Bible League: Living His Word 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 NKJV In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 there are three short commands given to us. Since our world is very confusing today and with our problems, we seem to have difficulty finding joy. It will do us good to pay attention to what Paul said to this group of believers located in Thessalonica. Beginning with verse sixteen Paul admonishes that we should "Rejoice always." This is the shortest command in God's Word. "Rejoicing always" requires us as believers in the Lord Jesus to take constant inventory of our lives. Too often we allow outside circumstances to affect our joy. Inner gladness of heart, for a believer in Jesus Christ, is not dependent upon our outside circumstances. Real joy comes from the Holy Spirit. Joy is the sweet sign of the presence of the Holy Spirit. If we are wanting to do God's will in 2024, we will need to follow these three short commands. These are simple profound exhortations in one place. As someone once said, these verses are standard orders of the Gospels. These standard orders include the four additional commands that follow in verses nineteen through twenty-two. The additional commands are these: "Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise prophecies; test all things; and abstain from every form of evil." The last four commands are easier to follow if we follow the first three. The second of the three short commands is "Pray without ceasing." Paul does not mean that we are to be in deep prayer 24 hours a day. All of us have responsibilities that we must complete every day. So, what does it mean to pray without ceasing? It means that prayer is a way of life. We go to God in prayer first and always. Someone who prays without ceasing has a posture for their life of trust in God. The height of trust is prayer. Our God is a prayer-hearing God. For a good 2024 for you, pray without ceasing. Next, the Word tells us "In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." A heart of gratitude can prevail even in all that occurs. All of us have difficult events or occurrences that happen in our lives. Even during these events, we can be thankful to our God. All our giving of thanks is anchored in the trust we have in Christ. The key question for us is, do we trust God? We must be "in Christ Jesus" for us to be obedient to the commands found here in this passage or any command in God's Word. All of us need to do an inventory of our lives and ask ourselves, "Do I completely and definitively trust God?" And, if we are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we can obey these commands. Remember, we do not obey these commands or any command of God's in our strength but through a totally surrendered life to the Lord Jesus. The power to obey the Lord comes from the truth in Galatians 2:20. This verse provides, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." By Jim Prock, Bible League International staff, Illinois U.S. Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingDeuteronomy 11, 12, 13 Deuteronomy 11 -- God's Great Blessings for Obedience and Love NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Deuteronomy 12 -- Laws of the Sanctuary NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Deuteronomy 13 -- No Mercy for Idolaters NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading Mark 13:1-13 Mark 13 -- Christ Foretells the Destruction of the Temple and His Return; Day and Hour Unknown NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion He has removed our sins as far from usas the east is from the west. Insight East and west can never meet. This is a symbolic portrait of God's forgiveness—when he forgives our sin, he separates it from us and doesn't even remember it. We need never wallow in the past, for God forgives and forgets. We tend to dredge up the ugly past, but God has wiped our record clean. Challenge If we are to follow God, we must model his forgiveness. When we forgive another, we must also forget the sin. Otherwise, we have not truly forgiven. Morning and Evening by Spurgeon Psalm 30:6 In my prosperity I said I shall never be moved."Moab settled on his lees, he hath not been emptied from vessel to vessel." Give a man wealth; let his ships bring home continually rich freights; let the winds and waves appear to be his servants to bear his vessels across the bosom of the mighty deep; let his lands yield abundantly: let the weather be propitious to his crops; let uninterrupted success attend him; let him stand among men as a successful merchant; let him enjoy continued health; allow him with braced nerve and brilliant eye to march through the world, and live happily; give him the buoyant spirit; let him have the song perpetually on his lips; let his eye be ever sparkling with joy--and the natural consequence of such an easy state to any man, let him be the best Christian who ever breathed, will be presumption; even David said, "I shall never be moved;" and we are not better than David, nor half so good. Brother, beware of the smooth places of the way; if you are treading them, or if the way be rough, thank God for it. If God should always rock us in the cradle of prosperity; if we were always dandled on the knees of fortune; if we had not some stain on the alabaster pillar; if there were not a few clouds in the sky; if we had not some bitter drops in the wine of this life, we should become intoxicated with pleasure, we should dream "we stand;" and stand we should, but it would be upon a pinnacle; like the man asleep upon the mast, each moment we should be in jeopardy. We bless God, then, for our afflictions; we thank him for our changes; we extol his name for losses of property; for we feel that had he not chastened us thus, we might have become too secure. Continued worldly prosperity is a fiery trial. "Afflictions, though they seem severe, In mercy oft are sent." Daily Light on the Daily Path Genesis 22:14 Abraham called the name of that place The LORD Will Provide, as it is said to this day, "In the mount of the LORD it will be provided."Genesis 22:8 Abraham said, "God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." So the two of them walked on together. Isaiah 59:1 Behold, the LORD'S hand is not so short That it cannot save; Nor is His ear so dull That it cannot hear. Romans 11:26 and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, "THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION, HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB." Psalm 146:5 How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, Whose hope is in the LORD his God, Psalm 33:18,19 Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, On those who hope for His lovingkindness, • To deliver their soul from death And to keep them alive in famine. Philippians 4:19 And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Hebrews 13:5,6 Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, "I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU," • so that we confidently say, "THE LORD IS MY HELPER, I WILL NOT BE AFRAID. WHAT WILL MAN DO TO ME?" Psalm 28:7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart exults, And with my song I shall thank Him. New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. |
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