In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. -1Thessalonians 5:18
I love how the apostle instructs us to give thanks "in", not "for", everything. It reminds me that we give thanks to God not for temporal things but for things eternal. When we hurt the most we can be thankful that God is near to us. In times of struggle we are able to give thanks because we know that He loves us deeply and empathizes with our pain.
This verse also reminds me that sometimes we do see blessings from a temporal perspective. In doing so we set ourselves up by seeing temporal things, like good health, a new house or a good job, as blessings. Unlike true blessings, like divine love and forgiveness, these things can change. Yet for eternal things, like God's faithfulness, we stand thankful.
We thank you Lord for the ways that you manifest your love and faithfulness in our lives.
... this devotion is part of an ongoing series on words in the bible.
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