Rejoice always; Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances. 1 Thessalonians 5-16, 17, 18 (TNIV)
Rejoice always, is an Instruction from Apostle Paul. He repeats the same more emphatically in Philippians 4-4, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again rejoice in the Lord”. Life on earth comprises of circumstances, attitudes and different experiences, which bring in emotional impact on us like sorrow, tears, and heart aches according to the intensity. Paul desires that every one of us should learn to live a life without getting overcome by these physical factors. He wants our inner man to be strong in the Lord so that you will be an over comer. In 2 Corinthians 6-10, Paul says “sorrowful yet always rejoicing” as his own experience. Nehemiah explains another kind of rejoicing in Neh: 8-10d, “for the joy of the Lord is your strength”. Dear friends are you rejoicing in the Lord every day, or murmuring of your day to day life. Through this experience of Paul and Nehemiah,
I want to take you to the next level of spiritual standard through rejoicing in the Lord always. Frequently our success brings delight and Joy to our hearts. Read Luke 10-20, the disciples were excited that the spirits submitted to them. But Jesus gave them the right perspective of rejoicing by saying Rejoice for your names are written in Heaven that is in the book of life (Rev 20-12). Let us strive for a higher level of Holiness. Pray continually: This does not mean spending all your time on knees. Paul speaks about a prayerful attitude or mind. Prayerful attitude will help you to realise your dependence on Him, experiencing His presence, and obedience to the word of God. Your prayer can be short, spontaneous as the need of your situation. In Nehemiah 2-4, we read “the king said to me what is it you want? Then I prayed to the God of heaven and I answered the king” clearly shows it is a short prayer. If you read Isaiah 38-2, the prophet of the Lord told to Hezekiah to put his house in order. What did Hezekiah do? He offered a spontaneous prayer, “Remember me, o Lord how I have walked before you faithfully and with whole hearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes. And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
The spontaneous prayer brought instant answer from God. This prayerful attitude is not a substitute for the regular time of prayer. (Daniel-6-13).Friend do you have a prayerful attitude through the day. Then you will rejoice in your prayer life. Give thanks in all situations: Life is made up of favourable and adverse situations. Paul teaches us to learn to thank God in all circumstances. In a favourable situation and in adverse situation it is “His grace upholds you”.
May God bless you with Joy and happiness in September.
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