July 25
“Rejoice always…in everything give thanks, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16, 18)
This next principle, REJOICE and give thanks for all God’s blessings, is very simple, very effective, and for some of us, very difficult. Rejoicing and giving thanks are a powerful antidote to temptation, especially after we have practiced the previous principles with diligence. I’d like to reflect on three aspects of this principle: why it is needed, why it is effective, and some suggestions how to do it better.
Let me start off by confessing that I am not good at this, at all. I hope by God’s grace I am getting a little better at it, but I seem to be hard-wired to find problems, to find fault with things, to see what is lacking and what is wrong. And of course I find fault not just with stuff but people as well. I am the proverbial “glass half-empty” kind of person. It has gotten to the point in the past where the faults and negatives of the person or situation can become so dominant that it is almost impossible for me to see the good. Add to that an inner competitive struggle to be better and have more than others, a seeming inability to be content with the way people and things are, a problem with being a perfectionist, a proud heart, and a great difficulty keeping my opinions to myself, and you have a person that is not one that anyone wants to be around much because of his negativity and critical spirit.
Does this describe you? Do you find it difficult to give thanks for people and see and appreciate their good qualities? Do you find yourself fixating on the negative aspects of individuals and situations? Do you find it hard to see and give thanks for positive aspects of the people or situations, let alone give thanks for difficulties, deficiencies, and shortcomings? Do you find it an almost Herculean task to “consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,” to “rejoice always,” to “give thanks in everything,” and to “bless the Lord all my soul and forget none of His benefits”? Sometimes it may seem like trying to teach an elephant to pole vault, but by God’s grace, we negative, glass-half-empty people can learn to do even this. Let’s see if we can together make progress in this critical area of rejoicing always.
First, let’s explore why it is needed. In brief, rejoicing and giving thanks are needed because not doing so leads to sin. The more I find fault with my situation in life, my relationships and my possessions, my status and my accomplishments, the more covetous and envious I will be tempted to become. Coveting and envy will dwell in my heart instead of love and peace. I will be tempted to dislike those closest to me and tear them down in my heart and with my lips, when I need to be patiently loving them and building them up. Have any of you fallen into this temptation? I know I have.
Coveting and envy can cause us to devote ourselves to the pursuit of riches and wealth, trying to get ahead and make more money so satisfy the insatiable desire for more, which would be greed and idolatry in the sight of God. Furthermore, these sins of coveting and envy can lead to adulterous thoughts and actions, which if pursued could lead to marital and personal disaster, not to mention the devastating impact on children. In short, no good thing comes from dwelling on the negative and letting it dominate our thoughts and speech. More on this tomorrow.