“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise the words of prophets, but test everything; hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil. May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this.” I Thessalonians 5:16-24
In this passage from I Thessalonians we find a list of ways to live for Christ. Rejoice, pray, give thanks no matter what, don’t quench the spirit, don’t ignore the words of the prophets, cling to what is good and resist evil. On the one hand, this list gives us real and tangible direction in how to live. On the other hand, this list sounds impossible: “Give thanks in ALL circumstances?” How is that even possible? Look at the last verse: “The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this.” Phew! Again we see the lived out promise of Immanuel- God is with us! We don’t have to do all this work on our own- God is faithful and he will do this. Rest assured God is with us.
Action: Rest in God’s faithfulness.
Prayer: Thank you God for your faithfulness. Thank you that you show us how to live and then you promise strength to live for you. We are not alone and we are grateful. Amen.