Welcome to Scripture Saturday!
Today we are memorizing 1 Thessalonians 5:16, 17, and 18…
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Here is this verse in the amplified version…
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.
What was Paul asking
of me personally to draw me closer to Him and strengthen my faith in
Him? I asked myself these questions and I pray that they will be of
help to you as well…
How can I always “rejoice and delight” in my faith?
~I will be thankful. I will focus daily on the blessings that God has given me through His Son Jesus.
~I
will yield and rely on Him in every situation I may come across. I will
give all control of my life over to Him…I will be worry free!
~I
will sing! Praising Him in song always brings me joy. I will praise
Him for His goodness, love, and grace. Even if I do make a “joyful
noise!” ;)
How can I “pray without ceasing”?
~I
will first to admit that I need to depend on the Lord for everything. I
read, “Prayer is the language of trusting the Lord.”
~When I
think of a loved one or friend I will pray for them immediately, even
if it’s “short and sweet.” When someone asks me to pray for them, I will
pray right there with the person. I won’t promise to pray later and
then forget to do so. I will pray immediately for them.
~I will read books on prayer.
~Most
importantly I will spend time in God’s word and prayer each morning. I
will continue using His words for my prayers. That’s why I love
memorizing His Word!
How can I “give thanks in all circumstances” to God?
~I
will read His Word and deepen my understanding of who God really is. I
have studied the names He is given in the Bible and recommend every one
to do the same!
~I will truly trust Him above all else.
Thankfulness will be my habit if trusting is my habit. If I am trusting
Him, then it follows that I will be thankful and if I’m thankful, I am
trusting Him.
Remember that this is not
something that we can just do, it is a life-long process, We must
practice daily. Remember practice doesn’t make perfect it just makes
permanent. Realize that “this is the will of God for you in Christ
Jesus.”
Dear Father, thank you for your
goodness, for your love, for your forgiveness, and for your Son! Help me
to live according to Your will. Give me your wisdom and guidance
during my prayer time and all day as I lift others in prayer. Remind me
to continually look to You and trust You for all things.
Have a blessed and precious day everyone!