Day 40: ALWAYS Give Thanks!
16Always be joyful. 17Keep on praying. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17
Our next three day’s readings give us four, specific, brief commands for living our lives victoriously in Christ Jesus. The first two form today’s readings, “Always be joyful. Keep on praying.” Actually, “Pray without ceasing,” or “Always pray,” would be a better translation of 1 Thessalonians 5:17. Thus, we are challenged to ALWAYS be joyful, and to ALWAYS pray. How in the world do we do that? First, we recognize that being joyful, doesn’t necessarily mean happiness. Joy is not based on circumstance, while happiness is. In fact, happiness and happenstance come from the same root. Joy is given by God, so in order to be joyful ALWAYS requires that we call on God consistently to fill us with the Holy Spirit. Then His joy will fill us and we will be able to be joyful all the time. As we live a joy-filled life, others around us will be impacted. One of the impacts will be that they will be grateful. Why? Because joyful or joy-filled people are enjoyable to be around! We will brighten others’ days as will live out 1 Thessalonians 5:16.
What about praying always? How do we do that? Again, this relies on God. Prayer is nothing more or less than communicating with God. Thus, to pray always means that we include God in our lives in every moment. When we converse with others, we simply remember that God is “listening in,” and respond accordingly. For some, the idea that God is “listening in” all the time is scary, because they’re afraid that they may say or do something they wouldn’t want God to hear. The reality is God knows everything we say and do, whether we think we’re including Him or not. By including Him intentionally, we make certain that our minds are focused on Him, that our hearts are focused on Him, and our lives become more and more patterned after Jesus. When that becomes our reality, we can be sure that others will also be grateful, because such lives add value to everyone around them!
Questions and Comments for Reflection and Action:
How aware are you that God is with you 24/7 and that He sees and hears all you think, say and do? What is your response to this—fear or joy?
In what areas of your life is it difficult to always be joyful? Take some time right now and ask God to fill You with His Spirit and with His joy.
On this THANKSGIVING DAY, be certain to take some time to thank God for all His blessings!