1 Thessalonians 5:16-18—Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Read todays devotion, Clear Commands for Christians, from Beside Quiet Waters, a devotion book that reminds today’s Christians that when life’s storms threaten to overcome us, the Lord promises to lead us to find peace. During the Vietnam War, our congregation lost two young men. After the funeral services, as I stood by the hearse, the military honor guard marched down the church steps. The leader’s commands were sharp and clear. The soldiers followed with well-trained precision. That was for a funeral. How about life? “Be joyful always,” Paul commands. These aren’t the shallow words of some simple optimist who doesn’t know that life involves a great deal of pain. They are rather the words of one who had found “inexpressible and glorious joy” in Christ (1 Peter 1:8). In Christ I have joy that no sorrow can shut off. Shallow happiness is based on what happens today. Joy comes from knowing what awaits me in heaven because of Jesus. Paul’s next commands follow quite naturally. As a joyful believer, I “pray continually.” Constantly, I lift my wants and wishes to my loving Father in heaven. Confidently, I walk tuned in to him who’s ready to listen at any time, in any place, to any thing. “Give thanks in all circumstances,” Paul also said. Sure of God’s saving love for me in Christ, I can also expect that he will make both the “chocolate cake” and the “sour pickles” in life serve for my good. Unlike that military honor guard, my response to my Lord’s commands isn’t always precisionlike. More often I sorrow instead of rejoicing, forget to look up to God in prayer, and grouse instead of giving thanks. Then it’s time again to look at what God has done for me in the Savior and, filled with his love, to march on. Prayer: God, help me to do so. Amen. From Beside Quiet Waters: Daily Devotions for a Year, by Richard E. Lauersdorf © 2005 Northwestern Publishing House. All rights reserved.
Posted on: Sun, 03 Aug 2014 01:00:01 +0000
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