Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
(1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV)
(1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV)
There is no doubt that these commands are difficult to understand and live up to. Nevertheless it is also a comfort that these three commands are God's will for us. We've all said it or thought it or heard someone else say, "What is God's will for me?" We struggle with this for more than we ought. Allow me to share a few thoughts on these beloved verses from G.K. Beale that shed light in this difficult area.
The attitude of joy is to be continual, which means that even when tribulation occurs, believers are always to respond with joy. ...
Such joy is not primarily an "emotional high" consisting only of "feelings. " Rather, the focus is on an inner, abiding attitude or disposition of taking pleasure in recognizing that whatever one encounters, including trials, is God's will. Therefore, to respond with joy in the midst of sufferings is to take pleasure in knowing that faithfully enduring such things pleases God. For example, the Thessalonians are not to grieve emotionally over the death of loved ones as the world does but are to express sorrow mixed with hope and are to take pleasure in the object of that hope, the future resurrection of all of God's people and their eternal reunification in Jesus' presence. Indeed, they are to receive emotional "comfort" from such hope and pleasure about the future. ...
Rejoicing is not the only activity that is to be conducted always, since Paul commands the Thessalonians also to pray continually (literally "unceasingly"). Paul links prayer with rejoicing elsewhere (Phil 4: 4-6) and adds that "the peace of God" is the result of rejoicing and praying about everything (4: 7; see also Rom 12: 12-18; 1 Pet 3: 11-12). This points further to the contention that Paul still has the grand goal of peace in mind in 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-17. ...
Paul thanks God because of the things he recalls about his readers in prayer, and the same dynamic probably exists between the two activities here in 5: 17-18. In particular, three facets of prayer give rise to thankfulness: (1) consideration of how God has answered our prayers in the past; (2) contemplation of God himself (his various attributes) and the many different ways in which he has manifested his grace to us by providing for us; and (3) continual confession of sin, as we remind ourselves that Jesus suffered the end-time wrath for our sin and overcame death by his resurrection, so that we might also overcome death. To the extent that we have a prayerful attitude we will have a thankful one. ...
God has placed upon his people the duty to be thankful, and he desires that they take pleasure in fulfilling that duty. This is not mere gratefulness to God for bestowing blessings on us but a gratitude that comes from being identified with our Messiah (in Christ Jesus) and receiving blessings because of our union with him. The fact that we are to thank God reveals that only he is the source of all blessings for which we thank him. ...
The parallelism of these three activities all being continual suggests that the phrase this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus is the ground not merely for thanksgiving but also for rejoicing and praying. During our daily activities, we must focus on the task at hand, but we should never lose sight of God in our spiritual peripheral vision. He should always be "in the background of [our] consciousness."...
And finally
As Paul notes in 5: 18, thanksgiving has its ultimate source of being in Christ Jesus. Paul's statement that God's people are in Christ Jesus should remind them that they are to see all things through the lens of Christ and not from their own vantage point. As a consequence, they will experience peace. Beale, G. K. (2010-02-17). 1-2 Thessalonians (Kindle Locations 2433-2435). Intervarsity Press - A. Kindle Edition. Emphasis added.
Oh, fellow believer, that we should experience that peace. What a blessing!
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