Written by Pastor Jack Wellman– Phil Robertson
Command for Thankfulness
The will of God is clearly defined in Scripture, and the will of God is that we should give thanks to Him in all circumstances, good and bad, because we know for certain that even the bad things will work out for our very best (Rom. 8:28). People ask me, “What is the will of God for my life?” I tell them to “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thess. 5:18). It is the will of God to praise and thank God. We may not discover God’s will for our life until we obey the revealed will of God in Scripture.
Not According to Our Sins
The psalmist put it so beautifully when he wrote, “He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities” (Psalm 103:10). Aren’t you thankful for that? “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end” (Lam. 3:22); otherwise, we’d all be in big trouble. He sent His sinless Son to die for the sinful ones.
Contentedness
It’s hard to be discontented when you are giving thanks to God. If we listed out every blessing we have on a piece of paper and then gave God thanks for all those blessings, we’d still be leaving something out for which we are in debt to God. You cannot put a price tag on contentment because “godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Tim. 6:6), but this doesn’t come naturally. Paul wrote, “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content” (Phil. 4:11). Contentment was something he had to learn, and so will we. We all live under one of two tents: the tent of contentment or the tent of discontent. Learn, as I did, to live in the tent of contentment.
Conclusion
I remember a time when, in keeping my “no breakfast before Bible” habit, the last thing I felt like doing that morning was reading my Bible. I had a long day ahead of me, but the irony is that the very time you feel least like reading your Bible is the very time you need it the most. I can say that about prayer, too! We should feel even more compelled to want to pray, read the Word, and give thanks at the times we feel least like doing it. God is pleased when we can praise Him and thank Him in the storm.
