1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Ps Paul Cheng
~7 min read
Dear Bethelites,
Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
Today, we live in a society where people are very concerned about the condition of their health. We can tell a person is healthy if he has passed a certain medical examination. But how do we ascertain the spiritual health of a Christian? How can we tell whether a person is spiritually healthy or not? Some people would gauge a person’s spiritual health based on his knowledge of the Bible, or the amount of time he has spent in serving God, or the number of fellowship meetings he has attended, or based on his relationship with the church leaders and other fellow believers. While all these things may be important, the best way to ascertain the spiritual health of a Christian is based on his relationship with God.
How does one gauge whether his relationship with God is right and healthy? There are certain essential attitudes that must be in his relationship with the one living and true God.
I. The attitude of constant joyfulness
Rejoice evermore. (1 Thessalonians 5:16)
It is in the imperative which means it is a command, and evermore means always.
Why would God command joyfulness? The opposite of joyfulness is to have a negative attitude in spirit. If one is going to live in a negative attitude, he is not only going to affect himself, but the people, especially the spiritual family, the church, and most vitally, his relationship with God.
True biblical joy is not based on the outward circumstances, or some emotional response to the positive situations of life, it comes from God. This joy comes when the believer is reminded of his eternal saving relationship with God who is in control of every situation. It is a supernatural joy that comes from the Holy Spirit (c.f. Galatians 5:22).
Some examples why the believer ought to be rejoicing;
- God is in sovereign control of all things (Romans 8:28, Psalm 28:7).
- Christ’s redemptive work on the cross of Calvary (Galatians 3:13-14, Colossians 1:13-14).
- The wonder working of the Holy Spirit (Zechariah 4:6).
- The abounding spiritual blessings (Ephesians 1:3).
- The promises of God.
- The answered prayers.
The reason why many are not constantly rejoicing is because they are more concerned about earthly things rather than heavenly things. What about in times of trials and tribulations? God will not command us to rejoice if it is not possible and without giving us the ability to do it. One classic example is Paul and Silas who prayed and sang praises unto God even while they were in prison (Acts 16:25). In fact, their rejoicing spirit, while singing praises, even affected the other prisoners who listened to them. Dear friend, the adverse circumstances of life cannot stop us from rejoicing evermore, instead it can even lead us to affect the people around us because our rejoicing is “contagious.”
II. The attitude of constant prayerfulness
Pray without ceasing. (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
The believer is commanded to pray without ceasing, whether privately or publicly. Most likely this is a reference to public prayer gathering because it is only through public prayer gathering that the believers can encourage and edify one another. The church is to be a family of praying people!
Prayer is God’s appointed means whereby the believer receives what he asks from Him. To pray without ceasing means always, at all times, at every opportunity or in every season. One must live every day of his life with this awareness that God answers prayer (c.f. Hebrews 11:6).
All situations of life should draw forth prayers from the believer. If one is happy, he should express his happiness to God. If one is afflicted, he should still commit his affliction to God. If one has experienced something good, he should immediately thank God for it. If one meets someone who does not know Christ, he should pray that God would use him to be a faithful witness to the unbeliever. One should pray during worship, fellowship, work, vacation, rest, and so forth. There should be no situation in life from which God does not hear from the believer!
Pray without ceasing also means to persevere in our prayers. And if God has commanded the believer to persevere in his prayers, that means He has a sovereign purpose for the persistent prayer.
George Muller was well known for his love for orphans, and it has been said that he had cared for more than 10,000 orphans in his lifetime. He was known to be a man of prayer. Once George Muller was praying for the salvation of his two friends, and for fifty years he prayed that they would be converted. One day, someone asked him why he was still praying after such a long time. George Muller replied, “Do you think God would have kept me praying all these years if He did not intend to save them?” Both men were converted, one shortly before George Muller died, and the other after his death.
Dear friend, perhaps you have always been praying for the salvation of your unbelieving loved ones, and they have been rejecting the gospel. You are discouraged and disheartened! Please do not give up, but press on and obey God’s command to pray without ceasing. God has His sovereign purpose for your persistence!
III. The attitude of constant thankfulness
In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
In every thing means in all circumstances, because nothing happens by chance or coincidence, but by the providence of God. Providence is the means by which God directs all things toward His sovereign purpose. Ephesians 1:11, According to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.
Notice how the Apostle Paul closed this section by saying, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. It is God’s will that all believers would live such a life, in constant joy, in constant prayers and in constant thankfulness.
Consider the two common wrong attitudes toward giving thanks;
- Some people think it is unnecessary to give thanks. They are not thankful simply because they perceive they deserve every good thing they have or even more. An excellent example is the parable of the rich fool who was presumptuous about his future prosperity.
- Some people’s attitude toward thanksgiving is that of ungratefulness. A wonderful example is the healing of the ten lepers of whom only one of them returned to give all glory and honour to God.
Life is filled with different challenges and issues, and some of the challenges can be most painful, yet the Bible says, In every thing give thanks. To be thankful in everything is to acknowledge God’s control of our lives in every single detail. When trials and difficulties come into our lives, and we murmur and complain, in reality we are questioning God’s wisdom and love as well as His sovereignty.
Giving thanks reveals one’s spiritual condition and maturity;
- One can be thankful whenever he is blessed. When things are going well; for example, one has gotten a job, or found a life-partner, or healed from a sickness. One is happy, and it is relatively easy to give thanks to God. It requires little spiritual maturity to give thanks at such times!
- One is thankful before a blessing comes. To give thanks for something one has not received but only anticipates to receive is surely more difficult. It takes certain spiritual maturity to believe that God will answer one’s prayer according to His sovereign time, will and purpose.
- One is thankful in the midst of trouble. When one is still undergoing tribulations; even when it seems as if the whole world is crashing down on him, and he still gives thanks to God. For example, when the believer loses his child, and he gives thanks to God and accepts His will to take the child to a better place (heaven).
If we can only thank God when things are going well, it shows very little of our faithfulness. If we can thank God in anticipation of what He will do in the future, we show more spiritual maturity. But to be able to thank God while we are in the midst of pain, trials or persecution, it shows a level of maturity that few Christians seem to know, but that is what our heavenly Father wants all His children to be.
Finally, in every thing give thanks does not mean we give thanks for sin; for example when we hear of someone’s adultery, or someone propagating a false doctrine, or a church is divided, those are terrible sins. We do not give thanks for anything that is contrary to God and His Word. For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus means it must be consistent with who Jesus is and what He has done, the righteousness of Christ is contrary to sin. We do not give thanks for sin, but we give thanks to God for being God even in the midst of trouble!
As we enter into the New Year, let us consider these three essential attitudes and pray, “Lord, I do not know what is ahead of me in the future, for there may be death, sickness, pain, the economic uncertainty, recession and trouble lurking just around the corner. But one thing I do know is that you alone are in control of all things, and you have a sovereign purpose for all things. I want to obey your commandment and cultivate these three essential attitudes for the New Year so that I will be constantly joyful, constantly prayerful and constantly thankful in all situations because this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning me!”
A blessed New Year to you!
With love in Christ,
Pastor Paul Cheng
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