1 Thess. 5:16-18
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Rejoice always, how do we do that?
No. 1: Trusting that God is in control. You are not running your life, He is. You are not living for yourself but for God and for His glory. We shift the attention from ourselves to someone greater and higher than ourselves. In that way, we can rejoice like Paul, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Phil. 1:21 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again, rejoice! Phil. 4:4 (Notice the word, “in the Lord” knowing that everything that you face in this life is under the guidance of His sovereign plan and will. That it is orchestrated by Him for His glory.
Read Romans 8:28; And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Read Romans 11:36, NLT For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.
Pray without ceasing? When was the last time you prayed about something seriously? We pray when we realize that we can do nothing on our own.
No. 2: Remind yourselves that you can do nothing without Him; John 15:5; “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. The constant dependence on Him for every single thing that we do in our day to day lives. Having a God-conscious living. I do believe in a scheduled dedicated time of prayer, say: Thurday/Friday Night Prayer Meeting. But I think the verse is more about learning to live your lives with the consciousness of God in the every waking moments of your lives. “Praying your way through the day” in the words of a Scottish maid to Scottish ministers discussing on this topic.
No 3: Remind yourself of the blessings that you receive. Realize that everything that you are and all that you have is a loan from God. The strength, intellect, beauty and all the pains, struggles and lessons that you’ve encountered in your life is of Him. The everyday grace that we don’t deserve. The Gratitude journal might also help you in some ways.
Read James 1:17, ESV Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
Read Ephesians 2:8-9, NIV For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.
In conclusion, what is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you? Rejoice always, Pray always, Thanks always.
