First Thessalonians 5:18 says, “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” How can we give thanks?  It is because we know He will work this for our good.

He is sovereign, and He knows the future.  He tells us in James to count it all joy.  Count it all joy when you fall into hard trials and temptations.  Count it all joy when you are feeling all of this pain of rejection.  Count it all joy when men are saying all manner of evil against you.  The things that have been said about me, the things that have been done in my direction to try to destroy my life, everything in my nature wants to retaliate.  It’s the reason God put in laws for an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.  That is because everything in my nature is this, "If you knock my tooth out, I’m taking your head off."  That is who I am without Jesus.  You choose, and you choose to love your enemies.  You choose to speak well of them.  You pull their trucks out of the ditch, and you give them a cup of cold water.  You choose to count it all joy, knowing that God is in the process of forming more of Christ’s likeness in you, and it’s worth it.

He should be praised, and He should be worshipped.  It is because God is good, and His mercies endure forever.  You can’t praise Him too much.  We are to praise Him in everything.  Let’s look at those verses for just a moment, so you can have them in your consciousness.  Let’s look over at Ephesians.  In Ephesians, Chapter 5, we see the mandates given to us for thanksgiving to God and glorifying God.  Remember to look at the context of everything that is being said here.  These are the characteristics of a Christian life.  He talks to us about being able to redeem the time because the days are evil, not being unwise, and understanding what the will of the Lord is.  “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  It is to be to the Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.