1 Thessalonians 5:18

“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

We’ve visited 1 Thessalonians before; in fact, it was 5:16, where Paul instructs  us to “Rejoice evermore“. (Bible source)

In verse 18, he continues to encourage us to cling to what is good, what is Godly, and what is true while also discarding what is not.

It’s interesting how much the Bible presses the subject of “clinging” and staying true to what God desires of us as Christians, despite what circumstances we might be going through. Life itself is one big struggle after another and rarely ever gets easier, and so it is imperative that we as believers (and non-believers) take this bit if wisdom to heart.

Lately, this is been slipping from my focus. As life has been getting more stressful and more “real” than ever before, I’ve noticed I’ve begun to wonder away in most all aspects. And before I launch into the (short) meat of this post, I’d like to make clear one thing: I am not a seasoned Christian.

While I spent most of my childhood in church there were several gap years after my parents moved states and became involved with starting their own business. As a teenager, I got back into it and have since had that “up-and-down but ever increasing” type of relationship with Christ. It’s like trying to lose weight except in reverse: it’s never linear.

College helped it grow more than ever.

But as I prepare to restart school at a higher level, attempt to scramble together as much money as I can, and have recently become engaged to my boyfriend (fiance now), things and changes have begun to pile up faster than I can seem to handle them. Financial aid, living arrangements, jobs, maintaining a relationship, staying physically in-shape, eating right, having downtime…it all adds up. And one thing that I haven’t added to that ever-growing list is God.

Until now.

What does your list look like, and how can you reorder it so that the priorities are at the top?

Acts 16:25

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.

It’s been interesting to notice that this month’s verses have focused a lot on how integrity is one of the most effective ways of demonstrating one’s faith and relationship with God. The book of Acts (this time a New Testament book which was written by Luke the Evangelist [a piece of information that’s occasionally debated] and–together with the book of Luke–makes up a two-part piece of work) was meant “to provide an accurate, detailed historical account of the birth of the church, the growth of the church, and the acts of the church” and Luke wrote it “probably so we’d have a historical record of how the church started and how it grew and what the church did through men and women of God by the Spirit of God” (Source).

And it’s interesting that a book meant to document the history of the Church’s beginning, a telling of its beginning, also mentions integrity. “Walking the walk” or “putting on the God jersey” as my pastor refers to it is a vital part of Christianity. People can say they believe in God and that they go to church, but it doesn’t mean much if they don’t back up their claims with action. And that’s what Paul and Silas did when they were imprisoned (Acts 16); despite having been beaten and then chained up, they continued to praise God despite their circumstances. And their fellow prisoners took notice. One source describes the effect:

We need to be reminded that over the years of Christian witness, some of the most effective times of evangelism happened because Christians remained faithful and joyous people despite persecution and harassment. Nothing should limit our prayer and praise. God will use them to reach the hearts of those in the most difficult of places!

Don’t be afraid to represent, demonstrate, or prove your faith and love for God. God is Almighty, and for that we need to praise Him, even through the storms.

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Personal Update

I’m sorry for the lack of updates recently; I managed to get myself a job (yay!) last week. While it doesn’t pay much (at all), and it’s part-time, I’m going to work on getting another job to supplement it. I’m still really uncertain and anxious about school starting in the fall and how things will work out with it, but I know it will. God has gotten me to this point, so He will get me through it.

Luckily, the best thing about this next (literally, 365 days) year is that after that I won’t be alone. The Boyfriend became the Fiance almost three weeks ago, and in a year we’ll be married, living together, and able to better support each other as a team as opposed to having to do everything on our own as two individuals. Life will become a little more challenging, of course, but a whole lot easier.

 

1 Thessalonians 5:16

“Rejoice evermore.”

Penned by Paul the Apostle as a letter of encouragement to the people–new believers–of Thessalonica, the book the above verse is found in was perhaps meant for more than emboldening. First Thessalonians is, as a whole, accomplishes a few things: first, it explains what will happen to Believers during the rapture; second, it attempts to help new believers to continue to grow in their newfound faith. Paul was aware of the people’s exposure to previous erroneous teachings that clashed with those of Jesus and the foundation of Christianity. Peter wanted to instead help the Thessalonians avoid the pitfalls of wandering away from their new relationship with God. And how did he choose to do this?

By motivating them with the knowledge of the return of Jesus; he offered them a source of hope, a sense of peace, and a reminder that–while our Earthly struggles may seem relentless–one day any fears and doubt we may have at this time will be put to rest.

Insight.org provides the following explanation that I couldn’t have worded better: “By clinging to our hope in Christ, we may see several clear results in our lives: avoiding sexual immorality, refusing to defraud others, appreciating those Christians who serve on your behalf, refusing to repay evil for evil, rejoicing always, praying without ceasing, and giving thanks in all things—to name a few (1 Thessalonians 4:3–7; 5:12–23).”

In this sense, we are to rejoice evermore because we know that no matter what challenges or troubles we face in life, God will always be there to pull us back onto our feet.

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