Does Always Include 2020? (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
GIST: Even in years like this; we can always rejoice, always pray, and always give thanks because of Jesus’ work in us.
For this week, we’re actually taking a different direction. Though this wasn’t my initial plan, we’re pausing our study through the book of Galatians to take a quick look at a passage that has stuck with me the past two weeks. Truthfully, this passage is a classic for Thanksgiving, and for good reason, so maybe I’m a week behind on this one. However, as I thought about it in the context of everything this year has meant all across the world, it struck a deeper chord. Let’s just open by reading these super familiar (and short ☺️) verses.
“16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
So what has been striking me most from this passage has been the adverbs. All of these verbs, these actions (rejoice, pray, give thanks), are paired with a time descriptor. When should we do these things? Always. If that’s the case, then we have to ask, “How far does this “always” go?” Does that include years like 2020? We know the answer but have we been living it? Here’s our gist: Even in years like this; we can always rejoice, always pray, and always give thanks because of Jesus’ work in us.
So, the first observation that’s been hitting me is that→
I. WE CAN ALWAYS REJOICE, PRAY, & GIVE THANKS
By implication, this also means we should be doing these things. The larger context of this passage paints an even broader picture of what our Christian lives and fellowship should look like. However, these three are more than enough to chew on for today ☺️. Before we even look at what we’re being directed to do, it is important to notice that they are attached to an idea of permanency.
Always, Without Ceasing, In All Circumstances. These are unconditional. Again, I’m not trying to be Captain Obvious here. I know you guys speak English and know what these words mean. Yet, these are all actions that tend to be extremely circumstantial in most of our lives. We tend to rejoice and give thanks when things go our way, and we tend to pray as a ritualistic part of our day...or when things aren’t going so well. But this passage, and others, tell us these are meant to define us… every day. It’s not wrong to be excited when good things happen, but we should have lives that→
Rejoice. We should have an unshakeable excitement, a lasting joy because we’re living with hope. Circumstances don’t change the truths that matter the most. If you’ve experienced His transformational grace, you once were lost, but now you’re found. You were blind, but now you can see. You were running headlong toward self-destruction. Hell was your eternity. Yet, now you’ve been adopted as a child of God. What in the world, literally, could overshadow eternal hope and everlasting joy? Our perspective. We live in the here and now, so it’s easy to get consumed by the parts of our surroundings that yell the loudest. Currently, the loudest voices rarely carry a positive message. However, we can and should rejoice because we’re looking forward to a beautiful eternity. Beyond that though, and please hear this, we can and should rejoice because eternity begins at the moment of conversion. I know I say this a lot, but God truly is doing something beautiful around us everyday, and we can be part of it if we’re ready to let Him use us. Or, we could just pout because 2020 has been stupid and frustrating.
But we need help with this perspective, which is why we’re called to constantly→
Pray. No, this doesn’t mean we’ll be bowing our heads every moment, but this is pointing to an attitude of continual prayerfulness. The idea here is one of constant intimacy through communication with God. We should maintain an open line. Prayer shouldn’t just be a church thing, or a meal thing, or a “I’m in a pickle” thing, or a life is really hard right now thing. Prayer should be… natural and automatic. This convicts me because lots of things are very automatic for me, and communication can be one of those things. We live in a world where it’s not really a stretch to be in nearly constant communication with people. We don’t have to be physically together for immediate communication like the days before phones, and we don’t even have to be tied down to any particular location like in the days before cell phones. In between every class, I automatically pull out my phone to see if Melissa has texted me. In fact, if she doesn’t hear from me for a few hours, she assumes something is wrong, and I’m the same way with her. Yet, when it comes to speaking to the God of the universe who loves me with an unconditional and undeserved love, I’m far less zealous. The veil has been torn. We’ve been granted direct access. And we really like talking about that, but struggle to make it part of our every day. Then we wonder why our perspectives are all messed up and why we find it hard to rejoice or→
Give Thanks. We just went through a Thanksgiving holiday that was probably pretty different for a lot of us. As the world continues to fight this pandemic, many family gatherings were limited. You might have found ```it a little more difficult to give thanks this year. Yet, thanksgiving is meant to be deliberate gratitude even in an upside down and upset world. In the same way, we have so much to rejoice about, we have so much to be thankful for...and we should take time to actually give thanks. Oh, we take a lot of time to complain and gripe. What if instead we spent time recounting all He has done and is doing? In fact, take that as a challenge this week. Every time you catch yourself griping, because you probably will, turn your conversation to something for which you’re grateful. It will feel unnatural, and that’s the problem ☺️, but I think it’d make a significant difference in our hearts.
Now, we’re called to this→
II. BECAUSE OF JESUS’ WORK IN US
This is Not A Set Of Boxes To Check. Heaven knows we have plenty of those. This is God’s Will. He wants this for us. He designed us to experience life like this In Jesus. Through His rescue, we are being continually changed. For our hearts, none of this is natural because they’re tainted by sin. Yet, what He calls us to He enables. So, Don’t Quench the Spirit. (Notice the trinity here!) Don’t let your lack of joy, prayerlessness, and ingratitude stymie His movement in your life! Does “always” include 2020? Yep. Let’s look at a few quick→
TAKEAWAYS
You can’t control what happens, but knowing who is in control should change how you react.
So rejoice because there is hope and forgiveness and new life!
Pray because you’re granted access to your Heavenly Father.
And give thanks for more than turkey; give thanks for His beautiful purpose.
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