Ephesians 5:20
“always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
One year at around the Thanksgiving season I saw this photo while searching for the perfect Thanksgiving quote. It said, “Thanksgiving is not a day; it’s a lifestyle.” Learning to be thankful every day is not a new concept. However, it seems to be something that we struggle with every day. How often do we find ourselves getting caught up in focusing on how things are going INCREDIBLY wrong? Well, being thankful is an idea Jesus taught and a principle that Paul, the writer of Ephesians, tried to pass on to Christians in Ephesus almost 2,000 years ago.
Paul was a Christian missionary who was imprisoned for his faith. If you look at Paul’s life he walked through some pretty sucky circumstances. Yet in Ephesians 5:20, Paul encouraged the church to give thanks to God for all things. How could Paul, of all people, be thankful in every circumstance?
The answer is the Holy Spirit. When we ask Jesus into our lives, we receive the Holy Spirit to be our helper and our guide. And in the same breath that Paul encourages us to be thankful in all things, he also says to fill up on the Holy Spirit instead of turning to other things like Instagram, TikTok, vloggers that we follow obsessively on YouTube, alcohol, drugs, romance, and whatever else is used to bring us instant gratification and happiness. Holy Spirit is far more valuable than those other things (Ephesians 5:18).
The Holy Spirit in us is what allows us to be thankful even when things aren’t going right, to have peace when life feels chaotic, and to have hope when all seems hopeless. When we can’t think of anything to be thankful for, the Holy Spirit reminds us that we can be thankful for Jesus – for the forgiveness of sins, for a relationship with God, and the promise of eternal life with our Heavenly Father.
Many days, thankfulness does not come easily. Right now, most of us could rattle off a list of things wrong with ourselves and our lives. No matter how bad life seems, we can be thankful. We don’t have to thank God for our problems, but we can thank Him for the strength He’s building in us through them.
Take time today to think about all the conversations you had yesterday. Were your conversations marked by complaints or by gratitude? It’s easy to live into a lifestyle where we complain and forget all there is to be thankful for. Do you believe it’s really possible to be thankful in all circumstances? Even when things cause trials? Start today with baby steps, thank Jesus for one thing, and tomorrow thank him for two. There are plenty of things to be thankful for, find them and thank Jesus.