1Thessalonians
5: 16-1816Rejoice always,17pray without ceasing,
18give thanks in
all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Give thanks, and rejoice? Pray without
ceasing? I know I can hear some of you now….really Brian? Do you know the year
I have had? Do you know the struggles, the disappointments, the tragedy, and
the fix I am in right now? You are saying that I should still give thanks? I
should still rejoice? I am telling you unequivocally, yes give thanks. At the moment
when you think you have nothing to give thanks, is the moment you should
realize there is someone (most likely in the same town, if not neighborhood)
who would love to trade places with you. In all things, at all times, give
thanks and rejoice. Think of the years that Joseph spent in jail (for a crime
he did not really commit no less), think of Noah and the doves that came back with
nothing to show. What about Paul in Prison? Time and time again throughout the
Bible we see people in dire positions. Things are not looking good, as a matter
of fact most of the time they are looking pretty grim. Yet we do not see
despair, we do not see isolation, we do not see then throwing in the towel, or starting up a
pity party. No, we read of them praying, singing songs of praise and worship,
we see them giving thanks for their lives, even though it is not the way they
want it to be right then…….and there it is, the bottom line, and the brass
tack. All of them had a couple of things in common, they were not where they
wanted to be, but they had faith that it was not where they would end up. Romans
8:28 tells us that God works for the good in the lives of those who love Him. Do
you know what that means? If it is not good, then God is not done. That my
friends is a cause for eternal optimism. What can’t we endure for a short while?
Time is something we created. There is not an
eighth day where it is written that God created the 24 hour day. I am convinced
that it is one of the biggest hindrances to our relationship with Christ. You see
our time is nothing to Him. As a result it seems like we are always “waiting an
eternity” when it is really just a blink of an eye. The storm you weather now is worthy of thanks.
For it is that storm that will draw you closer to the Lord. Now I am not by any
means saying that God makes bad things happen to us so we will love Him more.
That would make the Lord a pretty petty God. However bad things happen in life,
by our choosing, by our actions, the actions of others, sometimes we really can’t
see why. If you survive it in one piece will largely depend on if you believe
this is the end or not. I remember when I was a kid, and a F was the “end of
the world” then later when a girl dumped me, that was “the end of the world”
later in life the loss of a job, or a missed promotion was “the end” Until one
day it finally clicked, this can’t be the end, because this is not good. That
tells me two things, it is going to get better, and no matter how much this
hurts, it will not last a lifetime. That my friends is worthy of thanks. And you
can bet I was praying through the whole time, then praying some more after just,
to say thanks again.
Oh yeah, I
know it is easy to say, but hard to do, it is hard to find the voice to give
thanks when the boot of life seems to be crushing your windpipe ….but let me
ask you this, what have you ever received in life for free that was worth
having? Your home? Your spouse? Your job? Life takes a lot of
hard work, so why would we think that our spiritual life would be a walk in the
park? The closer you get to the Lord, the harder the devil will work to pull
you away. I offer up this challenge,
your next hardship, perhaps that is right now, give thanks, give thanks that it
is not worse, give thanks that it is short lived, you pick what to be thankful
for, but give thanks, then pray, offer up your troubles, give Christ the chance
to show up, let Him know that you depend on Him, and then here is the hard part……
rejoice. If for no other reason than you know that the end of this storm must
be coming. Make it a point to rejoice. Yes I do know how hard that can be. I
have been there and done it……and I want you to know, it will work. God is not a
liar, Christ will not leave you, the Holy Spirit will not subside. If it is not
good, He is not done, and that is a huge reason to rejoice, pray, and give
thanks.
Brian Thetford
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About Brian Thetford
I am merely what God has created, a person who is here to help with his plan, a cog in the wheel of life. That is where I find my worth, not in what I do for a living, or what I have accomplished in life, but what I have done that extends the Lord’s plan and expands his will, that being said, this is a little about me.I am a husband to a wonderful wife for the last 17 years. I have two outstanding daughters who help keep my heart soft, and young. For a living I am the Logistics Director for a foodservice company. For my love, I write about and minister on behalf of the Lord. It is here that I find my peace, purpose, and balance. I spend a lot of my free time, writing, reading, studying, or talking about the Lord and his teachings. I am working on starting a church in Leander, TX and if the Lord is willing it will be the beginning of a great journey. The rest of the free time goes to my family. As a result, I do not know what the score was for the latest game, no matter the sport, and I really do not care what Brittany Spears did yesterday. Some call me boring. I like to think of it as focused on what is important, my God, and my family.I believe that the Lord has intertwined all of the above into the perfect life for me, a balance of reality, fun, sorrow, and spiritual awakening. I find that for me, the journey is not about going up the road and trying to find the end; it is more about heading back down and helping others get past the same obstacles that I had to get around. I spent the first thirty years of my life on the run, usually in the wrong direction; I will spend the balance on my journey home, picking up as many as I can that are as lost as I was, doubling back when I hear a cry for help.
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