Gripe or Gratitude

Gripe or Gratitude God on Monday
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Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5.18)

Reflection

Good times and gratitude often go hand in hand. During plentiful seasons, when our working lives and non-working lives are going well, thankfulness generally flows quite easily.

But when the pressures are intense - an unexpected report comes in, or a loved one lets us down – we often give griping more airtime than gratitude.

The Apostle Paul wrote the First Epistle to the Thessalonians to a church going through hardship and persecution. Yet he gives them a string of surprising imperatives: keep rejoicing, keep praying, keep giving thanks.

How in the world could they do that? The key is in the verse above: ‘For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you’.
Paul reassures his readers that God holds them, even when life feels out of control. Their everyday suffering and struggles will one day end. The eternal rest they had entered through faith would one day be fully realized.

May this truth settle in your mind and heart in the struggles you face this week. Good and bad seasons come and go. But God is with us through them all. That is something worth giving thanks for, even when we go through times in which there is little else that inspires our gratitude.

Response

Take a moment to reflect on your current circumstances. What might you be tempted to gripe about to your colleagues, friends and family? What things can you give God thanks for, despite your struggles? Take comfort in knowing that all difficult seasons will eventually pass. Eternal rest is your inheritance and destiny.

Prayer

God of all seasons, you hold all things together. Thank you for every good gift you have given to us through our work and leisure. Let me rejoice in knowing that the hard times will not last forever. You will hold me close throughout my life’s journey. In you I find my rest. Amen.

This Week's Author

Dorena Williamson, Author and bridgebuilder

God on Monday is produced in partnership with the Church of England. The reflections are based on the scriptural readings designated for the next Sunday in the Church's lectionary. You can sign up to Faith in Business here to receive each God on Monday instalment.

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