Rejoice always and delight in your faith; be unceasing and persistent in prayer; in every situation [no matter what the circumstances] be thankful and continually give thanks to God; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Always, unceasingly, and in everything are the uncompromising modifiers that make these commands impossible to carry out, apart from living in the Spirit.
- Always, πάντοτε, means “at all times”, thus we are to rejoice or be glad at all times.
- Unceasingly, ἀδιαλείπτως, means “incessantly, without remission”. Again, a tall order to fulfill apart from God’s strength. We are to pray incessantly.
- In everything, ἐν πᾶς, means “all, the whole, every kind”. We are to give thanks to God, no matter what the circumstance of life we may find ourselves. Everything does not exclude anything.
My personal report card has a giant F on it, for living out these commands successfully. I get an F for “Always” rejoice, an F in “Unceasing” prayer, and an F in giving thanks in “Everything”. No matter what type of disposition one may have, a glass half full or empty, these commands apply to all. Personality type aside, we are to rejoice, pray, and give thanks, ALWAYS. We will fail, but GRACE, wins.
I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me. – Philippians 4:13
Finally, my brothers, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. – Ephesians 6:10
God does not tell us to do something without equipping us. Hebrews 13:20-21 states, “Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.”
“The overarching umbrella that covers every issue of life is Romans 8:28: “We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” The circumstance in itself may not be good, but God will take a bad thing and turn it to a good purpose. If we believe that God is at work, controlling all of the contingencies of life, blending each component together to lead to a sovereignly-designed goal, then we can be thankful. We can be thankful for the pain of surgery if we know that healing will come because of it. As long as we look at the end result, we can be thankful even for a process that is less than joyful” (John Macarthur).
Thanksgiving, for us as Believers, should be everyday. We have everything to be thankful for, in light of the cross of Christ and His priceless gift to us. So when the things of life become our focus and we find ourselves failing at “Always”, “Unceasingly”, and “In Everything”, recognize the failure, repent, and ask the Holy Spirit for a heart of gratitude.
Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.
Have a blessed week!