4-29-19 Today in the Word

GIVE THANKS ALWAYS
Monday, April 29, 2019 | 1 Thessalonians 5:1–28

As we marvel at the incredible gifts God has given to us, what should be our response? Paul has three excellent suggestions: rejoice, pray, and give.
The day of the Lord is drawing near! In this life, we cannot expect that life will always be tilted in our favor. God’s people will face difficulty, trials, and persecution. Suffering is a reality. But because of who we are in God and what we have been so freely given, we do not have the same perspective as the rest of the world. “He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him” (v. 10). Our lives are transformed, not just for eternity but now.
Verse 16 offers three ways to live each day mindful of our new life in Christ. First, we are to rejoice always. We are to be people who find joy despite and through all of life’s circumstances. This joy is not merely being happy or living life blindly, but finding contentment and hope in God Himself.
Second, we are to pray continually. We are to remain connected to God through prayer. How can you possibly pray like that? We give each and every situation over to God. Praying continually is an ongoing conversation with God. We give each worry and concern to Him.
Finally, we are to be people marked by thankfulness. We are to count on our blessings, recognize the gifts we have been given, and be ready to praise. Paul suggests that as we live in the will of God, we are thankful for His care and guidance of each moment of our life. Whether or not the circumstance seems to our liking, we are thankful that He is in control and that He will see us through.
APPLY THE WORD
Let’s follow Paul’s urging to rejoice always, pray continually, and give thanks. Write those three words where they will be noticeable: Rejoice. Pray. Thank. No matter the circumstances, remember who you are in Christ. Through Him, we are made new. He meets our daily needs. He gives us His wisdom. We have so much to thank Him for!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

9-17-23 Not in a Billion Years

Not In A Million Billion Years :: By Dave Hubley Published on: December 24, 2022 by RR10 Category:General Articles (There is a special message at the end of this article for those who might happen to read this and do not have Jesus in their life and are looking for peace and a way to better understand the present-day insanity and confusion.) Several years ago, I had a conversation with a guy in a waiting room while getting an oil change (in the car, not me). I don’t recall exactly how the conversation originated or how it progressed, but I have never forgotten it. As I recall, it had something to do with evolution and an article that was contained in a “waiting room magazine” that was available there. He made the observation that God was “something that man had made up.” I can’t recall the exact reason he used to justify his opinion, but it had something to do with the usual reasons people give: Weak-willed people needing a crutch, and blah, blah, blah. I engaged him in a “witness,
Read more

9-16-23 Santa Staleness

Santa Staleness :: By Edwin Tan Published on: December 24, 2022 by RR10 Category:General Articles My one and only trip to Israel had more than a profound effect on my present-day psyche. It might have been three decades ago, but there is more than a lingering aftertaste. It happened smack in the last fortnight of the year. Surprisingly absent were the familiar sights and sounds of the Christmas most people are accustomed to. Hardly any Christmas decorations in downtown Tel Aviv, if not any of the shopping thoroughfares across the Holy Land. Hanukah was a breath of fresh air – not anything resembling a Christmas carol most people grew up with did surface. The Christmas Eve service in a small Protestant church not far away from Jerusalem’s Old City was awesome; songs that truly celebrated the virgin birth of our Lord, which though seemingly unheard of, were a welcome inspiration to many a soul. There was even one sung in Arabic! So it began, my overt disdain for the secular Christmas t
Read more

9-15-23 Miracles 2

Miracles 2 :: By Jim Towers Published on: December 21, 2022 by RR10 Category:General Articles This story is a continuation of the exciting things God continues doing in my life. I was supposed to have died a while back, and sometimes I feel as though I may do so soon. But since I’m ready to meet my maker, I have no fear of death. In fact, my evangelistic zeal has only increased, especially as I see the fast approaching of the “Tribulation period” mentioned in the book of Revelation. Insofar as my acting career is concerned, I just finished filming a soliloquy featuring Melchior, one of the three Magi who followed the star to Christ lying in the manger, and am preparing to portray a Jewish Priest on stage. Like I said, God is working overtime in my life, and I will be appearing on stage singing Broadway show tunes sometime in March, so I have a lot of rehearsing to do. In the meantime, I will be signing Christmas carols acapella at a park here in Naples. Since it is a spontaneous th
Read more