Week 5: Gratitude

Sorry I didn't post last week.  I spent last week moving to Texas.  This week I would like to discuss gratitude.

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.  1 Thessalonians 5:16-18


I'm going to break this down into 3 sections.  The first being "BE JOYFUL ALWAYS."  I spend a lot of time focusing on what I don't have, what I want, and how much greater my life would be like if I had more.  It does not say be joyful when things are going well or when you have something that other people want.  There are many times in my life that I find myself complaining about how I am not making enough money, I don't have the nicest things, or how I wish I had a different life.  What I should do is to stop and assess all the amazing things the Lord has blessed me with so far.  I should thank God every day for the people he has put in my life, the jobs I have had, and the experiences He has given me.  So many people in this world have far less than I do and I get caught up in how the girl in the store has a nicer handbag than I do.

Part 2 of this passage reads "PRAY CONTINUALLY."  Being joyful means nothing if you do not have an active relationship with Christ.  In my short time as a Christian I have struggled with praying, but I can honestly say there is no better feeling than the one I get after I have connected with the Lord.  I don't have any scientific evidence to back this up, but to me it resembles the feeling of endorphins being released into my body like when you're in love or when you workout.  If that feeling can be accessed every day by simply going before God and keeping your relationship with him healthy and active, why wouldn't someone want to pray every second of every single day?  I believe that praying continually can mean different things for different people depending on the phase of their life that they are in.  For some people, praying continually could mean once a day while others could mean multiple times a day.

The final section of this passage reads "GIVE THANKS IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES, FOR THIS IS GOD'S WILL FOR YOU IN CHRIST JESUS."  First of all, who doesn't want God's will for themselves?  Christ's will is a constant.  It does not change and He is always right.  We need to thank the Lord for every aspect of our lives: the good, the bad, and the ugly.  It is easy to praise Him when things are going well, but it is a struggle to be grateful when things aren't going according to plan.  As humans we can never know ahead of time how various aspects of our lives will effect our future.  God has seen our entire lives before they happened and would never put a child of his into a situation that would not be for some purpose in their lives.  Those purposes could range from things as simple as finding a job, meeting new people, or being in the right place at the right time to deeper purposes such as bringing glory to God or sharing the word of the Lord with others.