Thankful for His Command

I'm grateful that God  commands  us to be thankful.

Thessalonians 5:18 says,
"In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."

Very simple. Since He made it a command rather than a mere suggestion, then we know that it is possible "in Christ Jesus". And the reason it is possible for the Christian, is that we have been given the Holy Spirit to dwell within our hearts to produce the fruits of righteousness....like gratitude to God.

That being true, I must square off against challenging circumstances and make some decisions about how I'm going to respond. Depending on the difficulty of any given situation, I may have to remind myself why I can be thankful in everything.  Whatever I'm facing, I know that God is in control of it all.  I know that He is so wise and kind that it will ultimately be for my good, and it will glorify Him in some way, even if I don't see how either of those things could be true at the time.  Even if my worst fears came true, I have already been shown the ultimate expression of love by God... the giving of Jesus as the sacrifice for my sin.  So, on any given day, in any given circumstance, I can remind myself of the cross.  I have been loved, though I did not deserve it.  That, like nothing else, moves my heart to thanksgiving.