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“THE HARD SIDE OF THANKSGIVING” 1 THESSALONIANS 5:18; PHILIPPIANS 4:10-20 MARK JONES I love the story about the farmer who began to look at his place through critical eyes….He became so cynical that he finally decided it was time to sell the dump and move on….He contacted a real estate agent who came out to take pictures and get all the necessary information….Before listing the property, the agent called one-last-time to get the farmer’s final approval. He told about the modern equipment, the beautiful lake, the well-bred stock, the plush pasture, sturdy barns, and comfortable home.
After he’d finished hearing the ad, the farmer said, “Tell you what. Read that back to me again, this time a little slower.” … He listened carefully, and then said, “Let’s call the whole thing off. I’ve been looking for a place like that all my life!”
You want to know the truth….That story hits a little too close to home for me.
I tend to be perfectionistic, and after a while I can become dissatisfied with what I have, or how events are turning out in my life. I can easily be a “glass half-empty” kind of guy if I’m not careful.
Well, Paul the Apostle wrote this in the New Testament to the church in Thessalonica: 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.” Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you… Give thanks in all circumstances… Man, I struggle with that verse….I’m guessing I’m not the only one. Now understand, the hard part of that verse is not the “give thanks” part.
Anybody with a shred of decency knows how to say “Thank You.” Anybody can express gratitude for a favor, anybody can be thankful when life is good….No, the “give thanks” part is not the hard part of that verse.
The hard part of 1 Thess. 5:18 is the “all circumstances” part.
Give thanks in all circumstances….That’s a different story altogether. That’s the hard side of Thanksgiving. All circumstances surely doesn’t mean when the doctor says your mom has Alzheimers….All circumstances has nothing to do with when your friend attempts suicide….It’s not talking about when you can’t pay your rent, or you’re facing permanent disability, or you’re late for work and the idiot in front of you is going 45 MPH in the fast lane….You’re surely exempt if you have high blood pressure, chronic back pain, or a week’s vacation at the beach and a tropical storm is coming through....This verse surely doesn’t apply when the bank forecloses, or you lose your job, or the tumor is malignant, or the car won’t start....Or does it?
Well…actually...Paul says we’re to give thanks in all circumstances because that’s God’s will....I looked up that word “all” in the original Greek language of the NT, and you’ll never guess what it means: It means, ALL....All circumstances. We are to be thankful people no matter what is going on in our lives.
No matter who likes us or who doesn’t, no matter how healthy we are, or how sick….No matter how wealthy, or loved, or happy, or good-looking we feel--or don’t feel….We are to give thanks in all circumstances. That’s hard for me….And I’m guessing that, just maybe, it’s hard for you too. I think we often struggle to be thankful because of Unrealistic Expectations. For some reason, we’ve bought into this entitlement attitude that says I deserve to be happy, I deserve to have things go my way, I don’t deserve to be sick, or hurt, or inconvenienced in any way….We feel like we have a certain future coming to us, and when it doesn't materialize, we lose our contentment. If we could make an honest comparison of what Americans, say, 75 years ago considered to be necessities, and what Americans today consider to be essential, I think we'd see how drastically times have changed….Think about it: Could you live without Air Conditioning today? -- Indoor Plumbing? -- An Automobile…or 3? What about a Cell Phone, a Computer, a Television, an iPod? “Of course not! … Hey, as true-blue, red-blooded Americans, we’re entitled, right!”
Let’s face it, we have incredible expectations about what we think we have coming to us….And notice, I didn’t say “YOU”, I said “WE.” We all wrestle with Unrealistic Expectations. I think another enemy of a grateful heart is a Negative Attitude. Some people always see the bad in every situation….Rather than focusing on the hundreds of blessings they do have, they gripe and complain about all the things they don’t have….The whole purpose of advertising is to convince us we can’t possibly be happy until we own their product….We can’t afford it, so we’re grumpy….TIME Magazine told several years ago (9-26-94) that a mugger in Charleston, West Virginia wasn't satisfied with the twelve dollars and fifty cents his victim was carrying....That’s why he also accepted a 300 dollar check from the guy….The thief was arrested the next day when he tried to cash it! How often do our self-pity and dissatisfaction get us into trouble? Instead of a grateful heart, we complain….And unfortunately, complainers can never enjoy a job-well-done--either their own job or someone else’s—because they’re always focusing on what’s wrong rather than what’s right. Still further, I think Lousy Circumstances stretch us when it comes to gratitude.
Maybe it’s not just heavy traffic or bad-weather-on-vacation....Maybe your life’s falling apart, and you’ve been devastated by divorce or disease or death. Maybe your world has been rocked, and you don’t know what to do about it!
When life is hard…it’s hard to be thankful. When we think about that first Thanksgiving, we often have pictures of happy Pilgrims in neatly pressed black outfits, starched white collars, and buckles on their hats and shoes....Which, incidentally, is why they had to invent suspenders. With all the buckles going for hats and shoes, their pants kept falling down. No, I made that up....Actually, they didn’t put buckles on their hats...But I digress. The truth of the matter is that the first Thanksgiving was borne out of tremendous suffering....Autumn of 1621 marked the first harvest for these tough--oftenoverwhelmed--settlers.... Somehow, they had managed to grow radishes, turnips, spinach, Indian corn, & black carrots....But there’s no record of mashed potatoes, stuffing, homemade rolls, cranberry sauce--the real necessities of Thanksgiving! And think about this: 48 of the original 102 Pilgrims had died that first year. Let that sink in: Half of them were gone following a devastatingly harsh winter. And listen, it wasn’t just suffering on the part of the Pilgrims. The Native Americans of that area had nearly been wiped out by a plague. Some tribes suffered--are you ready for this--a 90% death rate. Other tribes were wiped out altogether....You talk about lousy circumstances.
But they still gathered together following an epic, mind-blowing amount of suffering to celebrate God’s goodness and give thanks for His blessing.
As A.J. Jacobs put it in Parade Magazine, “If the Pilgrims could appreciate life amid such chaos, pain, and uncertainty, surely I can give thanks for all the good things in my relatively cushy life.” -- No doubt! [Parade, 11-15-09] To be fair, when life does fall apart, of course we're going to be devastated for a time--that's only natural....But the reality of life is that crises come into every life. Jesus wasn't exempt from suffering and difficulty, we won't be either. Yet, far too often we let those circumstances keep us from expressing gratitude. Now listen, there’s a dark side to our lack of gratitude also….Sometimes it’s not just tough circumstances: Life stinks because of Tough Consequences.
This is the whole deal about how we reap what we sow….Life may be hard, and gratitude harder, because we are reaping the consequences of selfish choices & sinful rebellion against God….But we still need to be thankful…after we repent. And we’re not finished: Still further, Envy makes it hard to be grateful too, doesn’t it?... We struggle to be thankful when we’re comparing ourselves with others: We want what they’ve got….Somebody said, “How can I be content when my neighbors keep buying things I can’t afford?” It might be a possession, it might be money, it might be a house or a car or a job. It could even be a talent they have, or their happy marriage, their “perfect” kids. It could be their circumstances….It’s easy to be thankful when your team wins the ballgame….But what happens when the other team wins: I mean, everybody can’t leave the stadium on top….Or what about a farmer who prays for rain while a vacationer prays for sunshine: Somebody’s going to be disappointed. Let’s face it, it’s hard to be grateful when good things happen to others, but not to you….And frankly, sometimes the stakes are pretty high, when it comes to envy. Think about this: If you have a friend or family member in the military, and you hear on the news that a helicopter went down and 10 soldiers were killed right in the area where your husband or daughter or friend is serving--that can be a scary thing….What happens when you find out it was somebody else…that your loved one is safe? – Let’s be honest, you thank God that it wasn’t your soldier. That’s when gratitude gets really messy….It’s common for soldiers to come home from war feeling guilty that they lived when so many others died….How are you supposed to feel when you dodged a bullet, but it struck somebody else? It’s not that they’re ungrateful, it’s just hard to sort out all the conflicting emotions. The reality is, it’s one thing to be thankful for the blessings in your life. It’s another thing to be thankful when things are tough for you…or for someone else instead of you….But friends, here’s the deal: Despite all those challenges, Paul still said, “Give thanks in all circumstances.” … Over in Philippians, he said, “Rejoice in the Lord always, I’ll say it again, Rejoice!” Understand, Paul didn’t write those words from the comfort of a plush office in a multi-million-shekel church building….Paul wrote 1 Thessalonians while in Corinth, following attacks by the Jews who were out to get him. He wrote Philippians while in chains under house arrest in Rome. Paul endured a tremendous amount of abuse for the gospel….He had been opposed, threatened, beaten, attacked on numerous occasions, once stoned and left for dead….His travels had taken him through all kinds of hostile places. Yet listen to what he wrote to the church in Philippi while in prison. Philippians 4:10-13 (NIV), “I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. [11] I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. [12] I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. [13] I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength.”
Paul had been in prison, and for some reason the Philippian people had been unable to send him aid....However, circumstances eventually changed and this new opportunity presented itself—they were able to get him some supplies.
But, now, don't miss this: Paul said, “I’m grateful for what you’ve done, but my contentment is not based on your ability to send me gifts. I've been through good times, I've been through hard times. I know what it's like to have plenty, and I know what it's like to go without."
Paul had been embraced by the Elders in Ephesus, he'd been imprisoned by the Jews in Philippi….He was well-fed in the home of Priscilla and Aquila, he went hungry on board the ship bound for Rome.
He’d been free to travel the world for the Gospel, and he'd been chained to a Roman guard with no privacy—no independence—whatsoever.
And yet he could say in verse 12, “I've learned the secret of being content...” He learned...THE SECRET! ... So what is it—WHAT’S THE SECRET? It's Verse 13, “I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength!” That’s the first key lesson to dealing with the hard side of Thanksgiving… 1. We can do all things through Christ.
We can be grateful—even when times are hard—because we can do all things through Jesus….You may not be aware of this, but I’ve still got four years of eligibility left when it comes to playing college basketball.
Every time the phone rings, I hold my breath that maybe it’s finally Pat Kelsey calling to offer me a scholarship to the University of Louisville….All I have to do is pray and believe, right? -- Phil 4:13 promises I can do all things through Christ, right? … Listen: Paul is not making a blanket promise that God will allow us to fulfill every ridiculous dream or whimsical fantasy. God is a not a Genie in a Bottle….If I want to win the Boston Marathon, it’s going to take a lot more than faith and wishful thinking….If I’m not willing to train for months, I would not be able to run 26 miles, and even if I could, only the best athletes in the world win races like that. The ability to do all things through Christ isn’t some gimmick for instant success. A child can't automatically make his parents get back together, just because he doesn't want them to get a divorce and the Bible says we can do all things through Christ: His parents still have a free will….A terminally ill patient may be completely restored to health through the power of God, but this verse is not a blanket promise that no Christians will ever get so sick that they die. Paul’s promise is not a magic formula, a rabbit's foot or a lucky charm.
I think the heart of Paul's promise is that God will enable us to accomplish what He wants us to accomplish, when He wants us to accomplish it.
The fact is, IF God wants it done, He will enable us to do it. We can do all things we need to do—all things we’re supposed to do—thruChrist: We can endure all the heartache that comes into our lives; we can handle all the success that comes into our lives; we can do it all through Christ. I’ve had the opportunity to visit Ukraine several times in recent years.
The church that Gail and I helped start in South Carolina actually planted a church that launched on the same day in Kherson, Ukraine….Following years of persecution under communism, Christianity is gaining a strong foothold in this former Soviet country….Yet the truth is, life is really hard in Ukraine. We have dear friends serving there, and suffering there, because of the Russian invasion….Suffering for them is nothing new….After the fall of communism in the early 90’s, the economy crumbled and millions of people were out of work.
In the mid-90’s, a group of Ukrainian pastors came here to the United States for a visit….Near the end of their visit, they sat down with a handful of American Christians for a time of prayer and encouragement. I wasn’t there, but a friend of mine told me about it. The Americans asked them, “How can we pray for you.” I’ll never forget their response….One of the men said, “It’s always hard to answer that question when Americans ask us how they can pray for us. You want to pray for us to be blessed, for our pain and problems to go away. But you must understand: If my life was not hard, I would not have become a Christian. Don’t pray that our lives would be easy, but that we would be strong.”
In other words, he asked them to pray that they would do all things through Christ who gives them strength….That’s the promise of God. You might question your ability to be thankful when life is so hard....I know I do. But the promise of God is that we can handle it…through Christ....We can even give thanks in those circumstances—in all circumstances—through Christ. Now, Paul continues on in Philippians 4 thanking the church for how good they’d been to him….Others had dropped the ball, but the Christians in Philippi had stepped up and really come through….He was blessed and he was thankful. That’s why he puts the exclamation point on his gratitude by assuring them in Verse 19, “My God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” ... See, that’s the other reason we can give thanks in all circumstances…even on the hard side of Thanksgiving. 2. God will meet all our needs through Christ
A newlywed couple sat down to plan their first budget. The husband said to his wife, "Okay, let's start with the basics: Food, clothing, and shelter....We can afford 2 out of 3." … Many of us have lived through pretty lean times financially….You might be there right now.
Listen, Phil. 4:19 is not a promise of instant wealth—it’s not a get-rich-quick formula….But God will meet your needs -- Period….No question about it.
It doesn't mean we'll never have to take out a loan, or ask for assistance from the church, or even apply for food stamps. It means that we don't have to lie awake at night wondering if we're going to starve to death....God will meet our needs through Christ….That's His promise.
That’s why we give thanks in all circumstances. Some days it’s pretty easy….Other days it feels nearly impossible. But we do it because, ONE, we can do all things through Christ. And TWO, God will meet all our needs through Christ. Did you notice the two words repeated in those two phrases? “Through Christ.” … We can do all things through Christ. God will meet all our needs through Christ. Gratitude is not reserved for the fourth-Thursday of November. Gratitude is a way of life, it’s a response to the good—and the bad—that comes into our lives--that comes into every life. How we can give thanks in all circumstances? Through Christ.
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