1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
16 Rejoice always,
17 pray without ceasing,
18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Context
How is being ever ‘joyful’ and ever ‘prayerful’ related to being ever grateful? (1 Thessalonians 5:16, 17)
Reflection
“In everything….”
Amount
- How often should we be thankful? (Psalm 7:17, 30:12, 35:18, Romans 8:28, Philippians 4:6)
- Even when things are rough? (Genesis 50:20, Jonah 2:9, Daniel 6:10, Job 1:20-
22, Matthew 5:11, 12, John 11:41, Acts 5:40, 41, 16:23-25)
“give thanks….”
Action
- Why is thanksgiving an action? (Psalm 34:1, 95:2, 100:4, 147:1, 7, 150:6, 1 John 3:16)
”for this is the will of God”.
Attribution
- How central is God’s will to giving thanks? (1 Chron 29:13, 14, Psalm 37:4, Daniel 2:23, Romans 12:2, Ephesians 5:17, 20, 1 John 5:14)
“in Christ Jesus…”
Access
Why is the ‘gift’ of Jesus paramount to our giving thanks? (Psalm 118:21, John 3:16, 14:6, Ephesians 5:2, 1 Timothy 2:15)
“concerning you…”
Application
- How thankful am I to be the beneficiary of His great gift? (Matthew 11:25, Luke 11:13, 2 Corinthians 9:15)
- Who or What am I thankful for? (1 Thessalonians 1:2, 2:13, 2 Thessalonians 1:3, Philippians 1:3)
- What if God gave us what we deserved? (Romans 3:23)
Testimony Time
- Why should my life be marked by an ‘attitude of gratitude’? (Lam 3:22-24, 1 Corinthians 11:23, 24, Colossians 3:15)
- When’s the last time you sent someone a ‘hand-written’ thank you note?
- How is the Gospel shining out through my thanksgiving? (1 Corinthians 15:57, 1 John 3:1)
