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Daily Devotion: 1 Thessalonians 5:18

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1 Thessalonians 5:18    "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."

I have been asked many times in my ministry, "How can I know what God's will is for me?" That is a fair question and I have actually prayed many times concerning that very thing in my life. "Lord, what would you have me to do?" The simple answer is found by reading and staying in God's Word. In fact, most, if not all, questions in life can be answered by reading God's Word. If we cannot find the direct answer, there will always be a principle that we can follow in coming to the conclusion. Today's verse is one that directly addresses the question. Paul was inspired by the Holy Spirit to write, "... for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."  You want to know what God's will is for you? The answer is to have a heart of gratitude toward the Lord. "In every thing give thanks." This does not say that we need to be thankful FOR everything; rather, IN every thing, we are to give thanks. I admit there are a lot of things in life for which it is impossible to say, "Lord, I thank you that this happened to me." But the truth of the matter is that IN every situation, we can find a reason to be thankful. As I look back over my life, the one thing that is constant in my life and the one thing for which I can be thankful is that in those situations, Christ never left me. He never walked away from me. He never turned His back on me. He was always there to help me and direct me when I would listen to Him. Yes, I can definitely say that IN every thing, there is that for which we can be thankful "... for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." (Hebrews 13:5)

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