December 14, 2008

Read 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not put out the Spirit's fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil. May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.—1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

In Paul’s letter to the Christians in Thessalonica, he is basically offering up examples of how they might keep up the “basics” of Christian living. In this passage, what resonated with me most, were the first 3 practices to work on, all of which require effort & discipline: To be joyful always, To pray continually, To give thanks in all circumstances. In today’s world, it is challenging to keep up with life’s fast pace. However, Paul reminds us that in order to survive the daily grind, we need to keep our spiritual life a priority and that we need to nurture it and strengthen it by applying these 3 practices.

It’s not easy to be joyful always! We all have bad days and worse, tragic events that may happen in our lives. How we react to these circumstances or events is a choice we make. Our reaction is a direct result of our belief about the situation. When we believe that God loves us, wants what is best for us, and that God will cause every situation in our lives to turn out for the best, then it is much easier to be joyful.

Pray continually. In the midst of our busy lives, many times we think that we don’t have time to pray. When you pray, you are forced to slow down. The focus of our thoughts become on God, rather than ourselves. When I pray during the day, it helps me to quit beating myself up for my own shortcomings, but rather to think about how powerful God is and to remember that he will help me through the situation, day or week.

Give thanks in all circumstances. We need to remember that no matter what the situation, if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1John 1:9)

Pray: Dear God, Thank you for being there for me in the chaotic world I live in. Thank you for loving me unconditionally. Forgive me for focusing on my busy life, rather than putting the focus on you. Help me to remain disciplined so that I can continue to make my spiritual life a priority through rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks. Amen

Renee Loomis is the leader of the Connections Team at The Gathering.