By Christopher Dryden
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV
Where did that come from? It’s a great question worth asking when faced with the variety of situations that make life. Where did that scowl come from? Where did that frown come from? Where did that habit come from? Where did that condition come from? Ever asking the question to get an idea of what it is that makes something the way it is?
There should be plenty of reasons why followers of Jesus are marked for their habit of gratitude. It takes place throughout scripture and is a hallmark of those who have had close encounters with the divine kind.
When encouraging the Thessalonian saints in the light of the trouble they faced, the apostle Paul encouraged them to rejoice, pray and give thanks as this would accord with what God’s will was in Jesus. All three factors are instructions that appear to be a challenge to anyone from that day to this. How can we always rejoice? How can we continue to pray? The element of giving thanks in all circumstances continues to be a sticking point.
This is where the identity in Christ comes to the fore. When we recognise just how much God has done to us and for us in the gospel of his wonderful Son, that changes us from the inside out. It changes our perspective and approaches to things. And that change is fundamentally grounded in grace. God does what we don’t deserve. God empowers us in ways we could never experience.
Previously, the self-centred focus saw reason to complain when something didn’t go as we wanted. Before, the selfish perspective was quick to criticise and mock anything that didn’t feed into what the self wanted. In the past, the only communication that took place was based on short-term gratification even if it came at a long-term cost and it impacted the lives of others. That is what we were like when we didn’t know Jesus and didn’t want to know God.
A wonderful change that’s come over us comes through the power of grace that sees that life is not about my will be done. We are now transfixed on the Lord Jesus Christ. His Spirit living in us gives us a renewed desire to please Him and thus praying continually is a constant connection to the one we abide in. This is done by grace.
We don’t always understand the minutiae or the nature of the suffering in it, yet we are assured of the promises of God to be with us through it and to motivate us to see the bigger picture of what He’s working in us so we can be like His son. That’s reason enough to rejoice always. This is done by grace.
The presence of God in all issues and the comfort of knowing that the good Shepherd is ever guiding and directing us along paths of righteousness for His name’s sake gives us reason to be grateful. We are His and He is ours. Not because of any good we have done, but because He is loving, faithful and compassionate – ever leading His children to the land of promise. This is done by grace.
Where does the gratitude come from? It comes from a heart rejoicing in God who saves us. It comes from a prayerful heart ever in communion with God who leads and comforts us. It comes by His wondrous grace to us.
Ask: Grace begets gratitude – how would you explain that to a stranger?
Seek: Reflect on the last time you’ve been a recipient of God’s grace and responded in gratitude – think of what it was that made gratitude the reaction.
Knock: Make a list of five expressions of the grace of God in your life on a post-it note or something else you can refer to throughout the day. Every time you see it offer a prayer of thanks for one of the five expressions.
(Upper Photo by @ramu_aladdin on Unsplash)
(Inner Photo by Alora Griffiths on Unsplash)
