past faithfulness. 
• It will fend off the fiery darts of the devil. 
• It will focus your attention on things above. 
• It will help you be patient in the meantime. 
• It will give you victory in the midst of the battle. 

Thanksgiving is a thermometer that reports whether your faith is sick or well, weak or strong, cold or hot. It is also medication that renews, restores, and revives! Philippians 4:5-7 says, “The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

The Countless Reasons 

Two men discussed a mutual friend. One was very critical of the friend. The other was surprised. “I was under the impression that he had done many good things for you over the years,” he said. The first man replied, “Yes, but he has not done anything for me lately.” 

Is that your attitude? The Lord has been good to you. Yet you are mean, hypercritical, and hard to get along with, because you are asking God, “What have you done for me lately?”

The Lord may not have done that specific thing you have been asking him to do. But the Lord has done so much for you lately. Psalm 130:1-2 says, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” Don’t wait for an annual holiday to count your blessings. For that matter, don’t wait for Sunday to count your blessings. Count your blessings every day. 

• Count your physical blessings. 
• Count your material blessings. 
• Count your relational blessings. 
• Count your spiritual blessings. 
• Count your hidden blessings. 

Hidden blessings are the things God prevented in the midst of the things God allowed. You have so much to thank God for! Dick Eastman said, “Thanksgiving might well be labeled ‘a confession of blessings.’” Confess your blessings in grateful praise. Don’t foolishly ask, “What have you done for me lately?” Joyfully ask Psalm 116:12: “What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits to me?”

The Unstated Object

  1 Thessalonians 5:18 gives clear instructions. 

• What should we do? “Give thanks.” 
• When should we give thanks? “In all circumstances.” 
• Why? “For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

But something’s missing. To whom should we give thanks? The text does not say. The object of thanksgiving is assumed. But don’t let the assumption lead to any misunderstanding.

One of my dad’s friends invited me to preach his youth day. It was a packed house! When I got to the pulpit, I could tell the sermon was not going to go well. The congregation was obviously disappointed. The local newspaper was asked to report that Rev. H.B. Charles was preaching. They assumed it was my dad and posted his picture in the article. When it comes time to give thanks, make sure your praise report features the right picture. God alone is the object of our thanksgiving. James 1:17 says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”

Give credit where credit is due! Psalm 100:4-5 says, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.”