Day 19: 1 Thessalonians 5:18
Be thankful in all circumstances, for that is God’s will for you, who belong to Christ Jesus. (NLT)
Today we are looking at the third section of this scripture. This follows “Always be joyful. Never stop praying.” Joyful, prayerful, thankful. Joy, prayer, gratitude. Happiness, thoughtfulness, thankfulness. Different ways to sum up these three verses, but so poignant. What better ways to sum up God’s will for all of us who belong to Christ Jesus?
Joy is a mindset, guiding us to take the brighter path through the murky forests of our minds, rather than the roads we’re used to travelling; the negative ones that always seem to drag us down into darkness and despair. Prayer helps to calm ourselves, giving to God that which concerns us, but also those things we are happy about. It is our way of building our relationship with God, of talking to him. Harder, though not impossible, we are also learning to slow ourselves down and listen to him. Then comes thankfulness. “Be thankful in all circumstances.” That is not easy. I know it isn’t because I try. I am getting better at it, but sometimes we just have those days that try us.
By no means are we failures or incompetent or anything else if we aren’t able to “be thankful in all circumstances.” It means that we are human. It is something we should work towards, however, to try and improve our overall outlook. What's important about these three verses is what the end of 5:18 says: “...for that is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” These three things are if not a prescription, then definitely guidance on how we can break free from our natural human tendencies toward negativity.
… for the rest of the post, pick up 30 Days of Joy: A Devotional
