16 Always be joyful. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
After listening to today's devotion & reading this scripture in 1 Thess., I was reminded of the things I have been working on. For example;
- When I found out I was pregnant I cried & kept thanking God for this answer to prayer. Since being pregnant, I have had 24/7 morning sickness. During this time Philippians 4:8 has become my power verse. It talks about thinking on things that are lovely, pure, of good report, etc. So whenever I felt sickness coming on I would say, "What things are lovely?" And my husband and I would start naming things that were lovely. It really helped to get my mind off of the sickness and dwell on more pleasant things. I did this often when the dry-heaves started to help calm myself down.
- Another example are the blog posts that I have been posting this month. In honor of Thanksgiving, it has been my goal to post something, every day, that I am thankful for. Whether it is a good day, or a bad day.
- And lastly, I was reminded of prayer. A few years ago, God convicted my heart to stop what I was doing, whenever a prayer request was made, & say a prayer for those in need. In years past I would tell people that I was praying for them, and then realize later, that I had not prayed for them. In recent years I have made it a habit to stop what I am doing & and say a prayer for those in need. When God convicts our hearts, we need to stop, listen, & obey. I'd hate to get to Heaven & have God tell me "remember all those ppl you said you'd pray for, but never did?"
I don't claim to be perfect in any of my shared examples, but I do my best to make them a habit every day. Lord knows if I miss a prayer request or let circumstances rule me, He'll convict me. Reprimand me. Spank me. Correct me. And give me the push I need to carry on. :) I just really like to do my best to avoid that. Don't you?
Let's work on these things together:
- Always be joyful.
- Never stop praying.
- Be thankful in all of life's circumstances.
It will be hard. We are human after all. And life will throw us some hard, hurtful knocks. But let's find at least one thing out of those hard times to be thankful for. It will help us carry through & have a little joy to focus on. Blessings!
Working on seeing the joyful, too, in spite of any circumstances I find myself in. Still studyin I and II Peter. This morning rereading I Peter 1:2 in the amplified. "May grace and peace be given to you in abundance" It states in parentheses (that be that spiritual peace from Christ that brings freedom from fears, agitating passions and moral conflicts.) That doesn't mean fears and conflicts won't come but that the Peace of God is greater within us than the trials we go through.
ReplyDeleteI have also been rereading a book about a true story of a Yugoslavian couple that found Christ as their Saviour after much struggle. Leaving the only religion that had been practiced for years by everyone in their village, they became outcasts for forsaking those teachings that had been taught them from their youth. They practiced finding the joy and peace of God they had in their souls with their new relationship with God in spite of the great hardships.