“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
1 THESSALONIANS 5:16-18, NIV
If you are like me, then you’ve read or heard these verses many times. It was not until this past Sunday, however, that it hit me as to what this verse was NOT saying regarding how our daily lives should look like.
Give thanks. God is expecting His children to have and express a heart of contagious gratitude, regardless of circumstance. Experiences good or bad, big or small, important or nearly negligible- through them all we are called to be appreciatively aware of all of the good things God has done, is doing, and will do, for us and for others. This is a life seeing a “glass half full” because in Christ, there is no lack of any good thing.
After all, who wants to put up with an incessantly grumbling, griping, complaining, sour, pouting, pessimistic person? You and I sure don’t. God doesn’t either; He gets tired of it all! Those type of people bring everyone down. But a grateful life lifts people up, spreading sunshine and warming those around them.
Pray without ceasing. Do you enjoy the silent treatment? Well, neither does God. He wants to have a relationship with you more than you and I can imagine. As such, He delights when you commune with Him by listening to His Word and promptings through the Holy Spirit and communicating back to Him through prayer, song, and other meditation and worship.
He also wishes it to be a regular thing, not just a few times a week when you recalled some good thing and actually said “thank you” to Him. Or being a bank teller whom you never see except when you want something. You and I don’t like those kinds of people; why would God be more appreciative? Instead, He desires and delights when our souls seek Him day and night, when we hunger and thirst after Him “like a deer that panteth for water.”
Being in communion with Him is the core. It is a fount that enables gratitude and joy to bubble over. I think it no accident that Paul placed prayer at the center of his encouragement to the Thessalonians.
Express joy. On the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus made it clear that our light is to shine to others. No one turns on a lamp in their house and immediately covers it up- that’d be pointless! Likewise with joy. It is not something that we get the pleasure of experiencing ourselves, it is also something that naturally shares itself.