Always!

Always!

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:16‭-‬18 NIV

There are three words in today's extract that bears emphasis on what the right pursuits and priorities are, and these are: ALWAYS, CONTINUALLY and ALL. These words signify a continuous, never-ending sequence of events, and it will be appropriate to look at the events these words are tied to:

CONTINUALLY: I am asked to pray

continually, not to complain, murmur, gossip or bear tales about what I am going through. Telling me about your problems without first telling God is exposing yourself to manipulation and embarrassment. If I raise a committee of friends to help you and God does not help you, all our efforts are in vain. But if God helps you, even if all of us gang up to frustrate you, it will not stop the help of God. That is why it really matters to whom I pray and whose help I seek: is it the Lord Most High, or mortal, helpless and clueless men like myself?

ALWAYS: I am asked to continously  rejoice. In order to do this, I have to first settle in my heart what the right pursuits and priorities are. My heart is the battleground for all sorts of thoughts and emotions, and if I do not properly sieve through all that flow in and out of it, I will be too distracted to rejoice always. Joy does not deny reality, but it has settled its own reality, which is that what is in me is greater than what is going on outside of me. All that is outside of me has an expiry date; God in me lives forever, and cannot die so if I am also in me, physical death is just but a phase into eternity. I rejoice, because I have God and that is enough for me. What of you?

ALL Circumstances: there is no situation that is exempt here; you may experience pain, even loss of a loved one, but as hard as it sounds, God still wants me to give thanks in all these situations. Honestly, if I will do this, what is in my heart must be bigger, better and more enduring than the pain I am going through now. I keep at the back of my heart that God is working out a great thing through those experiences, and if I can just hold on, I will see his goodness and mercy. God asking me to give it means he has supplied grace for me to do so. He won't place on me or demand from me what I can't handle or give.

All the above form God's will for me. No matter the situations I may face, the above represent God's cure for depression and hurt. With God on my side, enemies may strive but they will not thrive. I cannot pick and choose the ones that make me comfortable; all of them are relevant to my walk with and work for God. They impact both the internal and external content. When I pray right, I have joy. When I have joy and can give thanks, I cannot hide and what I have is infectious. Does any of the above describe me, or do I need to go back to God so I can get it right? God's time of favour is here.