Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. (1 Thess 5:18 NLT)
Be thankful in “all” circumstances. Is this really possible? For sure, when circumstances are pleasant and life is agreeable, it is easy to give thanks: for a roof over our heads, food on the table, warm clothes on our back, supportive family members, and some extra money in the bank. With these circumstances, it is easy to be thankful.
But what about when circumstances are not so pleasant: laid off from work, an empty bank account, broken family relationships, failing health, etc.? Is it possible to be thankful when we encounter life’s hard places? Has the Apostle Paul pushed thankfulness too far?
As followers of Jesus, consider what we know: that His grace in our lives will be sufficient for whatever we encounter; that we can walk spiritually victorious even in the face of the most difficult circumstances of life. This spiritual victory may not make the difficulty disappear from our lives, but we can face these difficulties knowing that Jesus will be there walking by our side, strengthening and enabling us. With our ever-present Friend walking with us in all of life’s circumstances, we can choose to be thankful.
In this Thanksgiving season, we at the Francis Asbury Society want to take this occasion to express our thankfulness for each person who supports the FAS ministries in so many ways: prayers, contributions, attending events, purchasing media and books, reading online articles, and expressing words of encouragement for the FAS persons and ministries.