Shalom,
Please begin by reading 1 Thes 5:16-18.
The ten words you just read can change your life. All the benefits of health, education, and wealth can be enjoyed either by accepting them or they can be neutralized by ignoring them. The choice is ours to make. Our heavenly Father won't pour out these blessings on us randomly. The idea of a generic blessing on all mankind because "we're all God's children" just isn't reality. Yes, Yahweh loves us all the same, but there are things we have to do to reap true spiritual benefits. To reap these benefits requires a lifetime of attention, sacrifice, and cooperation.
We must pay attention to Yahweh's Word to realize the blessings it offers to us. And we can't just run around quoting things we want to see manifested in our lives, we must truly live as obedient servants of our Great Lord God Almighty. We must give sacrificially of our time, talent, and money to fully understand the benefit of sacrifice. We may not have to do blood sacrifices anymore, but sacrifice remains a very important part of following our Lord and Master. We must cooperate with Yahweh and one another to accomplish his will and purpose on this earth. We can't all run around doing our own thing, we must work in unity. Don't confuse this with uniformity, this is a holy unity that allows us to work together as we handle our individual tasks.
John Wesley spoke these words concerning one of the early Methodist classes. "After preaching in the evening, I met the select society, and found many of them who for several years have lost nothing of what they had received, but do still love God with all their heart; and in consequence, 'rejoice evermore, pray without ceasing, and in everything give thanks." Mr. Wesley understood these three things to be solid signs of walking out a vital and healthy faith.
"Be joyful always." It's not a very long sentence. It's not a very complicated instruction. It's only three words. So is this something that I'm supposed to be manifesting all the time? Think that one over a bit. You may wonder whether Paul understood about our modern-day pressures. Did he know what teenagers are like, or what husbands and wives can do to each other? Did he understand some of today's business and workplace pressures? Are we really supposed to be joyful or rejoice all the time?
The word we translate as joyful or rejoice means to be cheer-full, calmly happy, and well-off. We need to consider whether or not we're happy in our faith, glad-hearted in our daily lives. This doesn't mean we walk around with some kind of goofy idea about being happy all the time. Our Father's joy should flow freely from our hearts. The true child of the Father has no right to go around with a sour look on their face all the time. The true child of the Father has no right to be cantankerous and cranky. Being joyful on a regular basis means we know who our Savior is and are content even when the world around us is unstable and uncomfortable.
True believers in Jesus are commanded to rejoice all the time. Phil 4:4 tells us, "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" Joy is part of the Fruit of the Spirit. It's available to us every minute of every day through the presence of the Holy Spirit. If we can't rejoice and be joyful, then we need to get back into the Word and pray that our Lord will manifest more joy in our hearts. Don't be looking for a happy-go-lucky attitude, but the calm strength that comes from knowing Yahweh is sovereign and our lives are in his hands. True spiritual joy doesn't mean you go around laughing all the time, it just makes it easier to laugh instead of being depressed because of the sad state of our world.
When the scripture says "rejoice always" this literally means "at every when." I believe you could say that means all the time, whenever, or on every occasion. There's no time we shouldn't feel the joy of our Lord in our hearts and minds. Wherever and whenever the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are present we should feel this joy. And seeing that they're always there with us, joy is always available to us.
"Pray continually." None of us can actually do this, not in the literal sense anyway. I'm not praying right now as I write this, and you're not as you read this. All kinds of activities and distractions keep us from praying. Of course, this is much more about our attitude than the amount of time we spend in prayer. We need to ask ourselves, are we always ready to pray?
Probably the most accurate translation of this phrase would be "pray without leaving anything out." We're instructed to pray until we're completely done. It's hard for us to pray until we're done, because there's always someone or something else to pray about. So don't get dogmatic about how much is enough, just keep praying as things come to your mind. Do you pray daily? Have you set aside some specific time to commune with your Almighty God? What is your attitude about prayer? This isn't something optional for us, but something we're commanded to do. You're a soldier in the heavenly army and General Yahweh wants to communicate with you personally every day. Get it done or you're in direct disobedience and not fulfilling your Father's will and purpose.
If you promised Yahweh that you'd give him some of your time or money or anything else, and you're not doing it, he's going to get your attention and remind you. In case you didn't know, you submitted everything you are and have to him when you got saved. He'll speak to your heart and mind, trying to bring correction and wisdom, because he always wants what's best for each of us individually. But if you're not in regular communication with him you're likely to miss what he's trying to speak to you because of the world and its distractions. Our ongoing prayer assignment is very important, and it only works well when we're in direct contact with the Spirit who guides our prayers.
Praying continually is committing what you have to our Lord and trusting him to do what's best with it. We don't need to worry about how everything will turn out, or that our Father will not understand what we're talking about. Yahweh wants to see us rise to the highest level of our potential in him. This is why our Father motivates us to tell other people about Jesus and the wonderful salvation available to them. And a good prayer life is vital to our ongoing joy. Good praying will lead to rejoicing and relaxation. Yahweh's the one who says to keep praying so we can go through this world comforted and joyful. Doing this is central to receiving the benefits and blessings of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
"Give thanks in all circumstances." In all circumstances? You've got to be kidding. Yes, in all circumstances. Verse 18 finishes, "for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." The issue isn't our material needs. The issue is our spiritual needs. This doesn't have so much to do with other people or even the circumstances we find ourselves in. This is directly something between each of us individually and our God. This is a matter of trust. When things aren't going well in our lives, can we still trust that Yahweh is sovereign and that our souls in safe in his hands?
It's a matter of making connections. If we've made a solid connection with our heavenly Father, our Savior, and the Holy Spirit; we'll be rejoicing always, praying continually, and able to give thanks no matter how the world is treating us. If we've invited Jesus into our lives and are working to serve him, we'll be more thankful. If we've yielded ourselves to him as Lord and Master, then day by day we see things differently and aren't dragged down into depression by our sinful world.
This means that we trust Yahweh when our plans don't work. When things go wrong and we're filled with frustration, do we allow our Lord to bless us? Or do we vent our frustration and aggravation on the nearest person? Wouldn't it be better if we learned to give thanks to Yahweh for the opportunity we're now faced with instead of groveling in our bad mood? Wouldn't it be nice to bless those around us instead of wallowing in pity? I'm not into the Gospel of Nice, but I do believe people should know us as nicer than most people.
A major problem we have in America is that we don't know how to have plenty and be thankful. Whether in the most elegant surroundings or the poorest, Yahweh is the same and must be approached in the same way, with humility and honor. It involves our attitudes and what we believe about our God. The way of Yahweh is to yield to his constant source of love, joy, and peace. And strong followers of Jesus know true peace isn't related to business curves, economics, food, housing, or politics.
There's not enough money in the world to make some people happy. There are some things we can't command and control, no matter how educated or influential or wealthy we are. Not any one of us can make other people truly happy, joyful, or peaceful. That must come from inside each individual as they encounter their Creator. But giving thanks in all circumstances can go a long way toward helping others to find what they need from their heavenly Father, because we'll be giving them a very real example of how Yahweh makes our lives better.
Be joyful, pray, and give thanks sound like such ordinary things to encourage people to do, but when we add ALWAYS, CONTINUALLY, and IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES we're really being challenged. The Christian who walks in the Lord and keeps in constant communion with him will see many reasons for rejoicing and thanksgiving. And prayer is always good for us when it's not filled with selfish requests. Without a good prayer life, we can't know the joy of Yahweh and we won't have much to be thankful for.
Here are some more words of wisdom from John Wesley: "When thy whole soul is full of this light, thou wilt be able to 'rejoice evermore, to pray without ceasing, and in everything give thanks.' For who can be constantly sensible of the loving presence of God without 'rejoicing evermore?' Who can have the loving eye of his soul perpetually fixed upon God, but he will 'pray without ceasing?' Who can be sensible that this loving Father is well pleased with all he does, but he be constrained 'in everything to give thanks?'"
Don't let this world and its trouble cause you to miss out on the benefits of strong fellowship with your Lord God Almighty. Trust in the positive benefits found in: "Be joyful always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances." These ten words can have a wonderfully profound effect on your life if you trust that your loving heavenly Father told you this to bless your socks off.
Blessings & Peace, Mike
