Grateful - 1st Thes. 5:16-18

This is Namma for Christ with the ninety-ninth inspirational message dated Thursday, November 24th, 2016. The title of this message is, "Grateful - 1^ST Thes. 5:16-18". The title of this message is taken from the uplifting and anointed gospel song, “GRATEFUL” as sung by Hezekiah Walker and the Love Fellowship Choir. The scripture comes from the sixteenth through eighteenth verses of the fifth chapter of Thessalonians, as written by the Apostle Paul: 

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

King James Version (KJV)

¹⁶ Rejoice evermore.

¹⁷ Pray without ceasing.

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

These three verses SPEAK to all of us, as Christians, on how we should live. In researching these verses on the internet, I found a beautiful message in regard to these words of wisdom as written by Christian Schmidt:

Worship Without Ceasing

There are many things that separate a Christian from the world. A Christian has been made alive in Christ while the unregenerate follow the course of this world and the prince of the power of the air and are dead in their trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1-5). A Christian will display the love of the Father to all while the world has no love (John 13:35, 1 John 3:14-15). A Christian will obey the Word of the Father and keep His commandments while the world will not (1 John 2:4-6, 3:7-10).
The world is in a constant state of a rebellion against God, but the Christian has been called to a life of unending worship. From the time we wake up in the morning to the time we go to sleep and even when we are asleep, we are called to praise the Father.

We were created to glorify His name, and our entire lives should be centered on worshipping His precious name.
Today "worship" seems to be confined to music. After church services we will ask, “How was worship?” and someone will respond that the choir did a great job or the praise band was too loud. Worship is not just about music but the entire Christian life. Worship also entails rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks to God.

In this passage we find Paul exhorting us to do all three. Not only does he tell us to do all three, but also he commands us to do all of them "without end". He says to rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in all circumstances. The Christian life should be one never-ending state of praise and worship to God through rejoicing, praying, and thanksgiving.

Rejoicing, praying, and thanksgiving have a certain type of synergy with each other. They work together and build each other up and are often hard to separate. We see that they heighten the effect and value of each other. Prayer and thanksgiving lead to rejoicing, thanksgiving and rejoicing are types of prayers, and prayer and rejoicing illuminate thanksgiving. The three work together and feed off of each other. The three cover the entirety of the Christian life. We rejoice for present times, pray for future protection, and give thanks for past gifts.

This same command is given in Roman 12:12, “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” No matter what happens in our lives we can remain hopeful and rejoice because we know that God is in control and working for good. In closing, Romans 8:28 reminds us:

Romans 8:28

King James Version (KJV)

²⁸ And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.

 Remember to be "GRATEFUL" as 1^ST Thes. 5:16-18 tells us:

 Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing.

In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you!

Please listen and be blessed by the below anointed and uplifting song/video (with lyrics) entitled, “GRATEFUL” as sung by Hezekiah Walker and the Love Fellowship Choir.

(I do not own the rights to this song.)
 

BE BLESSED!