Be Thankful? Give Thanks?

I enjoy reading the Diamonds in the Dust by Joni Erikson Tada – This morning is no exception – when she first wrote the verse of the day out –

I almost didn’t read her comments

– so familiar with the verse – and one that honestly – sometimes I cringe on – when my selfish rebellious heart wants to be hurt – or disappointed – or validated for just a moment in a circumstance. Ok. Sure – Its just me -

1 Thes 5:17 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Her Point today – being on the later end of the verse – This is the will of God – Theos – The Trinity – in the anointed messiah – Jesus – For your sake.

I read this again – and the commentary following – of Giving Thanks – even before you Feel Thankful. That Being Thankful and Thanking God may need to be separate – depending on how unsure you feel at the moment.

It was sinking in this morning – that We are Thankful To God. Not necessarily Thankful for the Circumstance.  I think I have read – Be Thankful For All Circumstances – and quite frankly – this has been a hard couple of years for us – and a few times I have lost my thankful heart at times. I have not readily accepted a day’s dish with a thankful heart of what the Lord was allowing us to walk through.

I looked up the verse in the New Living Translation – and in the NIV, and the King James.  Back and forth the text raced between Be Thankful In all Things – and Give Thanks to God – Every Time.

Be or Give? So I looked up the word Give – and found it missing in the original Greek. It was put in there to help explain, keep the sentence flowing so to speak. It is more of a command – Thank God. Period. Give or Be – is left out.

Which led me to look up Thanks.

The word is a straightforward – no hidden meaning – but what I found interesting was in the synonym and antonym of Thanks -

Synonym – includes recognition and acknowledgement – sometimes the hardest things that pass through our life – need to be acknowledged – that God has a Plan. Other Synonyms were more heart felt – gratitude, appreciation, thankful -

But what hit hard was the Antonym -

To condemn, Judge, Damn, rebuke, reprove, find fault, disallow, reject, blame, revile, speak evils of, slander, and accuse.

I may not be able to find an honest thankful heart FOR everything in my life  - but I can acknowledge that I am thankful for God IN every thing – that I do – that is done to me – that is provided, that is taken away  I know that My God has a Plan. And I am thankful FOR HIM.

Go read 1 Thes 5 – I’ll be pondering these verses in a fresh light today. :)

eucharisteō – Thanks – 1 Thes 5:18 Blue Letter Bible - Dig Deeper