Tag: everything

1 Thessalonians 5:18 – Thankful For Everything

Posted on by Will

in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Truth to Learn

Christians are to be thankful for everything!

 

Behind the Words

The word translated “everything” is pas, meaning “all.” It includes the idea of plurality, meaning “all the parts” or “every.” In this verse it is expressed as a neuter adjective, so it could be translated as “all things” or “everything.”

“Give thanks” is from the Greek verb eucharisteō, which is composed of eu, meaning “good” or “well” and a form of charidzomai, meaning “to grant” or “to give.” Thus, eucharisteō means “to express gratitude” or “to give thanks.”

 

Meaning Explained

In the past two verses, Paul has given us a couple of commands regarding Christian attitudes: always rejoicing and ceaseless prayer. He now adds a third attitude that we are to have: giving thanks for everything. This is not the only place in the New Testament where we are told to give thanks for everything. In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul said:

giving thanks always for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father, (Ephesians 5:20)

And, in his letter to the Colossians, he said:

And whatever you do in word or in deed, do all things in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. (Colossians 3:17)

Also, in his letter to the Philippian Christians, Paul said:

Be anxious about nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; (Philippians 4:6)

As with giving praise, however, it is difficult for us to be thankful for situations in which we feel physical or emotional pain. However, James has given us a similar command in the first chapter of his letter:

My brothers, consider it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the proving of your faith brings about patience. But let patience have its completing work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. (James 1:2-4)

Yes, it’s hard to be filled with joy and to give thanks to God for trials and troubles, but it’s what God expects from Christians. Doing so will produce patience in us, as James told us. But we also know that God will use even these difficult times to produce good, as Paul told the Christians in Rome:

And we know that to those who love God all things work together for good, to those who are the called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)

Finally, the reason we should give thanks for everything that happens is because it’s God’s will for every Christian. In fact, the grammatical construction in the Greek text indicates that everything in this and the previous two verses (rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in everything) are part of God’s will for every Christian.

 

Application

Whether we’re healthy or sick, whether we’re rich or poor, whether life is easy or hard, whether we feel like it or not, it is our responsibility to give thanks to God. It is what God wants, it is what He expects, and it is what He deserves. Let’s get on our knees right now and thank God for everything in our lives!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2016 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Ephesians 5:20 – Thankful for Everything

Posted on by Will

giving thanks always for everything to the God and Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Truth to Learn

Thankfulness is an indication of Spirit-filling.

 

Behind the Words

“Giving thanks” is translated from the Greek word eucharisteō. This word is made up of eu, meaning “good” or “well” and a form of charidzomai, meaning “to give” or “to be gracious.” Eucharisteō means “to give thanks.” Because of the derivation of this word, when we give thanks at a meal it is known as “saying grace.”

Pantote is the word translated “always.” It is composed of a form of pas, meaning “all” or “every” and a form of hote, which is an adverb of time. Thus, pantote literally means “at all times” or “always.”

The word “everything” is from the Greek word pas, which we just learned means “all” or “every.” In the form that is used here it means “all things” or “everything.”

 

Meaning Explained

Paul is giving examples of what happens when a person is “filled with the Spirit.” The first example was given in yesterday’s verse:

speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making music in your heart to the Lord,

In today’s verse he gives the second evidence, “giving thanks always for everything.” When we are filled with the Spirit we are thankful, not just one day a year on Thanksgiving Day, but at all times. Now, here’s the hard part of Paul’s teaching in this verse – when we are filled with the Spirit we are thankful “for everything.” Notice, he did not say, “for all good and pleasant things,” or “for all the things that make us feel good.” He said, “for everything.”

Being Spirit-filled makes us thankful for everything that God brings into our lives. Paul taught the same thing about thanksgiving in his first letter to the church at Thessalonica:

pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1Thessalonians 5:17-18)

And his teaching to the Philippian Christians was similar:

Be anxious about nothing, but in everything by prayer and by supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; (Philippians 4:6)

So – being Spirit-filled causes us to be truly thankful for even the seemingly bad things that happen to us: thankful for heartache and pain, thankful for injury or disease, thankful for the loss of a loved one, thankful for persecution, thankful for being made the way we are, thankful for being too short, thankful for being too tall, thankful for being too skinny, thankful for being too fat, thankful for a mean boss, thankful for … You get the point.

Finally, notice that we are to give thanks to the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are not instructed to thank Jesus. We are to thank the Father in Jesus’ name.

 

Application

What are you thankful for? Careful, that’s a trick question. If we allow ourselves to be filled with the Spirit, then we will be thankful for ALL things at ALL times!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2016 Will Krause. All rights reserved

1 Corinthians 3:21 – Focus on Him

Posted on by Will

Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours:

Truth to Learn

We need to keep our focus on God and humbly serve Him.

Behind the Words

“Therefore” is translated from the Greek word hōste. This word is made up of hōs, meaning “as” and the particle te, meaning “and” which serves to connect the following clause more closely to the previous one. As a result, this word means “therefore, accordingly, and so, or thus.”

The word “boast” is from kauchaomai, which means “to boast, to glory, or to exult,” either in a good manner or bad. In this verse, it is used in a bad sense, meaning “to brag without reason.”

The word translated “all things” is translated from the Greek word pas, meaning “all” or “every.” It is expressed here in the neuter plural, so it means “all things” or “everything.”

“Are” is from the verb of being, eimi. It is expressed in the second person singular, so the last part of this verse could be translated, “For everything is yours.”

Meaning Explained

In the previous three verses, Paul was speaking to the teachers in the church in Corinth, warning them not to depend on worldly techniques in their teaching. In this and the following two verses, he is speaking to all of us. Paul’s entire letter up to this point has been centered on the fact that there were divisions in the church because people placed the importance of one teacher over another. They had been bragging about who the real leader was and identifying themselves with him. Back in 1 Corinthians 1:12, Paul said:

Now I say this, that each of you says, "I am of Paul," or "I am of Apollos," or "I am of Cephas," or "I am of Christ."

When we put too much importance on the messenger instead of the message, we take the credit away from God and give it to men. In his second letter to this church, quoting Proverbs 27:2, Paul says:

But "He who glories, let him glory in the Lord." (2 Corinthians 10:17)

And, in his letter to the Christians in Galatia, Paul says:

But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ … (Galatians 6:14a)

The Corinthian Christians were focused on people and things of this world instead of the person and work of Jesus Christ. Paul now tells them (and us) that boasting in men is wrong because all believers share equally in the grace of God and the gifts He has given us for building up the church. Some people in the church have a more prominent position, while others work behind the scenes. It doesn’t matter whether we are up front preaching to thousands of people or sweeping floors and emptying trash. Our focus needs to be on God, we need to be focused on Him and serve Him with all our heart.

Application

Don’t place too much importance on other people within the church or the gifts that God has given them. Instead, humbly serve God in the task He has assigned you and gifted you for.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2013 Will Krause. All rights reserved

 

1 Corinthians 1:5 – Birthday Gifts

Posted on by Will

that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge,

Truth to Learn

Christians are given spiritual gifts at the moment of salvation.

Behind the Words

The words “you were enriched” are translated from the Greek verb ploutidzō, which is derived from the noun ploutos, meaning “wealth” or “riches.” Therefore, ploutidzō means “to make wealthy” or “to make rich.” It is expressed here in the passive voice, indicating something done to the subject (you). It is also expressed in the aorist tense, indicating something that was done at a point in time in the past. So, we could translate this as “you were made rich.”

“Everything” is a neuter form of pas, meaning “all things” or “everything.” It expresses the totality of things.

The word “utterance” is from the Greek noun logos, which refers to “something said.” However, this word represents more than just the words themselves; it includes the thoughts behind the words.

Gnosis is the word translated “knowledge.” More specifically, it refers to the act of knowing something. It indicates more than just being aware of something. It indicates an acceptance and belief of some fact or facts.

Meaning Explained

You may recall that Paul is in the midst of a prayer for the Corinthian Christians, thanking God for blessings that they had already received from God. In yesterday’s verse he talked about the grace that they (and we) received that resulted in their salvation. Part of that grace includes the wealth that they (and we) received. We will see a few verses down the road that part of the riches that they received was spiritual gifts. The thing to note here is that these riches were bestowed at a point in time in the past. Since he is talking about these riches being part of God’s grace, it is clear that these things were given at the time of our salvation. In other words, we do not have to pray for any spiritual gift to be given to us because whatever gifts God bestows on us were given to us at the point in time that we accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

It’s interesting that Paul couples together utterance and knowledge. Knowledge, the internalization or acceptance of facts, can only come as a result of something being communicated to us. Conversely, we can only declare that which we already know. So we see that utterance and knowledge are the tools that are used to pass along the glorious truth of salvation in Christ Jesus.

As we will see later in this letter, the church at Corinth was particularly blessed with spiritual gifts. However, the members of this church had placed inordinate value on some of the lesser gifts (like the gift of tongues, or languages) and much less value in some of the greater gifts (like the gift of prophesy, the proclamation of spiritual truths and doctrine). This problem is just as prevalent is some churches today where the sign gifts are considered more desirable than the edifying gifts.

Application

At the moment of your salvation (your spiritual birthday), you were given certain specific abilities (spiritual gifts) that are intended for the building up of the church. You don’t have to pray for them or wait for them. You already have them. Are you using them for God’s glory? 

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2013 Will Krause. All rights reserved

 

1 Thessalonians 5:18 – Thankful For Everything

Posted on by Will

in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Truth to Learn

Christians are to be thankful for everything!

Behind the Words

The word translated “everything” is pas, meaning “all.” It includes the idea of plurality, meaning “all the parts” or “every.” In this verse it is expressed as a neuter adjective, so it could be translated as “all things” or “everything.”

“Give thanks” is from the Greek verb eucharisteō, which is composed of eu, meaning “good” or “well” and a form of charidzomai, meaning “to grant” or “to give.” Thus, eucharisteō means “to express gratitude” or “to give thanks.”

Meaning Explained

In the past two verses, Paul has given us a couple of commands regarding Christian attitudes: always rejoicing and ceaseless prayer. He now adds a third attitude that we are to have: giving thanks for everything. This is not the only place in the New Testament where we are told to give thanks for everything. In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul said:

giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, (Ephesians 5:20)

And, in his letter to the Colossians, he said:

And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. (Colossians 3:17)

Also, in his letter to the Philippian Christians, Paul said:

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; (Philippians 4:6)

As with giving praise, however, it is difficult for us to be thankful for situations in which we feel physical or emotional pain. However, James has given us a similar command in the first chapter of his letter:

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. (James 1:2-4)

Yes, it’s hard to be filled with joy and to give thanks to God for trials and troubles, but it’s what God expects from Christians. Doing so will produce patience in us, as James told us. But we also know that God will use even these difficult times to produce good, as Paul told the Christians in Rome:

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)

Finally, the reason we should give thanks for everything that happens is because it’s God’s will for every Christian. In fact, the grammatical construction in the Greek text indicates that everything in this and the previous two verses (rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in everything) are part of God’s will for every Christian.

Application

Whether we’re healthy or sick, whether we’re rich or poor, whether life is easy or hard, whether we feel like it or not, it is our responsibility to give thanks to God. It is what God wants and what He expects. Let’s get on our knees right now and thank God for everything in our lives!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2012 Will Krause. All rights reserved