A Thankful Heart
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
The Apostle Paul encouraged the believers to do at least three things in this passage. First, to always rejoice. Our rejoicing and joy should not be dependent on our situation or circumstances but in our relationship with the Lord. In Luke 10:20, Jesus told His disciples not to rejoice in successful ministry, but rejoice because their names were written in heaven. We can always rejoice in the Lord and even count it all joy when we are overwhelmed with trials and difficult problems (Philippians 4:4; James 1:2).
This continuous joy and rejoicing is produced by “praying without ceasing”. This means that we are keeping our attention and trust in the Lord in every aspect of our lives. One of the greatest blessings of my ministry is the experience of meeting people who have suffered unimaginable pain in their lives and yet they are smiling, and expressing how blessed they are to have a God who loves and cares for them and has always been there for them.
If we are truly seeking the Lord Himself and not just His blessings, the Holy Spirit will produce this attitude of rejoicing so that we will be able “in everything to give thanks”. Surely as we remember that His goodness and mercy follow us all the days of our lives, instead of moaning and groaning and complaining about how bad we have it, we will have grateful and thankful hearts. This will reflect the Lord’s wonderful presence in our lives to an unbelieving world around us!
My friend, this is the “will of God in Christ Jesus” for us every day!
God bless!