Paul instructed us to give thanks in everything.
But this is hard when things seem to go bad for us.
Jesus gave thanks at the Lord's Table for His coming death! He gave thanks for the symbols He was then ordaining to represent His dead body and His shed blood! Jesus was thankful that He would shortly redeem His loved ones by His dying in our place on the cross.
But there is a warning: we must not give thanks for what we have done. The Pharisee gave thanks for being so good, and obeying God's law, though actually, he didn't keep it at all.
There must be no hint of thanksgiving for our self-righteousness!
Rather, we ought to give thanks that God has wrought in us a miracle of change and conversion and regeneration!
In reality, the Gospel makes it clear: Christ's people disclaim their own good works, and lay hold only upon His righteousness!
Paul taught us that there are no good works in us at all, but rather, that by grace God makes us His Work Product, He works in us unto good works! God had already ordained beforehand that we should walk in the obedient works He works in us Himself!
Herein is another evil of libertarian free will, which says "I decided!" "I chose!" God stood back and let me make up my own mind to believe on Jesus!
Soon after we think those dreadful thoughts, the question will pop up, why did I believe while most others do not? There must be something better in me by nature!
And so, pride wells up in us, because we think we were the cause of our choosing, rather than God choosing us.
In this false doctrine of free will, we've removed the deliberate, loving work of God to change our hearts, to cause us to believe, to change our sinful wills....