thanksgiving week one

1 Thessalonians 5:12–28 NKJV

12 And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. Be at peace among yourselves. 14 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. 15 See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all. 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies. 21 Test all things; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil. 23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it. 25 Brethren, pray for us. 26 Greet all the brethren with a holy kiss. 27 I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read to all the holy brethren. 28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

1 Thessalonians 5:16–22 NKJV

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies. 21 Test all things; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil.

We are encouraged to have an attitude of Rejoicing.

1 Thessalonians 5:16 NKJV

16 Rejoice always,

Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon 5463 χαίρω

5463 χαίρω [chairo /khah·ee·ro/] v. A primary verb; TDNT 9:359; TDNTA 1298; GK 5897; 74 occurrences; AV translates as “rejoice” 42 times, “be glad” 14 times, “joy” five times, “hail” five times, “greeting” three times, “God speed” twice, “all hail” once, “joyfully” once, and “farewell” once. 1 to rejoice, be glad. 2 to rejoice exceedingly. 3 to be well, thrive. 4 in salutations, hail!. 5 at the beginning of letters: to give one greeting, salute.

the command seems to be Be glad

since the English word is be glad lets see what that means

in the English it means source of delight.

that leads me to a question, what areas do I find my joy in?

unfortunately for me, i find that my delight is all to often found in the same places that the world finds their delight.

this is sad for me because it means that I take the grace of God for granted.

expound here.

We are encouraged to pray without ceasing.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 NKJV

17 pray without ceasing,

This is not constant prayer as a discipline. it is an attitude of inviting God into your thought life.

we jump through a lot of hoops in our minds, do we invite The Lord in.

Understanding the sovereignty of God

1 Thessalonians 5:17–18 NKJV

17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 NKJV

18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

How often do i ask God to use me and then loose my mind over God moving me into a place of discomfort.

He moved me over to a place of struggle or discomfort so that He could move in my situation so that some one else could see what God can do.

my first thing is all to often to rebuke the devil instead of asking God for strength.

1 Thessalonians 5:19 NKJV

19 Do not quench the Spirit.

Let the Holy Spirit have his way with you.

trust his quiet corrective voice in your heart.

let him empower you for the tasks that you would normally begrudge.

1 Thessalonians 5:19–20 NKJV

19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies.