The month of November is all about thankfulness. Today I took a look at 1 Thessalonians 5:18 “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you”. Some of the hardest commands seem to be the ones that are the most clear and straightforward, like “be joyful always,” “pray without ceasing,” and “give thanks in all circumstances?” I find it hard because there are no loopholes; no room for excuses. We are told plain and simple that God wants our lives to be characterized by thankfulness, and I can’t weasel my way out of that one.
But how are we supposed to “give thanks in all circumstances” when our circumstances are horrible? We have lost a loved one, our marriage is in disarray, a child has wandered far from Jesus, we have lost a job, we have found out that we or someone we love has cancer, innocent people in our country are being killed, and so on. Everywhere we look, circumstances are horrible! What fuels thanksgiving when life seems to be one discouragement, disappointment, disease, disaster, and death after another?
There is only one way. And Jesus both is the Way (John 14:6) and shows the way. The best place to see Jesus showing us the way is in the upper room where he “took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me’” (Luke 22:10). The Greek word for “thanks” in this verse is eucharisteo.
Ann Voskamp unpacks this word in a conversation on don’t worry, be thankful: “The root word of eucharisteo is charis, meaning “grace.” Jesus took the bread and saw it as grace and gave thanks. He took the bread and knew it to be a gift and gave thanks. Eucharisteo, thanksgiving, envelopes the Greek word for grace, charis. But it also holds its derivative, the Greek word chara, meaning “joy.” Charis – Grace; Eucharisteo – Thanksgiving; Chara – Joy.”
What does Jesus’ eucharisteo mean? Thank you, Father, that my body, symbolized by this bread, is about to be brutally broken and I am about to be (momentarily) damned by your wrath (Isaiah 53:10) so that you will receive supreme glory in being able to forgive undeserving sinners (Philippians 2:11) and I will share eternally full joy (John 15:11 and Psalm 16:11) with hundreds of millions of forgiven sinners made righteous through my sacrifice(Isaiah 53:11).
Jesus’ thanks was not based on his present circumstances. He was about to endure the worst possible horror. He felt thankful to the Father for the grace and glory that was coming because of the cross and this gave him joy. Eucharisteo.
Jesus’ eucharisteo was fueled by his belief in future grace. That’s what the author of Hebrews meant when he wrote that, “The joy set before you is the same joy Jesus had set before him, because you are an heir of the kingdom with him.” Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith . . . for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrew 12:2) Jesus’s eyes were on his future joy. He got through the cross by not focusing on the cross but on the promised joy that would result from it. That’s where God wants our eyes: on the future joy he has promised us. Our future joy is the very best possible future we could ever imagine — if we will believe it.
- We will have the free gift of complete forgiveness for all our sins extending into forever (Romans 6:23)
- We will never have to merit our justification by keeping the law (Galatians 2:16)
- We will have all our real needs provided while on earth (Philippians 4:19)
- We will receive all the grace we need at all times so that we will abound in every good work God has for us (2 Corinthians 9:8)
- God will complete the good work he began in us (Philippians 1:6)
- We will be raised from the dead and never, ever die again(1 Corinthians 15:52-53)
- That means someday soon you will see Jesus, be with him(2 Corinthians 5:8), and be like him(1 John 3:2)
- In that day we will know for the first time full, unpolluted joy (Psalm 16:11)
- We will be completely free from all corruption (Romans 8:21)
- We will have God forever (1 Peter 3:18) as our exceeding joy (Psalm 43:4)
And that’s just a small sampling! The joy set before us is the same joy Jesus had set before him, because we are an heir of the kingdom with him (Romans 8:17)
So right now we have trouble. That’s okay. Jesus said that we would (John 16:33). And Jesus really understands (Hebrews 4:15). In fact, the trouble that we endure has a purpose: in it we are displaying the reality of Jesus to the world in a unique way. The kingdom of God is most clearly shown on earth when Christians gratefully suffer present trouble because they see a future weight of glory coming that makes everything this world throws at them as “light momentary afflictions” in comparison (2 Corinthians 4:17).
So, how can we give thanks in all circumstances? There’s only one way: Jesus’s way. Look to the joy set before you. Look to the joy! If the future joy Jesus promises is real and you believe him, there is no circumstance that can steal your thanksgiving.
I pray that your Thanksgiving and everyday would be soaked in eucharisteo.
Barren Womb Fertile Heart 