Thursday Devo
Scripture:
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
16 Always be joyful. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
16 Always be joyful. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
Commentary:
5:16 Rejoice always. Joy in Paul’s letters is a basic mark of the Christian (Rom. 14:17) and a fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22). It is often associated with the firm hope of the Christian (e.g., Rom. 5:2–5; 12:12).
5:17 Pray without ceasing suggests a mental attitude of prayerfulness, continual personal fellowship with God, and consciousness of being in his presence throughout each day.
5:18 give thanks. Christians are to be marked by thanksgiving (Eph. 5:4, 20; Col. 2:7; 3:15, 17; 4:2). This probably refers to all of 1 Thess. 5:16–18.
5:17 Pray without ceasing suggests a mental attitude of prayerfulness, continual personal fellowship with God, and consciousness of being in his presence throughout each day.
5:18 give thanks. Christians are to be marked by thanksgiving (Eph. 5:4, 20; Col. 2:7; 3:15, 17; 4:2). This probably refers to all of 1 Thess. 5:16–18.
Questions:
- After Jesus healed the 10 lepers in Luke 17, one returned to Him, fell at His feet in worship, and he THANKED God. We are often called in scripture to give God thanks. The Word of God provides a full list of reasons to be grateful. God is thanked for His deliverance, for loving us and being faithful, for hearing our cry, for safe arrival after a long journey, for other believers and for the testimony of their faith, for the gift of salvation that enables one not to sin, for delivering us from our tendency to sin, for the spiritual gift of being able to address God, for resurrection hope, for testimony, deliverance and victory in the midst of persecution, for other believers, for those who respond to God’s Word, for being able to serve others for God and for His attributes. Those are just some of the reasons we have for thanksgiving. Notice that this list has absolutely nothing to do with things, or possessions. Should we be thankful for that stuff? At the very least! But the cry of our hearts, the overwhelming gratitude we should be feeling, driving us to our knees in worship should be the simple truth of the Gospel and that He has brought us out of darkness into His glorious light. Would God say you are a grateful person? How often do you vocalize thankfulness to Him?
- Just look at the language used in 1 Thessalonians 5. ALWAYS rejoice. NEVER stop praying. Be thankful in ALL circumstances. That's pretty definitive! Notice it doesn't say to do these things when our lives are going well. It also seems that we have a choice in these matters. Like, even when our lives are imploding, we can CHOOSE to rejoice, pray and be thankful. These are the choices of a mature Christian. If YOU made these choices when times were tough, what difference might it make in your life? What can you do to start today?
Pray:
- That you would make a habit of being grateful and thanking God.
- That you would choose to be thankful and rejoice in all circumstances.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
7. How can I trust that the Bible is still God’s Word today? I trust the Bible is still God’s Word today because Jesus rose from the dead proving He was God and said His words would never pass away. Through the Holy Spirit, God inspired the writing of the Scripture, determined the canon of Scripture and protected the copying of Scripture so that we might know Him and worship Him to this day.
(Matthew 24:35; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Revelation 22:18-19)
(Matthew 24:35; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Revelation 22:18-19)
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