God’s will for you
By Erik Farstad
March 30, 1998
"Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Wow, was Paul serious when he shared this with the church in Thessalonica? He sure was. Words like ‘always,’ ‘continually’ and ‘in all circumstances’ scare the average person. Simply put, obeying these three commands goes against our natural human inclinations. We are not perfect, so therefore cannot ‘always’ do anything. We mess up. Yet, with God WE CAN obey these commands. That is exactly why these commands exist. Let me explain.
Does your joy, prayers and thankfulness fluctuate with your circumstances and feelings? Well, it shouldn’t and that is one of the main reasons for this passage. Let me guess; when things are going great you’re happy and full of joy? But when circumstances are down, so are you? Am I right? Well God has given you a way out of this up and down way of life, and it begins with this passage. Let me break it down.
Be joyful always. Joy should not be thought of as a reactionary feeling or state of being but a way of life. Ok, that sounds flowery but it’s true. As a believer in Jesus Christ your joy comes from where you place it! Let me say that again. If you place your joy in Heaven, your home for eternity, so will your joy return from there. Yet if you place your joyful longing in people or things, you will very often be disappointed.
Pray continually. What God desires here is a prayerful attitude at all times, in all situations. Do you rush off and make decisions quickly, not acknowledging or depending on God for guidance? You must realize God’s presence in your life and determine that you want to obey Him. This begins with frequent prayers, spontaneous short prayers. God is here for you 24/7, tap into His knowledge. He loves to hear from you.
Give thanks in all circumstances. Careful here, this is not thanks for everything that happens to us, but in everything. Evil does not come from God, so don’t thank Him for that. Yet when evil does strike your life, you can be thankful for His presence in your life and for the ultimate good that will eventually come out of the distress.
These three commands work together. The state of your life, your joy or lack thereof, will prompt you to pray or not. The amount of your dependence on God, your prayer life, will prompt you to be thankful or not. Thus your thankfulness will determine your amount of joy, and then the process starts all over again.
When you practice all of these commands you will begin to notice changes in your life. You will see people and circumstances differently. When you do God’s will, you will find it easier to be joyful and thankful.
So there it is. The command, the challenge. But I can’t leave out the most important reason for all this, "for this is GOD’S WILL FOR YOU in Christ Jesus." If you don’t believe what I said about the commands, all you need to know is it’s God’s will! Need I say more?
In Him, "E"