“In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
 Being thankful is an imperative in the Christian life, and like all Biblical imperatives it is always for our good. Being thankful is also a choice, an intentional act of our will driven by trust in and obedience to God. The Lord Jesus modeled thankfulness throughout His life and ministry. Perhaps His most powerful example was during the Last Supper:
“And He took bread, and gave thanks, and broke it, and gave it to them saying “this is My body which is given for you, this do in remembrance of Me.” (Luke 22:19)
 Hours before the crucifixion the Lord gave thanks to the Father for the bread that He gave to the Disciples as an illustration of what was to come. Though His immediate circumstances were anything but pleasant He chose to look past them to the fulfillment of the Father’s ultimate will and purpose.
Choosing to be thankful in all things, even if not for all things, demonstrates our love for and trust in God, and positions us for His powerful blessings in our lives in several ways.
- Being thankful helps to guard our hearts. Being thankful guards against coveting. Ever notice how a newly improved, latest, greatest model always comes out just when the existing one breaks or is finally paid for? That is not a coincidence! The world tells us that happiness is always in the next acquisition. The Tenth Commandment tells us not to covet our neighbor’s spouse, servants, ox, donkey, or anything else that belongs to them (in today’s terminology that would include house, cars, or status.) To the contrary the Bible tells us that godliness with contentment is great gain. The Apostle Paul tells us that he had learned to be content. Happiness and contentment are totally different things, and contentment doesn’t come easily or naturally to our fallen sin nature. It must be learned, and being deliberately thankful for what we have is a huge part. The opposite of thankfulness is grumbling and complaining which never goes well in the Christian life.
- Being thankful is a key part of being filled with the Holy Spirit. In Ephesians 5 the Apostle Paul gives several steps to being filled with the Holy Spirit, and one is being thankful:
“Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus.” (vs.20)
 Being thankful keeps our focus and priorities in the right place. If our focus is on God the Father who so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, the blessed Lord Jesus, so that we might be saved from our sin, how can we not be thankful! This heartfelt gratitude to God for all that He has done opens our heart to the filling of the Holy Spirit with the joy and peace that only He can give. If our heart is not filled with the Holy Spirit then it is by definition filled with the flesh, our sin nature, because our focus was not on God. Again, that will never turn out well.
- Being thankful brings us into the presence of God. King David, a man after God’s own heart, wrote in Psalm 100:4:
“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise; be thankful unto Him and bless His name.”
 Using the imagery of the Tabernacle built by Moses, David described the process of coming before the Lord. The Tabernacle was the tent of God’s presence that preceded the Temple built later by King Solomon. The Tabernacle, or tent, was surrounded by a linen fence. The gate was an ornate curtain that led to the courts in front of the Tabernacle. One had to go through the gate before they entered the court of God’s presence. This verse tells us that before we can enter His courts with praise, we must first enter His gates with thanksgiving. True praise is the natural expression of a thankful heart.
The world, the flesh, and the devil work tirelessly to have us see the glass as half-empty. They tell us that life owes us more and that we are entitled to better. Social media most often agrees, convincing us that almost everyone has it better than we do.
God’s Word is Truth, and tells us to be thankful, choosing to see the glass as half-full. Same glass, different perspective.
Perhaps the writer of Hebrews says it best:
“Let your conduct be without covetousness, be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you,” so that we may boldly say “the Lord is my helper, I will not fear. What can man do to me?”
 Being deliberately, intentionally thankful guards our heart against covetousness, which brings contentment, opening our heart to the filling of the Holy Spirit, who leads us into the very presence of God. It is there and only there that our heart will find ultimate joy and peace.