Scripture to Read: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17
Some of God’s Word is hard to understand. God led Peter to tell us this in 2 Peter 3:16 “as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.” God led Peter to write about Paul’s letters, and God used Peter to tell us that there are some things that God led Paul to write, which are hard to comprehend. But today in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17, we see that God’s Word is crystal clear. First, God tells us to “rejoice always.” To rejoice all the time does not mean that our circumstances are always good. But, even when the circumstances in our life try to drag us down, we are to rejoice in our Lord (Philippians 4:4; Philippians 3:1; Philippians 2:17-18). After reading God’s Word in Philippians, we clearly see that we are to rejoice in our Lord because He has given us so much through His forgiveness, grace, mercy, love, kindness, etc…. Second, we are to “pray without ceasing.” What God wants us to do is to continually practice His presence in our lives (Romans 8:26-27; Ephesians 6:18; Philippians 4:6; Colossians 1:3; Colossians 4:2; Hebrews 7:25). Our daily fellowship with our Lord nourishes us, encourages us, and reminds us of our complete dependence on Him. Like breathing is to our lungs, so prayer is to our souls.
Challenge & Application
1. What did God teach you today about rejoicing and prayer?
2. Make a list of all the things you have, through Christ in you, so you can rejoice continually in Him and practice His presence through prayer.
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!