"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
I was reading this the other day and the thought struck me that it would be a wonderful new year's resolution for anyone. Here are three things you can do in 2015 that will benefit you greatly:
1. Be joyful. Did you know that joy and happiness are not the same things? Happiness is fickle and fleeting, but joy is deeper. Joy has for its roots faith, peace, contentment, hope, and assurance. Joy comes from a place of knowing that - no matter what's happening in this chapter - our stories have happy endings in Christ (one day we will be with Him!).
2. Be prayerful. Praying without ceasing sounds dangerous at first - should I really keep my head bowed and eyes closed while doing 65 on the interstate??? - but the truth is that we need to reimagine prayer as a continous, ongoing acknowledgement and awareness of God's presence in our lives. If God were literally sitting next to you right now, wouldn't it be strange if you only spoke to Him by bowing your head, closing your eyes, and making a speech to Him? Of course! Praying without ceasing is training yourself to be aware that God is ever-present, ever-listening, and ever-communicative with us.
3. Be thankful. Oh, and by the way, in all circumstances, if you didn't catch that. Becoming a person that is thankful for what you have in the midst of any situation changes you from the inside out. Take heart that no matter what 2015 brings, there will be so much for you to be thankful for - your life, your health, your family, and if nothing else, your faith and life in Jesus.
Joyful, prayerful, and thankful. Sounds like a good goal in 2015 to me!
I was reading this the other day and the thought struck me that it would be a wonderful new year's resolution for anyone. Here are three things you can do in 2015 that will benefit you greatly:
1. Be joyful. Did you know that joy and happiness are not the same things? Happiness is fickle and fleeting, but joy is deeper. Joy has for its roots faith, peace, contentment, hope, and assurance. Joy comes from a place of knowing that - no matter what's happening in this chapter - our stories have happy endings in Christ (one day we will be with Him!).
2. Be prayerful. Praying without ceasing sounds dangerous at first - should I really keep my head bowed and eyes closed while doing 65 on the interstate??? - but the truth is that we need to reimagine prayer as a continous, ongoing acknowledgement and awareness of God's presence in our lives. If God were literally sitting next to you right now, wouldn't it be strange if you only spoke to Him by bowing your head, closing your eyes, and making a speech to Him? Of course! Praying without ceasing is training yourself to be aware that God is ever-present, ever-listening, and ever-communicative with us.
3. Be thankful. Oh, and by the way, in all circumstances, if you didn't catch that. Becoming a person that is thankful for what you have in the midst of any situation changes you from the inside out. Take heart that no matter what 2015 brings, there will be so much for you to be thankful for - your life, your health, your family, and if nothing else, your faith and life in Jesus.
Joyful, prayerful, and thankful. Sounds like a good goal in 2015 to me!