Give thanks in all circumstances

“give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

 

The word ‘thanks’ will fall into the top category of frequency of use among the words in common life. Like that so, It is no exaggeration to say that ‘thank you’ is the words that are spoken busy on the lips. How good would it be to practice the life where the sincerity with appreciation appears as many times as we use that word? Like modern churches, the Thessalonian church had many problems too. The apostle Paul taught and encouraged them with earnest heart as a pastor for gospel. It’s not easy works to be patient well under relation to others for a long time. Moreover, it is so difficult thing actually to always be joyful, pray without rest, and appreciate in everything. Even so, there are principles and ways to carry out those difficult tasks.

 

Greetings expressed in words are not all bad. The proverb says, “A word may pay off much debt.” A certain man has debt, but he may not be able to solve the debt in right time. He hadn’t intended not to pay the debt, but he became forced to default on this promise because what the promise with another to happen was wrong. There are also many fraudulent acts that break promises with intentionally plan. However, due to unavoidable circumstances, there would be a case related to fraud too. But the key problem is, don’t do talking only without truth, either intentionally or not. As the saying goes, “Even if it’s a good song to listen to, you shouldn’t repeat it many times.” Because it may be made mistakes from talking many times, however good words. In order to be words of value, actual deeds must be accompanied to the words.

 

God the Lord is also referred to as ‘the word,’ Logos. John the Apostle said at the 1:1 the Gospel of John, “There was a Word in the beginning.” And he explained that the Word came as the body, into the world. John said Christ who was born into the world as a man was the Word been in the beginning, and He is eternal God. It is Christ and God were expressed in the Word Logos because the means God is transmitted to man is ‘the words’. And within that word, it contains the meaning of God or God’s word having power of practice in full. It seems like not a nice expression, but it means that God is never a being who speaks nonsense like evil spirits. Accordingly such the Lord’s people should not talk nonsense. Anyone, whether Thessalonian or current members of Church, should prohibit to talk without truth recklessly in their words and actions.

 

Although Paul and the pastors work according to their own mission, if we see with a third-party eye, they are looked pitiful on the one hand. Because they are doing risk one’s life to work for the people who don’t listen to the truth and live unfaithfully their own way. It’s same to the parents’ inevitable affection for their children. Immature children sustain lazy and unfaithful lives regardless of their parents’ suffering. The Thessalonian church members acted in that way to Paul. Immature members of the church also behave that way to pastors. Jesus Christ was dead on the cross to atone for man. Nevertheless, there are those who criticize and ridicule against Jesus habitually. They’re like a bunch of people who had mocked toward Jesus looking at the cross. Also please do not do so to those who preach the gospel following Christ.

 

With doing patience and prayer, let’s try to carry out giving thanks ‘in all circumstances’. This is a demand to be grateful for ‘everything’. Yet that would be a demand that modern people who like rationality will not like. To be grateful without reason or thought, this seems to be a blind faith, so which is enough to cause rejection. But there can never be nonsense in the word of God and in believing in Christ. Meaningless faith of blind, so called, cannot be applied in the faith about Jesus. Anybody will find out once try it. Don’t discuss whether you can trust or not, in refusing to believe in Jesus. If you read the Bible, you will get faith, and if you believe, the eyes of your spirit will open anew. By doing so, the world that you realize is the world of the faith in Jesus. Of course, it does so of the issue of gratitude. If you appreciate everything, you’ll find more a deep realizations about thanks.

 

People may live immersed in the old habit of not knowing for oneself. It is said that the horse of Kim Yu-shin, a young knight in Shilla dynasty, brought Kim Yu-shin as his usual, who was drunk, to the house of courtesan. Even though some people have become a believer in Jesus, they often show a disheartening, weak attitude as they used to be, and often display appearances against thanks. Such an attitude is a foolish act of pouring out good results and returning one’s own life into nothingness. Remember the gratitude in all circumstances is God’s will to ourselves in Christ Jesus.

 

(Written by Koonoh, Pastor of JDO Presbyterian Church in Korea, on July 30th 2023)