Imperatives for a Fulfilling Life

INTRODUCTION

I read about a wealthy Texan who was in the habit of giving his father unique gifts every Father’s Day. One year he gave his dad hang-gliding lessons. The year before it was the entire record collection of Slim Whitman’s Hits, autographed by the singer himself. But this one year he absolutely outdid himself. He purchased a rare kind of South American bird, called “the translator.” This bird could speak five languages and sing the “Yellow Rose of Texas” in any key while standing on one foot. The talented bird cost ten thousand dollars, but the son felt it was worth every penny. This would be the Father’s Day gift his dad would never forget. A week after Father’s Day he called his dad to see how he liked the bird. His father said, “It was delicious!”

Let’s just agree that the dad didn’t appreciate the real value of the gift he had been given. Sad to say, too often, we are guilty of the same thing. We have so much that we can’t see the great value of what we have been given by God in Christ Jesus. The word for that is ingratitude! Thanksgiving is this reminder that all we have has been graciously given to us by God. We didn’t earn it. We don’t deserve it. We aren’t owed this. We have been blessed and because we have been so richly blessed, the only appropriate response is thankfulness.

I know in the midst of this global pandemic, social unrest and political turmoil, you may not be feeling particularly thankful. If your family is like mine, our Thanksgiving plans have been altered by this health crisis. Instead of all the kids being home for Thanksgiving only a couple of them will be here. Now it is certainly appropriate and okay to grieve what we have lost. But we must recognize that even when facing dark and difficult days we still have so much to be thankful for. In the midst of all the negativity around us there is still much to praise and thank God for. In fact, I would argue that because of the challenging days we are facing, it is absolutely essential that we express our gratitude to God for His continued blessings.

Paul writes to the Thessalonian believers and gives them some actions or choices they can make to live a life that pleases God. As we prepare for the celebration of Thanksgiving this week, let’s discover what God’s Word says about the imperatives for a fulfilling life – a life that pleases God! Open your Bibles or Bible apps to 1 Thess. 5:16-18, 16 Be joyful always; 17 pray continually; 18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. (NIV) Three very short verses containing three powerful verbs or imperatives. You want to know God’s will for your life? Here is part of His plan for you. Cultivate these habits and you will be living a life that pleases God and fulfills His will for you.

I. Rejoice Always - Celebrate God’s Work

The first command to live a life that pleases God is to rejoice always! Paul writes in verse 16, Be joyful always! We tend to think of joy as something we feel, that joy is the result of external circumstances. But God’s Word reveals that joy is a choice we can make. God’s Word commands us to rejoice always! To rejoice always is to celebrate God’s Work! True joy doesn’t come from our external circumstances but flows from the blessing of being united to Christ. We can rejoice always because we are absolutely persuaded that God is working on our behalf and for our good. We can rejoice always because we are completely convinced that nothing whatsoever can ever separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus! This pandemic might separate us from loved ones but it cannot separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. The command is to rejoice always that means when life is going great and we are soaring with the eagles but it also means to rejoice when life is the pits and we are wallowing with the worms. Philippians 4:4 repeats this command, Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! (NIV) There’s that word again – ALWAYS! To live a life that pleases God we must rejoice always – choose to celebrate God’s activity in your life and on your behalf.

Regardless of your circumstance you can choose to rejoice in what God has done and is doing in your life. God’s Word reveals plenty of reasons to rejoice always:

A. Rejoice in God’s Salvation

First, you can always rejoice in God’s salvation. Regardless of your circumstance you can rejoice that God has saved you through the life, death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. Isaiah 61:10 says, I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. (NIV) Luke 10:20 admonishes us to rejoice because your names are written in heaven. Rejoice in God’s salvation.

B. Rejoice in God’s Provision

Another reason to rejoice always is to rejoice in God’s provision. Philippians 4:19 says, And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. (NIV) Our need represents God’s opportunity. We can rejoice because 2 Peter 1:3 reveals, His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. (NIV) Rejoice in God’s provision for our needs!

C. Rejoice in God’s Providence

A third reason to rejoice always is because of God’s providence. God is working in all circumstances for our good and His glory. We can rejoice always, even when life is the pits because we know that God can use this mess for something good. Romans 8:28 affirms this reason for rejoicing when Paul writes, And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (NIV) My circumstance may be anything but joyful but I can still choose to rejoice because of my confidence that God will use this mess for my good.

D. Rejoice in God’s Future Plans for You

A fourth reason to rejoice always is because we can rejoice in God’s future plans for us. 1 Cor. 2:9 says, However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him"—(NIV) We can only imagine the wonder, beauty and glory of the future God has planned for all those who have been born again by the Spirit of God into the family of God.

To rejoice always is to celebrate God’s Work. It is to rejoice in our salvation, in God’s provision and providence as well as the future He has planned for all His children. The command to rejoice always keeps our lives focused on God and not on ourselves or our circumstances.

II. Pray Continually – Depend on God’s Power

The second imperative for living a life that pleases God is to pray continually, as Paul writes in verse 17. The word pray used here is the most common word in the New Testament for prayer and it includes all aspects of prayer: praise, submission, confession, petition, intercession, and thanksgiving. When God’s Word commands us to pray continually it does not mean we are to spend 24 hours a day on our knees or with our eyes closed in prayer. In fact, Paul was quite adamant that everyone had work to do. But we are commanded to develop a prayerful attitude at all times.

To pray continually is to depend on God’s power. This prayerful attitude is founded on complete dependence on God for the strength and wisdom to face the challenges of everyday life. The command to pray continually urges us to continually depend on God’s power and not our own. Pastor Michael Catt, the author of a prayer study said in his introduction to the study, “When we work, we work. But when we pray, God works.” Paul urges us to continually depend on God’s power to work in us and through us. Throughout the day there is this running conversation with God, which is prayer. We are continually talking with Him about the different circumstances being faced. Pray continually means that prayer is not limited to corporate times of prayer as the family of God. It means prayer is not limited to our own private times of prayer. It means that we are talking with God and listening to God throughout the day. Jesus told a parable to encourage His followers to be persistent in prayer. Luke 18:1 records, Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. (NIV) To live a life that pleases God we must pray continually – we must pray when times are good and we must pray when times are hard. Pray continually! Continually depend on God’s power!

III. Give Thanks in All Circumstances – Trust God’s Sovereignty

The third imperative for living a life that pleases God is to give thanks in all circumstances, as Paul writes in verse 18. Pay attention to what God’s Word says here. This imperative is to give thanks IN all circumstances. Paul does not say to give thanks FOR all circumstances. To give thanks in all circumstances is really an expression of our trust in God and His sovereignty. As followers of Jesus, we will face evil, tragedies will occur, problems will be encountered. But when evil comes we can still be thankful for God’s presence and trust that He will use this painful circumstance for our good and His glory. God can use turbulent times to develop and strengthen our faith which ranks at the top of God’s priorities for our lives. To be able to give thanks in everything reveals our trust in God and His faithfulness to His word. Romans 8:28 says, And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (NIV) We can and should give thanks in all circumstances because we are convinced that God will use this present pain for something good.

We are not commanded to give thanks for every circumstance, that would be ludicrous. We don’t give thanks for the tragic death of a loved one or for being diagnosed with cancer. But we must give thanks even in such tragic and painful circumstances, thanking God for His presence with us in the midst of such turmoil, thanking God for His grace and strength to see us through such heartache and trial. Give thanks in all circumstances means we are to trust God in every and all circumstances of life. Thank God for His blessings but also thank God for His blessings in disguise. James encourages us to Consider it pure joy whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. (James 1:2-3 NIV) To give thanks in all circumstances requires that we trust God completely, being assured that He is in charge and understanding that all that happens in our lives is part of a larger picture that we may not be able to see from our limited perspective. God is pleased when we choose to trust Him even when we don’t understand how He is working.

Bible scholar and commentator, Matthew Henry, understood the importance of giving thanks in all circumstances. One day as he was going down the street he was robbed. Later he would write in his diary, “Let me be thankful first, because I was never robbed before; second, because although they took my purse, they did not take my life; third, because although they took my all, it was not much; and fourth, because it was I who was robbed, and not I who robbed.”

A thankful attitude does not come naturally for most of us. But we need to recognize that being unthankful is the very essence of a heart that has not been renewed. When God saves us from sin He gives us a new heart, a heart that longs to obey His Word and His Word commands us to give thanks in all circumstances. Thankfulness or gratitude is woven into the very fabric of our being as children of God. As a child of God part of the fruit of God’s abiding presence through the Holy Spirit is to create a thankful heart in us.

CONCLUSION

Paul concludes verse 18 by saying that these three imperatives represent God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. These three imperatives represent God’s plan for your life. These three imperatives are part of what it means to live a life that pleases God. Here are three choices we must make so that we can please God with our lives – rejoice always demands that we celebrate God’s work or activity in our lives; pray continually – demands that we depend on God’s presence and power at all times; and give thanks in all circumstances - requires that we trust God’s sovereignty. God’s Word gives us three imperatives producing a richer, fuller, more abundant life – rejoice, pray, give thanks! Celebrate, depend, trust! Incorporate these habits into your life and you will be more confident, less anxious, more aware of God’s activity in your life and your life will put a smile on the face of God as well as your own.

Prayer