You Have A Reason To Be Thankful

Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

The will of God is that we should always be thankful, find a reason to rejoice, and continue to pray… No matter what storms come your way or obstacles that you face, the challenge of every man and woman of God is to stay the course, holding to the precious promises of God and making the most of every situation! Paul told the church of Philippi, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” The secret of being content is that you hold to the fact that God has seen you through your ups and downs, you smile because, regardless of your abundance or your lack, you still have a roof over your head and clothes on your back… I remind myself daily that things could always be worse and that only rejuvenates my joy. A child of God is known by actions, not by what they say… Paul’s letter to the church of Thessalonica reminds us that we are to praise God and pray to God continuously… When your time is devoted to praising God and praying, you have no room to complain. When your time is devoted to giving thanks unto the Lord, you don’t have time to pout or throw temper tantrums… 

Paul says rejoice evermore! Oftentimes, we are looking for a red sea or Damascus road experience to rejoice, but we are told today that we should always rejoice… There will be storms in your life, there will be trials that you encounter, and we must learn to stop trying to face them on our own, but go to the Lord in prayer… So often people face challenges and try to defeat them by themselves, that’s what the church is for, that’s what the body of believers is for; God said when two or three are gathered in His name He will be in the midst… Pray to God, but also surround yourself with people of God to pray with you and for you… We as children of God can give thanks simple because God promised to never put more on us than we can bear, we can give thanks because we know that no weapon formed against us shall prosper, we can give thanks because we know that even when our closest friends turned there backs on us, Christ never has and in fact died on the cross so that we might have life and have it more abundantly… Paul says that all these things are the very will of God concerning us… People should see you rejoice (having joy independent of your situation or circumstance. They should see you praying, having a continuous dialogue with the Lord (speaking and listening); they should see you giving thanks because He has looked beyond faults, bestowed needs, and continues to show His love regardless of our love being returned....

BE BLESSED!!!