May 29 - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

May 29
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Dear Christian friends,

If you have ever wondered what is God's will for you, the Apostle Paul lays it out plainly here: 1. Rejoice always, 2. Pray without ceasing, and 3. In everything give thanks.

The context of this scripture was written by the Apostle Paul to the believers in Thessalonica as an encouragement to stand strong in their faith. He was continuing to teach them how to practice the presence of God in their lives. He was in the last phase of his second missionary journey when he wrote to the Church at Thessalonica to minister encouragement to a struggling church. He had learned what worked and what did not work, both in his personal life and in his ministry, and he had yet to face many more challenges to come. When Paul tells us to rejoice always, pray continuously, and always give thanks, it comes out of living through mistakes to discovering through trial and error that God's Word is truth and we can rely upon it as our truth as well. 

Life teaches us many lessons. As Christians, we come to learn that it is our intimate relationship with the Lord that keeps us strong in our faith. Therefore Paul, coming out of personal experience, could tell the Thessalonian believers that in order to rejoice always and give thanks in and through everything, it comes from being in continuous prayer, leaning on the Lord for everything in life.

I don't come to you each day as someone who knows it all, at least I hope I don't, but as someone who struggles just like you in your Christian faith.  As an older adult, being a Christian for almost 70 years, I have encountered many struggles along the way.  I have lived through obedience and disobedience to God's Word, and I can tell you first hand what happens when I disobey and the benefits that come out of obedience. The Bible tells us that wisdom comes with gray hair, meaning the elderly should carry some wisdom because life has taught them many lessons. While gray hair never came to me - for I went from a blond to totally white hair, I have the years on me where life and God's Word has taught me a lot. Hopefully then, I can give out some words of wisdom for having lived through whatever struggles you may be encountering.

To rejoice and give thanks continuously is much easier in good times. If we don't have a constant prayer life, however, these three exhortations becomes harder when life takes a downward spin, which happens to all of us frequently. Have you ever thought about when you are in those negative times, how you automatically go into auto-pilot  back to your old behavior? All that does is give room for Satan to come in and attack us where we are vulnerable. The answer, again, is to keep a constant prayer life, always leaning on the Lord so that we give no room for the devil.

I find that when I go to worship, it brings peace in the midst of any storm that I am in. So my dear Christian friend, rejoice always, be in constant prayer, and don't forget to give thanks for all that the Lord has done for you. 

I