First Thessalonians 5:18 reads give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. The words translated give thanks is from one word in the Greek. It is built from the word meaning grace. God owes us nothing and we owe Him everything! We deserve to have eternal condemnation, but He gives us eternal life and a multitude of good things we don’t deserve.
 
Thankfulness is to be all Inclusive - IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES! It’s hard to give thanks when bad things happen but we are told to give thanks under every circumstance in life. Thankfulness is a Command - GIVE THANKS! God knew this would be a difficult thing to do that’s why he gave us this command. The commands of God are designed to help us break through the barriers that are unnatural and harmful to us.
 
Thankfulness is God’s Will - THIS IS GOD’S WILL FOR US! Being able to thank God in the circumstances is not just good advice. It is the will of God to thank Him in all circumstances even those that we do not like. Part of pleasing God is to do His will. When we don’t thank God for everything we move outside the will of God. Thankfulness is accomplished by our connection to Christ. It is IN CHRIST JESUS we can give thanks! 

Clark Tatum

You have heard it said that oil and water don’t mix. You can understand this concept better when you take a look at a bottle of salad dressing. You hold it up and you can see where things have settled and the oil and water have separated. In order to bring that oil and water back together, the bottle must be shaken. You set the bottle back down for a bit and in no time the oil and water separate because in a bottle of salad dressing the togetherness of the ingredients won’t last forever. They go back to their own department. They go back to separate rooms. They go back to separate seating places. They go back to separate communities. They go back because it is intrinsic to their nature that they will not mix.
     Mayonnaise, on the other hand, does not have to be shaken even though it is also comprised mostly of oil and water. This happens because mayonnaise contains an emulsifier. An emulsifier is that which brings things together that which otherwise could never come together. The emulsifier in mayonnaise is an egg and the egg infiltrates both substances so they are able to come together and be a solid substance. The emulsifier that brings people together from different backgrounds and places into the church is the blood of Christ. Out of Jesus’ great love for us He went to the cross and now His sinless blood runs through His people by faith and acts as an emulsifier that makes us one “in Christ Jesus.”

Clark Tatum

Every morning I made the inspection. For a couple of days, I wondered if what had been sprayed on the weeds in my yard was going to work. At first, the objects of my dissatisfaction, those persistent weeds, seemed undisturbed. However, around the third and fourth day obvious changes were beginning to take place. After the seventh day it was apparent the solution had done its job for there was no sign of life in the once flourishing weed. The yard chemical had attacked the roots of the weeds for an effective kill.
 
At first things may appear undisturbed, but the poison often will eventually take its toll. Sin will not only affect externals it makes its way into our hearts and strikes at the root of faith, of spiritually, of life. If we continue to ignore sin at its root the result will be a withering conscience, a shriveling of morals and in time a complete collapse of the soul (see James 1:15). Jesus is the answer to our sin problem.
 
Sin ultimately destroys the soul unless it is repented of and cleansed by the blood of Christ. James Chapter One warns us, “Do not merely listen to the Word and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says” (James 1:21). We can be set free of any sin that seeks to bind us, but we must not take sin lightly (John 8:31-32). The sin we ignore promises to destroy.

Clark Tatum

The Bible is unique in its circulation and has been a best seller since the printing press was established. The Bible has been translated into more than 2,000 languages. The Bible as a book has no equal among all the other books of the world. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Tim 3:16-17). What exactly does it mean when we say the Bible is inspired or God-breathed? It means it is a book like no other for it is the breath of God. The Bible is our life book, for one day we will be judged by it (John 12:48). Jesus said, His words will never pass away (Matthew 24:35).
 
Theodore Roosevelt said, “A thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college education.” If you read and study the Bible you will discover, as 2 Peter 1:3 declares, God’s divine power [that is God’s Word] has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. The Bible is more than a book about an ancient man who disturbed his culture and died years ago. This book is about Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world who wants all people to come to a knowledge of the truth and be saved (1 Timothy 2:4).

Clark Tatum