Rejoice, Pray, Give Thanks!

-


Scripture:

1 Thess. 5:16 Rejoice always,  17 pray without ceasing,  18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Observation:

As Paul closes out his letter to the Thessalonians he has these staccato words of advice. It is a formula for practicing godly behavior and in this we find a balance, or constancy. There is something about a follower of Christ looking for the best in what they see around them.This is an optimism that should help us to live a life of rejoicing. Optimism is contagious and when we are abiding in the presence of the Lord we are overwhelmed by the immense possibilities that we can experience in him.

This abiding which brings rejoicing is experienced in prayer. Prayer without ceasing is really an attitude of abiding in the presence of the Lord, both when we are still and when we are engaged in his mission. This makes us grateful for the opportunities which arise. John Wesley said it this way, “Pray without ceasing — which is the fruit of always rejoicing in the Lord. In everything give thanks — Which is the fruit of both the former.” There is a connection between the three and they all reflect the state of our spiritual life.

Application:

Trying to find a simple formula for the Christian life is probably not a good idea. We get too caught up in following the formula that we can miss the point. However, there are markers along the way that can help to keep us on the right path. There are disciplines in life that can help us on this journey. They include the practice of rejoicing. No, not everything in life is going to be praiseworthy —  but there is a discipline of looking for the good. It’s far too easy in life to be brought down by negative thinking — or by always looking for the weaknesses of others. This is not helpful. Instead, we are to rejoice always — keeping a spirit of optimism alive.  This helps to charge our batteries on a daily basis. It’s why we can get out of bed looking forward to tackling another day.

Praying without ceasing — now that’s always got to be a good idea. Learning to abide in the sweet presence of our Lord day in and day out is a spiritual discipline. It’s an easy-going conversation with him when we get up in the morning, when we go to bed at night and at all the events in-between.

Finally, we must live with a heart full of gratitude for the circumstances in which we find ourselves. Sometimes the circumstances may not make sense to us, but this is where we must simply trust in the Lord.

No, not a cliche formula, but a way in which we can practice our spiritual life on a daily basis. Will we always succeed? No, probably not, but rejoice, pray and give thanks are good things to practice!

Prayer:

Lord, may I abide in you and your presence today, living into the formula you have provided. Amen.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Take Off Your Ornaments

-
Scripture: Ex. 33:4 ¶ When the people heard these harsh words, they mourned, and no one put on ornaments. Ex. 33:5 For the LORD had said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people; if for a single moment I should go up among you, I would consume you. So now take off your ornaments, and I will decide what to do to you.’” Ex. 33:6 Therefore the Israelites stripped themselves of their ornaments, from Mount Horeb onward. Observation: The people had sinned before God by making and worshiping the golden calf!  They had taken their golden jewelry — the earrings and other items they had gotten from the Egyptians and used them to create an idol.  Now, in an act of humility and repentance they were to take off all of their jewelry and ornaments.  It was a time of mourning over their sin and it included intentional action on the part of the Israelites.  Application: We don’t do all that well with humility and repentance!  It seems that we live in a time when we try to carry
Read more

Does God Value Boys More than Girls?

-
Scripture: Lev. 12:1 ¶ The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: Lev. 12:2 Speak to the people of Israel, saying: ¶ If a woman conceives and bears a male child, she shall be ceremonially unclean seven days; as at the time of her menstruation, she shall be unclean. Lev. 12:3 On the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. Lev. 12:4 Her time of blood purification shall be thirty-three days; she shall not touch any holy thing, or come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purification are completed. Lev. 12:5 If she bears a female child, she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her menstruation; her time of blood purification shall be sixty-six days. Lev. 12:6 ¶ When the days of her purification are completed, whether for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting a lamb in its first year for a burnt offering, and a pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering. Lev. 12:7 He shall offer it before the LORD, and make atonement on her
Read more

The Advantage of Sanctification

-
Scripture: Rom. 6:22 But now that you have been freed from sin and enslaved to God, the advantage you get is sanctification. The end is eternal life. Rom. 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Observation: Two sides of life are presented here in great contrast.  One is a life of sin and enslavement to evil.  The other side of life is freedom which provides the advantage of sanctification (or holiness as some translate the word) that leads to eternal life.  The options here are a life of sin, slavery and death; or freedom, holiness and eternal life.  The advantage of holiness or sanctification is the benefit of the life of freedom.  Jesus died so that we might be made holy like him and this is something that is offered as a “fruit” or “advantage” right now.  The end is eternal life — but the living of life is that it can be lived out in holiness.  The next verse is really just an affirmation of the verse 22.  Sin will lead
Read more