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GIVE THANKS IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

            This week was busy and joyful week with the Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday. Students had been waiting for the Thanksgiving break from weeks ago. And finally we got to have some good food, soccer fellowship, and testimony sharing. More than 40 million turkeys were sacrificed throughout the states, and gave us joyful meals with beautiful people in our lives. Most of all, we had great chance to give thanks to our God who has been blessing us and training us in every way. May the name of the Lord be praised. Today we are going to learn Paul’s commands in 1 Thessalonians. Through his letter he tells us how we can be always ready for the second coming of Jesus. We don’t usually want to think about the end of the world and coming of Jesus because it seems unreal and far away. But the truth is Jesus will come soon like a thief, and nobody knows when he is going to come. So we must listen carefully to Paul’s command and pray to obey absolutely. What is his command? It is to be joyful always, pray continually, and give thanks to God in all circumstances because this is God’s will for us in Jesus Christ. Although it is hard, and seems impossible to be joyful, prayerful, and thankful all the time, when we meditate on Jesus, we will be compelled to obey, and there will be God’s abundant blessings.

PART 1. BE JOYFUL ALWAYS.

            Let us all read verse 16. “Be joyful always;” What? Be joyful always? Is that even possible? We can be joyful sometimes but not always.  What about the times that we feel like crying and screaming? What about when somebody uses my laptop without permission although I told her thousand times not to use it without permission? What about after we failed on our exams? Are we supposed to be joyful then too? Paul says, “Be joyful always…” Being joyful always does not come from our feelings; it comes through a decision of faith. Feelings change from time to time. Our emotions get hot and cold so instantly. We cry and next moment we laugh. Sometimes, we do both at the same time. So if we depend on our feelings, it is impossible to be joyful always. But when we make a decision of faith to please God, we can be joyful always. JOY is an acronym of three words-Jesus first, others second, and you third. True joy comes from Jesus. Luke 2:10 says, “But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.’” What is the joy for all the people? Jesus is good news of great joy. Jesus is the source of our joy. When we do not have Jesus, we lose our joy.

            God made us to be joyful, not gloomy or hateful. And all the people pursue of joy and happiness. People do many things. Think for couple seconds about what you do just to put a little smile on your face. We watch television and surf on the Internet for hours. We go to movies. We go to NRB and sing our heart out. I wish we can sing praise to God in a similar manner. We love new things. New clothes, new shoes, new cell phone, new computer, new car, new boy friend and girl friend thinking that they will be better than the old ones. Many people including me seek joy through shopping. Many people went to the store before 5 AM to have discounted shopping the day after the Thanksgiving. My friend actually went to Target at 5 am, and he saw a long line, and despaired, and came back home. Some people are joyful when their sport teams win. Some people are joyful when they receive presents.  Some people, really some people are happy when they study. However, all these joys don’t last for long. New things become old the next day. Where does lasting joy come from? This joy does not come from favorable circumstances. This joy comes from God. Galatians 5:22 says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” Joy comes from the Holy Spirit. Once, Paul wrote from prison a letter to Philippians Christians saying, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Phil. 4:4) How could Paul be joyful in prison? He could have grumbled, “Lord, why are you doing this to me? How long should I suffer in the prison?” Instead, Paul was full of joy. When Paul lived for Jesus, he was full of joy through the Holy Spirit, even in prison.

How can we be joyful in our difficult human situation? Romans 5:3-4 says, “Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” We can be joyful in sufferings because there is God’s plan behind them. If you are facing troubles in your life right now, you should be joyful because God is surely working in your life to make you strong, stronger than ever. God wants you to be100% open to him, repent of your sins, and become his faithful servant.

I thank God for our JBF members who are joyfully living here in the mission field a life of faith, struggle, and love even without parents. Thank you for joyfully participating in many activities for God’s glory such as orchestra, baby sitting, and helping others to know Christ. But in order to be joyful always, we must always remember Jesus who breathed life in us, and gave us reason to live day by day.

PART II. PRAY CONTINUALLY.

            Let’s read verse 17. “…pray continually.” What does Paul mean “pray continually”? Do we have to be literally on our knees 24-7? “Pray continually” means that God’s people must have a constant spirit of prayer. It means that we must depend on God and ask him for his direction for our lives. Praying often represents our spiritual breathing. Praying is deepening our personal and love relationship with God. It’s the only way to communicate with him. Prayer is a powerful weapon against anxieties, temptations and despair. When we do not pray consistently, the Satan enters in us, and makes us fall into the deep pit of temptations. Prayer to God keeps us alive in the unseen battles against the evil spirit. So Paul encourages us to “pray continually.”

            Jesus lived a life of prayer. Jesus prayed from the beginning of his ministry to the end. (Lk. 3:21) Jesus prayed very early in the morning (Mk. 1:35) Jesus prayed at very late night (Lk. 21:37). Jesus’ last words recorded in Luke were a prayer: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” (Lk. 23:46) To Jesus’ disciples, Jesus’ prayer life was so regular and mysterious that they once asked him to teach them how to pray. So he taught them the Lord’s prayer: “When you pray, say: “Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come.” Our prayer as God’s children must advance beyond our own situations and our own school studies and our own health. We must pray for others, our neighbors and our enemies. Through prayer we come to God our heavenly Father. Even though our biological fathers are not with us here, our heavenly father is with us, we can go to him freely and pray to him. He will hear our prayers and answer them more than gladly. Matthew 7:7 says, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”  Prayer is powerful weapon for us the believers. It can make impossible things possible for the glory of God. Let us pray continually and live on the power of the prayer.

PART III. GIVE THANKS IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES.

            Let’s read verse 18. “…give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” What is God’s will? It is that you give thanks in all circumstances. Why is it so important to have a thankful attitude all the time? Adam and Eve’s first sin can be traced back to unthankfulness. Romans 1:21 says, “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.” When we do not thank God as our God, our thinking becomes pointless and our hearts darkened, full of evil spirit.

Sometimes we wonder, “Why should I thank God when things don’t go well?” How can I give thanks in all circumstances? How can you give thanks to God when you suffer sickness or unknown disease? How can you thank God when you see a mirror, and realize that you are not too beautiful comparing to a person next you? When I was writing my thanksgiving testimony few days ago, I felt ashamed before God when I found myself only complaining, grumbling, and being so unthankful to God who provided everything to me. And when I humbly put my ego and self-pride aside, I realized that God is so good because he created me with purpose, and since the creation, he never stopped loving me. And now I can start giving genuine thanks to my good God. We can surely give thanks to God when we honor God as the Sovereign God and the Creator God.

Jonah was running from God and caused a storm at sea. The sailors threw him overboard and a giant fish swallowed him. Can you imagine yourself in a big fish? Things looked dark and hopeless for Jonah. Everything seems to be over. He could have curse God and die. However, he decided to repent deeply for running away from God. And from inside the fish he prayed: “But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the Lord.” (Jonah 2:9) When he gave thanks to God in the worst situation, God made Jonah to be found once again.

For those who still are saying that there is nothing to give thanks to God, I will tell you plainly what to thank God for. Firstly, thank God for the blessings of life itself. God gave life to each of us to enjoy for a certain period of time. Our lives are not our own; they are God’s. We must thank God for the privilege to live in God’s world. And we must live for the glory of God.

Secondly, thank God for his love and salvation. Psalm 136:1 says, “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.” Human love is very changeable. The words “I love you” are much cheaper than they used to be. But God’s love is not lip-service love. God’s love endures forever. Thank God.

Thirdly, thank God for our brothers and sisters who are more than worldly friends. Thank God for the people around us who help and lead us with the words of God. Although some times the people you live with can be very annoying and stressful, they will be faithful coworkers who can live to serve God together. Thank God for the people next to you, behind you, and in front of you.

Fourthly, thank God for giving us his holy mission. Sometimes an easygoing life seems best. Actually, an easygoing life is truly miserable. God did not create us to sit around doing nothing. God made us to do something great and meaningful. One who has holy mission in Jesus has life to the full. We’ve got to remember we are 2^nd generation missionaries and shepherds to do and accomplish God’s holy mission. We are not here in the land of milk, honey, and great opportunity just to have better education or to fulfill the American Dream. We are here with clear purpose to participate in the world salvation work. It sounds fancy and all. But we are here to preach the gospel and share God’s words with many. Amen. Paul wrote, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Eph. 2:10)

The biggest thanksgiving topic for JBF in 2009 will be for the 1^st JBF Bible night with 5 precious friends. We give thanks to God for blessing us to be source of blessing for them. How have you been since the Bible night? Still inviting them and praying for them? Let us remember our identity as God’s chosen people to keep working diligently. Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who has been called according to his purpose.” That’s right. God works for the good of those who love him. God is good in all things.

In late 1620 a group of Christians called Pilgrims came to America to establish a Christian community to worship God freely and become “a city upon a hill”-a model society that would reveal God’s glory to all nations. In their first winter, they were down to 5 corn grains per meal. Half of them died from common flu and unknown diseases. But they kept their faith in God and their love for one another. The next fall they reaped an abundant harvest and shared a feast with their friendly Indian neighbors. First they ate 5 corn grains, but still giving thanks to God who was with them. This was the first Thanksgiving. We must give thanks to God for being with us and working in our lives all the time. Let us thank God for saving us and using us to make this JBF community a blessing to so many people around us. Let us pray that we can give thanks to God everyday of the year, not only on the thanksgiving day because our God surely deserves to receive all our gratitude.

Today, we learned the secret to live as Jesus’ true disciples, and to be ready for Jesus’ second coming to the earth. The thanksgiving holidays are now over, and we are going back to school tomorrow. Soon there will be torture and hardship from final exams and projects. Now it is the time to practice the word of God. Let us be joyful always, pray continually and give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for us in Christ Jesus. When we obey, there will be God’s abundant blessing in our lives. Amen.