Rejoice And Give Thanks

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

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.

This past week was definitely the kind of break I needed. The week as a whole was very God focused. Today I was reading through 1 Thessalonians and I knew that I needed to rejoice and give thanks to God for the friends and family I am blessed to have. This past week I was able to spend a lot of time in prayer with friends and family and in such a short time I witnessed a growing desire and commitment in people's lives to God. It was so encouraging. I pray that this growth continues to increase. Community prayer is definitely something the church in America could use more of nothing else builds such solid relationships. Coming together in prayer allowed us to share things God had put on our hearts and our struggs and everyone was praying for the same things in unity. It was glorious. We are all part of the body and we are meant to be in unity.

There were a couple of verses that really stuck out to me today while reading that I think we really need to stress as a church and part of the kingdom of God. First off their is no idle ground. Paul says to "admonish the idle" and twice encourages the Thessalonians to "do more and more." (1 Thess. 4:1,10; 5:14) Paul is specifically referring to godliness and brotherly love in these two instances, but this idea of idleness isn't compatible with the Christian faith. In other epistles Paul relates the Christian life to a race and we must continue towards the goal of Christ. I saw a lot of growth this week in my life and others lives, but it cannot stop there. We have to push on and continue moving forwards or we will end up going backwards.

Philippians 3:16

¹⁶Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

This past week was awesome, but as a body we need to continue to encourage, admonish, and to help others. We need to be committed to praying in community and by ourselves.

1 Thessalonians 5:23-25

²³Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.

²⁵ Brothers, pray for us.