Thursday Morning Thankfulness – Epistles of Paul

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

This Is The Will Of God For You

There are many things our Father wants for us. He wants us to find the peace that passes all understanding. Jesus is the gift of the Father showing the measure of His love for us. Through holiness we learn the amazing grace of our Creator’s salvation. Paul offers a glimpse of the will of God for us in a simple three step pattern of character.

REJOICE ALWAYS

“Life can be tedious (pronounced ‘tee-gish’ according to Charles).” There are many things that we can complain about or worry about. The joy of being God’s child is that when all is said and done we have much to rejoice about. ‘Rejoice always’ is a spirit not unaware of the challenges of life but the ability to face the challenges of life with a positive spirit. We will overcome so we rejoice. Nothing will defeat us so we rejoice. The calamities of today will soon pass and we will rejoice. God is in control so we rejoice. We may have to work hard to develop a rejoicing spirit on days like Monday or Thursday but with God’s help we can do it. Rejoice today! This is God’s will for you!

PRAY WITHOUT CEASING

One of the real reasons we rejoice always is because we are praying always. The more we talk to God the more our hearts are trusting in His plan. When we trust in His plan we allow Him to worry about all those things that hindered our rejoicing. As we turn our lives over to God we rejoice because we are in constant discussion with the Almighty – our Father. To pray without ceasing is to use every day to develop a prayer life with God. Today is Thursday. Make plans during the day to pray to the Lord. Learn to pray today so that you can learn to pray tomorrow; and then every day. When you bow your knee in prayer the heart will bow in rejoicing. This is God’s will for you!

IN EVERYTHING GIVE THANKS

So here is how the day will go. You develop a spirit of rejoicing because there is so much to rejoice about as a Christian. Secondly, you have decided today to spend time in prayer as you go through your busy day. Now you have a heart that is filled with thanksgiving. All day today you will find a myriad of opportunities to tell God “thank you.” The point Paul makes here is not just to give thanks but to give thanks in everything. Yep – everything includes everything. Don’t leave anything out. Add it all in. Rejoice today with the measure God has blessed you with. Devote time today to a time of prayer and your heart will be filled with His grace. At the end of the day today look back and see how often you were thankful for God’s blessings upon you. This is God’s will for you!

Be not forgetful of prayer. Every time you pray, if your prayer is sincere, there will be new feeling and new meaning in it, which will give you fresh courage, and you will understand that prayer is an education. (Feodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov, 1880)