1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NKJV
[16] Rejoice always, [17] pray without ceasing, [18] in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Good Morning!
Sometimes we find it hard to be thankful. We all face life challenges (crisis) that raise up our natural emotions of fear, worry, disgust, vengefulness or sadness. It is in these times that God’s power will really shine through in our lives. God tells us to give thanks in everything. This includes the good times and the bad. We need to step out of our natural mind when tough situations arise because it is our natural tendency to do the above. But if we take steps of faith, even baby steps, toward God and just surrender to Him our emotions, our situations and our problems, then He will reward us with the Joy of The Lord. He has a way of just working things out for our good.
I like the side note that my Bible has for 1 Thes. 5:16-18…
“Our joy, prayers, and thankfulness should not fluctuate with our circumstances or feelings. Obeying these three commands—be joyful, never stop praying, and be thankful—often goes against our natural inclinations. When we make a conscious decision to do what God says, however, we will begin to see people in a new perspective. When we do God’s will, we will find it easier to be joyful and thankful.” (From The Life Application Study Bible)
It is our duty and God’s will for us to really “pull up our boot straps” when things get tough. It is not a matter of if, but a matter of when. We are all going to have some sort of challenges in our lives. So remembering what God’s word tells us to do ahead of time is so important. If we have a plan of action for a crisis (Rejoice, pray, give thanks), then we won’t be caught off-guard and will know exactly what to do. It reminds me of the times while living in South Florida that we had hurricanes heading toward us. We did everything we could to prepare for the storm, before it arrived. We boarded up the house, got batteries, flashlights, candles, extra gas, a generator, canned goods, etc., so that when the storm came, we were ready for any situation. If we had not been prepared, we would have been in a really tough situation not having power for a couple of weeks, but we were well-prepared and faced the storms and the aftermaths of the storms unscathed. Let’s face it, life has storms and aftermaths of storms that we will have to go through at some point. God can and will use these situations to strengthen your faith.
When we live our lives in an attitude of thankfulness, God notices, and so do other people around you. We can be a light for others in this way. We can show others that even though life can throw many curves at you, God will always bring us through unscathed.
Be thankful for what God has done and continues to do in your life!
I love you and am praying for you today.
Dad