God has told us to “be joyful always, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Th 5:16–18). To give thanks in all circumstances means to be always thankful, no matter what the circumstance—good or bad, easy or difficult. When God tells us to give thanks for everything, there must be a reason we should be thankful. We are always receiving abundant love from God. Everything we have—from our wisdom and talents to our faith in God—actually comes from God. As the people of Zion, we should give thanks and glory to God every day for providing us with everything for our future.

What do you have that you did not receive?

Whenever I do something, I am reminded of a story. One day, when it finally became possible to clone humans thanks to scientific advances, one scientist challenged God, “I, too, can make man, just as You did.” Then God said, “Be my guest.” Just when he was about to triumphantly clone a human, God said.

“Isn’t that My dust? Make man with your dust.”

Man cannot create something from nothing. Even though science has greatly advanced, we can do nothing if God tells us to do something with our own things and not the things of God.

1 Co 4:7 For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?

There are many influential people in the world—those with power, the rich, scholars, etc. Who has given them all that power, wealth, wisdom, and knowledge? God has given them all those things. They just use everything from God. Realizing this fact, we must not boast of our wisdom or riches or power but only about God who has given us everything (Jer 9:23–24).

Ge 1:29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.”

We gain strength by eating foods such as grains and fruits God created, so we can move and think. If God did not say, “I give you every seed-bearing plant and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food,” how would it be possible for life to survive? God gives us such amazing grace. The moment we are cut off from the grace of God, we can do nothing. Just as a branch cannot function unless it remains in the vine, we cannot function properly unless we remain in God (Jn 15:1–8).

Without receiving anything from God, we cannot sustain our lives. We need to value the things we have received from God and lower ourselves in humility, being joyful in God and giving thanks all the time.

I will give you a wise and discerning heart

The Bible presents many scenes where God says, “I will give you . . .” Let’s see what changes will happen when we receive something from God.

1 Ki 3:7–14 “Now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David . . . a great people, too numerous to count or number. So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. So God said to him, “. . . I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both riches and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. And if you walk in my ways and obey my statutes and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.”

Solomon had not distinguished himself greatly, but after receiving wisdom and understanding from God, he became great enough to surprise the world. He received riches and honor in addition to great wisdom. His fame spread throughout the surrounding nations. Even the queen of Sheba visited Solomon with countless treasures to listen to his wisdom.

In the history of the Bible, not only Solomon but all those who received something from God showed outstanding talents in God-given fields and became great enough to have a big influence on many people. When God said to someone, “I will give you wisdom,” he became very wise; when God said to another person, “I will give you faith,” he became a man of great faith; and when God said to another, “I will give you the fervor for preaching,” he became so fervent in preaching. A foolish, lowly man became a great and noble person, and a fainthearted man who could not even speak a word became a courageous warrior.

If we use our God-given talents to display the glory of God, the glory will be even greater. Like the ancestors of faith, we should brightly display God’s glory by using our God-given talents fully wherever we are.

I give you eternal life

Let’s think about what blessings we have received while living in this age. We will realize how many things God has given us and how great and amazing they are.

Jn 10:24–28. . . “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father’s name speak for me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.”

Solomon was given wisdom, but we have received the blessing of eternal life from God in Zion. No matter how much wealth a man has, no matter how great his power is, he cannot enjoy it forever on this earth. However, those who have received eternal life from God have no limits. Since God said they would possess it forever, there is no greater blessing than this in the whole universe (Da 7:18).

Jn 13:34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

God loves us so much that He has given us eternal life and a new command as well. God says, “A new command I give you.” A new command also means a new covenant. About 600 years before Jesus came to this earth, God had already promised through a prophet that He would establish a new covenant. It is such a precious gift given to us by God.

Jer 31:31–34 “The time is coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah . . . This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the Lord. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

Jesus, who was God Himself in nature, exactly fulfilled the prophecy about the establishment of the new covenant (Lk 22:7–20). All those who have accepted the truth of the new covenant through the promise of God receive eternal life and the forgiveness of sins, being God’s people. God has said He will take away all our transgressions and sins and forgive them through the new covenant. What a great blessing and grace it is!

We must not disregard this blessing from God. Those who have not received the new covenant—the new command—cannot be forgiven for all the sins they committed in heaven and on earth. God has said He will be the God of those who keep the new covenant. He has also promised to give the eternal heavenly inheritance that will never fade away, to everyone who dwells in Zion and believes in the Spirit and the Bride as well as the truth of the new covenant.

Faith that gives thanks for the blessings we are given

We need to reflect on ourselves to see how many times we have given thanks to Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother from the depths of our hearts for this precious gift we’ve received from Them. When we realize how great and amazing the blessings God has given us are, then we come to give thanks and praise to God naturally.

Look carefully at the spiritual world. Who are the most blessed people in the 66 books of the Bible? To whom is God’s grace given more abundantly than anyone else? It is us today. It is very important that we have been allowed to live on this earth and have received the blessings of the forgiveness of sins and eternal life and the blessing of being able to receive Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother. We don’t need to envy Solomon, David, Peter, John, and Paul. We are the most envied people among all the characters in the Bible, and we are walking the path of faith in the most envied environment. Please remember this for sure.

When we go back to heaven, our eternal home, we will receive everything God has promised to give us. As God said, “I give you eternal life,” we will receive the tremendous blessing of eternal life,” and as God said, “I will give you the kingdom of heaven as an inheritance,” we will all receive the heavenly inheritance as well. God will reward us for all our efforts for the gospel and make us royal priests. So, there is no greater glory and power than this, is there?

On this earth, we don’t need to consider whether we are in a high or low social status, whether we are rich or not, and whether our circumstances are favorable or unfavorable. When we are put in a difficult situation, there must be something beneficial that can refine us and help us grow. As the people of Zion, we must not indulge in the physical world and forget the spiritual world, but put our hope in the eternal kingdom of heaven we are going to, instead of setting our minds on the things of this earth we are leaving soon.

Every word of God is to be fulfilled exactly; not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from it until everything is accomplished. When difficulties come our way and trouble us, let us remember that there must be the providence of God who wants to appoint us as a royal priesthood in heaven. We have to be thankful for everyone and everything God has given us—those who are with us, our wisdom and talents, and so on. Only then can we obey God’s command to “give thanks in all circumstances.”

I will give you every place where you set your foot

Everything God gives us is a precious gift; nothing is to be rejected. When God says, “I will give you something,” we should all receive it, saying “Amen!” We don’t have to hesitate to get it. When we go forward, only holding on to God’s word, we can experience something that will surprise all people around the world.

Jos 1:1–8 After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses . . . I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go . . .”

God said He would give His people every place where they set their foot and make them successful in everything they did. God gave this promise in the time of Joshua, but it also applies to us who keep the law of the new covenant today. Since God said, “Everything is possible for him who believes,” we must believe this promise and preach the gospel to Samaria and to the ends of the earth.

God has promised to give eternal life to those who preach the gospel of the new covenant to many souls, so that they will never perish. This work is not something that is to be done by those who have been specially selected. All of us are the ones who have received the mission of Joshua. God gives power to those who work hard and the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him (Lk 11:13). Let us move forward without hesitation and awaken the people who do not yet know the value of the gifts God gives mankind freely.

God gave wisdom to Solomon, the power of preaching to the Apostle Paul, faith to another, and a fluent tongue to another to deliver God’s will fully. Instead of thinking proudly that all the power is ours, we need to perform our own roles as members of Christ and display the glory of God by using our God-given gifts.

Everything we have received from God is precious. We have received the new command, the new covenant, eternal life, wisdom, and faith, which are all precious to us. If God said we should not use the things of God but only ours to attain salvation, we would have never been able to take even one step toward heaven. However, God has told us to come with His things. So, if we hold fast to them, we can reach the eternal kingdom of heaven.

We have received Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother and are walking the path of faith in the era most envied by the ancestors of faith. As those who are blessed so greatly, let us realize the value of the blessings we have received from God and hold fast to them till the end, giving more thanks and glory to Elohim.