“Let joy be your continual feast. Make your life a prayer. And in the midst of everything be always giving thanks, for this is God’s perfect plan for you in Christ Jesus.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (TPT)
There’s a lot packed into these three small verses. Joy. Prayer. Thanksgiving. Three key areas that we can be certain are God’s will for those who are followers of Jesus.
“Let joy be your continual feast.”
I believe that joy is an overflow of love. When we embrace the love of our Father, the love of Jesus and His Spirit, and we accept that our lives are defined by Who He is and what He says over us. When we receive His security as one of His Beloved and enter into daily intimacy with the One Who is the complete manifestation of love. It’s then that we experience the overflow of His love, and joy wells up in us. Joy is possible regardless of our circumstance when we’re satisfied in Who holds us and Who we belong to.
“Make your life a prayer.”
Our lives are the most abundant when we’re the most dependant on Him. Not necessarily with tangible things or in how this world defines “abundance.” But rather a life that desires to run to Him with every hope and dream, with every fear and challenge, knowing that He is the One Who brings to fruition all our desires, and the One who takes authority over every lie that tries to chain us down. It’s a call, not to a ceaseless, mindless life of prayer, but rather a regular habit that our heart longs for… not just a morning and evening ritual, but a longing to run to Him that goes beyond any tradition, acknowledging that He is with us always and there in every moment.
“Always giving thanks.”
Gratitude of all that He is, and all that He’s done for us, is a heart posture that cries out in deep affection. A heart that could never repay but expresses the little and the big. Never out of obligation but out of honour, respect and appreciation. He is the Giver of all good gifts and we articulate each one by name, as they come to our mind.
While being joyful, never stopping praying, and always giving thanks often goes against natural inclinations of our flesh, I see that all three commands are possible with keeping Jesus at the center of us. Acknowledging our dependency on the very One Who gives us perspective that is in direct contrast to the world. He alone can work His perfect plan through us when we continually surrender to Him each day.
Personal reflection:
Is my life marked by joy?
Does my life reflect my dependency on talking to Jesus regularly?
Does thanksgiving overflow from my lips regardless of my circumstances?
Personal challenge:
Write out 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 and place it somewhere that you’ll see regularly this week, as we set out to be women who strive to live lives full of joy, prayer and thanksgiving.
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