This Is God’s Will: Give Thanks

“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV)

In many cultures around the world, people set aside certain days or seasons for giving thanks.  But God wants you to be intentional about your thankfulness every day. He wants you to develop this spiritual habit, one that is reflected in the life of a faithful follower of Jesus. Because the closer you get to Jesus, the more deeply you understand God’s love, and the more grateful you’re going to be.

What does it mean to be radically grateful?

The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (NIV). In every circumstance give thanks—that’s radical gratitude.

How can I be thankful even in difficult circumstances? I can thank God in every circumstance because he is in control. He can bring good out of evil. He can turn around the worst mistakes I’ve made. No matter what happens, God isn’t going to stop loving me.

I can find a hundred things to be thankful for in any circumstance, even when the circumstance stinks.

Radical gratitude—being thankful in all circumstances—is God’s will because it creates fellowship. What is meant by that? Gratitude always builds deeper relationships between myself and other people and between myself and God.

If I want to get closer to someone, start expressing gratitude to that person. Maybe I'm feeling distant from my  spouse. I've lost that spark because I stopped doing the things that created the spark early on—and now I take her for granted. Start doing what I did when we were dating: Express gratitude. Write little notes of kindness and encouragement. Call or text during the day, just to tell your spouse that I'm thankful for her.

Do I want to build better connection in my small group? Don’t just go to my gathering. During the week, contact the people in my group. Say, “I’m grateful for you, and here’s why.” I'll find that the more grateful I am for my group, the more my group will bond—and the more I’ll grow in radical gratitude.

Let us “enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations” (Psalm 100:4-5 NIV).

In Summary:

This text unpacks the concept of "radical gratitude" based on 1 Thessalonians 5:18, emphasizing that thankfulness is an everyday spiritual habit rather than a seasonal obligation. Practicing radical gratitude requires giving thanks in all circumstances—not necessarily for the difficult situation itself, but in it, anchoring one's perspective in God's sovereignty, enduring love, and ability to redeem any situation. Furthermore, the passage highlights gratitude as a powerful relational catalyst; actively expressing appreciation to God and others dismantles apathy, restores intimacy in marriages, strengthens community bonds within small groups, and ultimately fosters sustainable spiritual growth.

Bottom Line:

Radical gratitude is a daily, intentional discipline that anchors me in God's unchanging goodness and actively builds deeper connections with the people around us.

Next Step:

Commit to a disciplined action of daily appreciation to combat taking my closest relationships for granted. For the next seven days, select one specific person each day—such as my spouse, a family member, or a small group peer—and send them a direct, intentional text or note expressing one precise reason I am grateful for who they are or what they do.

Purpose Over Popularity!

“It does not matter! I am happy about it—just so Christ is preached in every way possible, whether from wrong or right motives. And I will continue to be happy.” Philippians 1:18 (GNT)

My joy comes from God! It’s easy to let other people control my attitude. But if I want to be truly happy, I need to remember that Jesus is the source of my joy. 

In Philippians 1:15-17, Paul talks about different kinds of people who are affecting his ministry while he’s a prisoner in Rome. There are some he considers comrades who encourage him in his ministry. Others are criticizing, competing with, or conspiring against his ministry.

“Some of them preach Christ because they are jealous and quarrelsome, but others from genuine good will. These do so from love, because they know that God has given me the work of defending the gospel. The others do not proclaim Christ sincerely, but from a spirit of selfish ambition; they think that they will make more trouble for me while I am in prison” (Philippians 1:15-17 GNT).

Few things steal happiness faster than being criticized or feeling like others are working against me. Why? Because we all want to be loved. We all want approval. We all want people to like us.

Yet even with the negativity toward his ministry, Paul says in Philippians 1:18, “It does not matter! I am happy about it—just so Christ is preached in every way possible, whether from wrong or right motives. And I will continue to be happy” (GNT).

I don’t need other people’s approval to be happy.

I'm as happy as I choose to be! If others are unhappy with me, that’s their choice. If I haven’t earned someone’s approval by now, I'm probably not going to get it—and I'm going to be miserable if I try to live for the approval of everybody else.

Paul explains later in the same chapter why you can be happy no matter what: “For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him. We are in this struggle together. You have seen my struggle in the past, and you know that I am still in the midst of it” (Philippians 1:29-30 NLT).

Paul says it’s a privilege to suffer when I'm doing the right thing, because that’s when I'm most like Jesus.

Don’t let what other people say or do control my happiness. My joy comes from the Lord!

In Summary:

In this passage from Philippians, the Apostle Paul models an extraordinary level of emotional and spiritual maturity while imprisoned in Rome, refusing to let the toxic motives of his critics disrupt his inner peace. Despite facing a faction of preachers driven by jealousy, rivalry, and a deliberate desire to increase his suffering, Paul filters his entire circumstances through a kingdom-first lens rather than personal offense. He recognizes that because the true gospel is still being advanced, the underlying human pettiness is irrelevant to his mission. This text serves as a powerful reminder that true, sustainable joy is an internal choice rooted in our alignment with Christ, freeing us from the exhausting trap of seeking external human approval or waiting for perfect circumstances to be content.

Bottom Line:

My joy is a sovereign choice rooted in Christ's mission, completely independent of other people's approval, motives, or criticisms.

Next Step:

To align with your identity as someone whose validation comes solely from God, practice intentional emotional detachment this week when facing criticism or competitive environments. The moment you feel the urge to win someone's approval or defend your reputation, pause and mentally repeat Paul’s declaration: "It does not matter, just so Christ is preached." Shift your energy immediately away from managing others' perceptions and redirect it entirely toward executing your next disciplined action with excellence.

The Power of the Walk-Away

"If someone does wrong to you, do not pay him back by doing wrong to him. Try to do what everyone thinks is right. Do your best to live in peace with everyone.” Romans 12:17-18 (NCV)

Do you think God can bring good out of something bad, like when I'm bullied or harassed?

He can. It’s hard to see it and trust it in the moment. When someone wrongs me, I may be tempted to fight back or defend myself. But God is just, and it’s his job to punish, restore, and turn things around for good.

“If someone does wrong to you, do not pay him back by doing wrong to him. Try to do what everyone thinks is right. Do your best to live in peace with everyone. My friends, do not try to punish others when they wrong you, but wait for God to punish them with his anger. It is written: ‘I will punish those who do wrong; I will repay them,’ says the Lord” (Romans 12:17-19 NCV).        

Notice the words “do your best.” As much as it is possible, live in peace with everyone. That’s because God knows there are some people in life who are almost impossible to get along with. When I'm harassed or bullied, God doesn’t want me to retaliate. He wants me to walk away. 

To that, I might say, “But you don’t know what they’ve done to me! They’ve hurt me. They've caused a lot of harm, and I want to get even.”

People who are bullies want to hook you. They want to get your attention and engage you—and then attack. They can’t stand it if you ignore them! This is also true online. It’s often hard to figuratively walk away from an attack in a comment thread on Facebook. But when I refuse to react, I've taken control away from bullies. If they can’t engage me, then they can’t control me.

Whenever you tell someone, “You make me so mad,” you’re admitting that you've given control of your emotions to somebody else. You don’t want to do that. You don’t want to give anyone power over your emotions.        

Romans 12 says God gives you a choice: Either you can seek revenge yourself or you can trust God and let him avenge you. Who do you think can do a better job?

Refuse to retaliate. Walk away. Let it go! And let God do his work.

In summary:

Romans 12:17-19 addresses the counter-cultural mandate of non-retaliation, positioning peace-making not as a sign of weakness, but as a discipline of the will. Paul emphasizes that while we cannot control others, we are responsible for our own reactions and for maintaining our emotional sovereignty by refusing to be "hooked" by bullies or agitators. By relinquishing the desire for personal vengeance, we actively demonstrate trust in God’s justice and sovereignty, acknowledging that His ability to restore and repay far exceeds our own capacity for retribution.

Bottom Line:

True power is found in refusing to let the actions of others dictate your character or disrupt your peace.

Next Step:

Practice Emotional De-escalation through intentional silence; the next time I feel the "hook" of a provocative comment or a personal slight, wait exactly sixty seconds before responding—or choose not to respond at all—to confirm that my identity is anchored in Christ’s peace rather than an opponent's provocation.