October 12

1 Thessalonians 5

(v.16) Be joyful always; pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus

Be joyful when?  Always?  I don't know about anyone else reading this but I am not always joyful.  And yet as I read this, I realized that the joy Paul is talking about is not found in the circumstance itself, our joy is found in Christ and His will.  Paul planted this church in Thessalonica and the purpose of the letter was to strengthen the Christians in their faith and give them all the assurance of Christ's return.  How many times have we all found ourselves as ambassadors of Christ feeling a little discouraged, questioning our faith or looking up and asking "Lord?"  Paul's letter could be entitled "Practical Advice for Christian Living" because The Apostle gives us some solid guidelines to follow when our focus gets blurred.  What I found most interesting is that he addresses the Thessalonians as the body of Christ not just as individuals running the race alone.  He tells us to encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone, give thanks, encourage the leaders, and avoid evil.  Being joyful, praying continually and giving thanks is what unites us in Christ and allows Jesus to work out the circumstances. The Apostle is not teaching us to thank God for everything thing that happens to us, but IN everything be thankful for Gods presence and His hand on our lives.  In his prayer and blessing in verse 23, Paul shows us that we are united as one spirit and we cannot separate our spiritual life from everything else. So when we pray as a united body, The Holy Spirit enables us to experience peace and joy beyond our circumstance. We must surrender our entire life to Jesus and allow Him to rule in every part of our life. I pray God blesses everyone reading this today and you find the same hope and comfort in Christ while reading this passage as I did.


Randi