Give Thanks in Everything – The Power of Giving Thanks
Give Thanks in Everything
Together Church | Pastor Jerry Wells
November 16, 2025 | Series: The Power of Giving Thanks
Introduction
There are some hard sayings in scripture. There are specific commands in scripture that appear to be beyond the realm of possibility to the natural mind.
- How about love your enemies.
- How about do good to those who despitefully use you.
- How about husbands love your wife as Christ loved the church.
- How about wives submit to your own husbands as to the Lord.
Another one of those hard sayings is found in Paul’s epistle to the Thessalonian church.
1 Thessalonians 5:18
18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
When Paul wrote his first letter to the Thessalonians (around AD 50–51), the church in Thessalonica was a young, vibrant, but heavily persecuted community. They faced opposition from both Jews and Gentiles, lived in a bustling pagan city, and struggled with questions about faith, morality, and the return of Christ.
So Paul tells them that it is the will of God in Christ Jesus to be a church that gives thanks in everything, even in the face of persecution. This is not a suggestion. Again, he says this is the will of God! It is a mandate! Wow! What a hard saying! Thanks Paul!
We know that Paul was not giving this mandate to the church while he lived in an Ivory Tower. Paul had a powerful testimony about giving thanks in everything including persecution.
2 Corinthians 11:24-28
24 From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one.
25 Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep;
26 in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;
27 in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness —
28 besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches.
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He begins this letter by giving thanks for this church.
1 Thessalonica 1:1-2
1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Their Good Example 2 We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers,
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Although Paul did not write this letter from prison, Paul wrote four letters while he was in prison and in everyone of those letters he gives thanks to God for various things. Paul definitely lived what he preached. He gave thanks in everything!
Paul planted the church in Thessalonica during his second missionary journey not long before he wrote this first letter to them from Corinth. He was in Thessalonica somewhere between three weeks and three months before being forced to leave due to persecution. And he had plenty of time to teach this church revelations about God that would be the theological foundation for giving thanks in everything, including persecution.
The Lord does not expect us to give thanks in everything without reason. He created us in His image with the ability to reason. God says
“Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD….” ESV
God did not create us to be mindless robots who just do what He says without reason. He does not want us to have blind faith.
He wants our thanksgiving in everything to come from our reason based on what we believe from the revelation He has given us.
And He is the one who provides the revelation for our reason.
There are mysteries about God but God always provides enough revelation for our reason to believe and obey Him.
It is apparent from this verse in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 and others that God wants His people to be characterized as a grateful people rather than a mob of discontent, grumbling, and complaining protestors like you can see on the news nearly every night.
Why is this?
- He loves His disciples.
He knows that life is hard. He experienced it firsthand. He understands that it is better for the health of our souls to be characterized by gratitude and appreciation than for our souls to be discontent, depressed, or bitter. Giving thanks is one way we resist Satan. It is a weapon of spiritual warfare.
- He wants His disciples to be like Him.
This is His purpose for us. He uses our sufferings to refine us into His image.
Jesus is our most notable example for what God is like. We see Jesus giving thanks in everything when with less than 24 hours before His execution, He gave thanks with His disciples as they celebrated the passover.
1 Corinthians 11:24
24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
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He gave thanks knowing that the elements of the Passover represented His body and blood.
- He has called His disciples to be His light to the world.
People that are grumbling and complaining like Israel in the wilderness are not attractive to those walking in spiritual darkness in this world. He wants each one of His disciples to be known as a person that responds with gratitude and appreciation no matter what we experience in this world. You don’t want to be one of those disciples of Jesus that others describe as someone who just wears them out. Grateful people give energy to other people. Ungrateful people are energy takers and just wear people out.
This is so important to our testimony of faith to those walking in darkness and to other disciples of Jesus. It takes the miracle of new birth and the renewal of our minds to be this kind of disciple.
Other disciples have certainly been a light to me when I have seen them give thanks in everything.
This is a picture of a number of our TC Seniors that was taken on December 10, 2009. Everyone in this picture was a member of our church at that time except for Russell and Sherry Werner. 8 of these 20 saints are now with the Lord. My personal faith in God was so encouraged by how I witnessed these saints having a spirit of gratitude even when they approached death.
What I know is that for us to obey this admonition during our most difficult circumstances, we must have a perspective about God and about life that is different from the perspective of the people of this world. I know that this perspective comes from revelation we receive from God and our faith in His revelation.
What is this revelation from God that gives us a reason to give thanks in everything?
Body
Why should we give thanks in everything?
- God chose us to be His children even though we were sinners.
Romans 3:10
10 As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one;
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Romans 3:23
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…NKJV
Ephesians 1:3-6
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,
5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,
6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
NKJV
Disciples who give thanks in everything believe that before they ever chose God, God chose them to be His children. They believe that God chose to adopt them as His children before they adopted Him.
They also believe they were sinners when God chose them. In other words, there was nothing good about them that caused God to choose them. They understand they were like the runt of a litter and God chose them anyway.
It is an honor for any orphan to be adopted. But what an honor it is for us to be adopted by God to be His child even though we were sinners. This truth about God gives us security about our relationship to God that is not based on our performance or our circumstances.
And this is a great reason for you to always be a disciple who gives thanks in everything.
- God chose us to be His children because He is merciful toward us.
Romans 6:23
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
NKJV
Disciples who give thanks in everything believe every good gift they experience in this world is the result of God’s mercy.
- They believe that they were not only born sinners but that they deserved death and eternal punishment for their sins because they rebelled against God.
- They believe that every breath they take is a good gift from God that they do not deserve.
- They believe that their salvation from sin’s judgement is a gift from God that they do not deserve.
- They believe every good gift they receive in this world is the result of God’s mercy.
It is amazing how much easier it is to give thanks in everything when you do not believe you are entitled to anything but death and hell.
Understanding God’s mercy toward you is another great reason for you to be a disciple who always gives thanks in everything.
- God chose us to be His children by paying for our sins.
Romans 5:6-8
6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. NKJV
Ephesians 1:7-8
7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace
8 which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,
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Disciples who give thanks in everything believe that their election to be God’s children cost God an immeasurable price.
- They believe that the price that God paid for their adoption was the death of His only begotten Son.
- They believe that Jesus Christ the Son of God became the Son of Man to pay this immeasurable price for their adoption.
- They believe their value to God is revealed through the immeasurable price that God paid for them.
I was legally adopted to be the son of Bob and Joy Burgess when I was 23 years old. I was married and was expecting our first child. All my grandparents and my parents were deceased. I wanted my son to have Godly grandparents to help us build a Godly legacy in our family. When the adoption occurred, there was a legal fee of 1000 dollars. Bob and Joy paid 500 dollars and I paid 500 dollars. I am so grateful that they were willing to do this for my family. The blessings of this adoption have only multiplied over the years. I was included in an inheritance when Bob died and I was even included inheritance from Bob’s father when he died.
How much more grateful should we be for the price that God paid to adopt us to be His child. The price that He paid for us by the death of His Son Jesus is immeasurable. And the blessings of the inheritance of this adoption far exceed what anyone could ever do for us in this world.
And this is another reason for you to be a disciple who always gives thanks in everything.
- God chose us to be His children and He is good to us all the time.
Romans 8:28
28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
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Disciples who give thanks in everything believe that because they are God’s children that God is always being good to them even when He allows them to suffer.
- They believe that anytime they suffer that God will exercise His sovereign power and fulfill His good purposes for them through their suffering.
- They believe that God will turn their ashes into beauty; their seeds of sorrow to flowers of color; their barren winters to springs of growth; their personal injuries into new strengths; their mourning into dancing; their wounds into wisdom; their storm clouds into rainbows; their crosses into crowns.
And this is another reason for you to be a disciple who always gives thanks in everything.
- God chose us to be His children and He never leaves his children or forsakes us.
Hebrews 13:5 – “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’”
Disciples who give thanks in everything believe that because they are God’s children, He is always with them.
- They believe that even if their father and mother forsakes them, God never leaves or forsakes them.
- They believe that when their loved ones pass away, God never leaves them or forsakes them.
- They believe that He never turns His face away from them due to their sin or takes His eyes off of them.
- They believe that He is always attentive to their cries even when He does not give them what they request.
- They believe that He will rescue them in their darkest hour in ways they may not expect.
- They believe He will provide everything they need.
And this is another reason for you to be a disciple who always gives thanks in everything.
- God chose us to be His children and He delights in us.
Zechariah 3:4-5
4 Then He answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, “Take away the filthy garments from him.” And to him He said, “See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes.”
5 And I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head, and they put the clothes on him. And the Angel of the Lord stood by.
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Zephaniah 3:17
17 The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”
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Disciples who give thanks in everything believe that because they are God’s children, God is delighted with them.
They believe He has removed their filthy rags of sin and clothed them with robes of righteousness. They believe He bore their shame so He could give them His righteousness.
They believe they died with Christ and were raised with Him.
They believe they are partakers of His divine nature.
They believe that He sees in them His divine righteousness even when their conduct disappoints Him.
They believe they are God’s masterpiece chosen by Him to be holy and blameless.
They even believe He expresses His delight for them with songs and even dancing.
They believe that there is no one who delights in them more than God delights in them.
And this is another reason for you to be a disciple who always gives thanks in everything.
- God chose us to be His children to give us eternal spiritual blessings.
Ephesians 1:3
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ…
NKJV
Disciples who give thanks in everything believe that God chose them to receive an inheritance from Him that includes eternal spiritual blessings that are waiting for them in the heavenly places. And even though there is some mystery to what this quality of life will be like for them…
- There is enough revelation to know that those eternal blessings include never having to experience sin, guilt, shame, physical pain, death, grief, depression, anxiety, fear, or loneliness.
- There is enough revelation to know that we will have new spiritual bodies that are perfect and have extraordinary abilities.
- There is enough revelation to know that we will live on a new earth with a new heaven that will far exceed the beauty of our current cosmos.
- There is enough revelation to know that we will experience the glory of the presence of God in a way that our souls will constantly be satisfied by His divine presence.
And this is another reason for you to be a disciple who always gives thanks in everything.
Conclusion
Disciples of Jesus who believe these seven truths about God give thanks in everything. They express their gratitude to God in the midst of their suffering. It characterizes who they are.
“I have had a wonderful life. If this circumstance will make my children and others think about eternity and what life is all about…it will be worth it.”
In everything gives thanks does not mean that we do not grieve over our losses or that we are not honest with others about the pain caused by our losses. Jesus grieved over His losses and was honest with His disciples about the pain caused by His losses.
In everything give thanks does not mean that we do not grieve with others over their losses. Jesus grieved with others over their losses.
Jesus demonstrated that being a grateful person is not being a person who is insensitive or indifferent to the pain of suffering.
In everything give thanks means because we believe these seven truths about God we never stop being grateful and expressing gratitude in the midst of our grief.
If we have this divine perspective, we will be able to sing, “it is well with my soul” when our soul is hurting. We will be able to sing “I will praise you in the storm” even when the storm is raging. We will be able to sing “I will trust in you” even when the world cannot see any reason for us to trust in God.
Disciple of Jesus, what is your testimony of giving thanks in everything? Do you have a heart of gratitude that causes you to be an energy giver or are you one of those people that just wears other people out?
Look at these seven spiritual truths about God….
- God chose us to be His children even though we were sinners.
- God chose us to be His children because He is merciful toward us.
- God chose us to be His children by paying for our sins.
- God chose us to be His children and He is good to us all the time.
- God chose us to be His children and He never leaves his children or forsakes us.
- God chose us to be His children and He delights in us.
- God chose us to be His children to give us eternal spiritual blessings.
What are you failing to believe about God that is keeping you from giving thanks in everything?
Will you repent and believe the truth you need to believe?
If you are not yet a child of God, your presence in this service is not an accident.
God has sovereignly brought you hear today….
To let you know that He has chosen you to be His child even though you are a sinner.
To let you know that He gave His only begotten Son Jesus to pay for your sins and for your adoption into His family.
To let you know that He is waiting for you to accept His invitation to be His child.
To let you know that He is longing to have a personal relationship with you that will last for eternity.
Will you accept His invitation?
Invitation
Altar is open for prayer for disciples of Jesus who need to repent and believe one or more of these truths that I shared today.
If you are ready to accept God’s invitation to become His child, I want you to step out in faith and meet me here at the front of this altar.