Thanksgiving

It’s Thanksgiving!

 “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” —I Thessalonians 5:16-18 

As you can see, those who divided the Scriptures into chapters and verses (Originally, there were no such things; they were added later for convenience) divided these words into three different verses, but they really are more intimately connected than that. Taking it in reverse order, you’ll see that it’s hard to give thanks in every situation if you haven’t previously prayed and established a mindset of rejoicing.

Finding joy in life doesn’t happen automatically. It requires a certain mindset that must be regularly infused with prayer or it dribbles away. And when it comes to giving thanks, notice that word “giving.” It presupposes you possess something you are able to give. You can’t just manufacture it out of thin air. You first must receive that mindset of gratitude before you can give from an overabundance of it. Again, that’s where prayer comes in.

I am by nature melancholic, but I’ve learned that I don’t have to be. I can choose my attitude, no matter what my circumstances. So I keep prayed up, during which I discover much cause for rejoicing and gives me the mindset to look for that for which to be thankful. 

And it doesn’t hurt to remember that these three sentences are not declarative. They are commands.