In all circumstances, give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.
God wills us to give thanks in all circumstances. What a challenge! How hard it is to deliberately give thanks when everything seems to be going wrong.
Yet there is a little addition to this statement that we should be mindful of. This is God's will for us in Christ Jesus. We can give thanks precisely because we are in Christ Jesus. It is Jesus Who gives us the ability to give thanks even when times are hard and we are suffering.
When we unite our suffering to Jesus' suffering, we realize the depth of meaning and the redemptive value that it has. We see how it can contribute to the subjective redemption of others, the spreading of grace and the opening up of people's hearts. This is a great grace and a great blessing, and it helps us give thanks in all circumstances, even those that seem the worst.
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