How often do you give thanks to God?  It is not good enough to give thanks to Him once in a while, or just when things are going our way.  Our appreciation for God, and all that He has done, and continues to do for us, should be constant.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (ESV)
¹⁸  Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

To give thanks to God in all circumstances is to trust the sovereignty of God, meaning we never forget that He is on His throne and in charge.  God always knows what is going on in our lives and is willing to help us, but we must turn to Him, not away from Him, in times of difficulty.

All that God has done for us does not change just because life is not going our way at a particular time.  Paul reminds us that “all things work for good to them that love God” (Romans 8:28).  Ezra once said, “The hand of our God is for good on all who seek Him…” (Ezra 8:22).  Solomon believed this to be true.

Ecclesiastes 8:12 (ESV)
¹²  Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs his life, yet I know that it will be well with those who fear God, because they fear before him.

These Bible statements all have one thing in common—we have a part in determining how things end in our lives.  If we want all things to work together, we must love God.  If we want the hand of God to work for good upon us, we must seek Him.  If we want things to be well with us, we must fear God.  These are the things that we do when we appreciate the love of God in our lives.  We keep on loving, seeking, and fearing God because we are thankful in all circumstances.  Paul emphasized this, even more, when he wrote to the saints at Ephesus.

Ephesians 5:20 (ESV)
²⁰  Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

We must be thankful, not only in all circumstances, but also for everything.  It is easy to be thankful when God helps us in times of need, but what about when life is going well for us?  Surprisingly, this is the very time when some forget about God.  Moses warned the Israelites about this.

Deuteronomy 8:12-14 (ESV)
¹² Lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, ¹³  and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, ¹⁴  then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery,

Material blessings can cause our hearts to be lifted up, leading us to conclude that our own power has gotten us the wealth that we possess (ver. 17).  This will stop us from being thankful.

Let’s make sure that we are giving God thanks in all circumstances, and for everything, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.