Good Morning Friends,
“Be joyful always; pray continually; give
thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Do
not put out the Spirit’s fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test
everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.” (1 Thessalonians
5:16-22)
There are decisions that you need to make about
how to face life. Each of these short statements is an imperative, a command,
something we are to do. These are attitudes and actions that we are not to sit
back and wait to overtake us. They are attitudes and actions we are to embrace
ourselves.
Joy isn’t something that comes to us as a
result of the happy experiences we have. Joy is a choice we make about how we will
face life’s circumstances. Joy is achieved by looking at the right things -- a
focus on the Lord and on what He is accomplishing in us and through us.
Prayer and gratitude are choices that we are to
make. They don’t come naturally. The natural reaction is to treat life as if it
is all up to us, we’re on our own. To acknowledge the need for God through
prayer and to acknowledge what He’s done by giving thanks goes against what’s
natural. You have to choose them.
Passion can be quenched, and it has been in the
lives of many believers. They started with fire, but somehow it’s gone out, or
at least it’s growing cooler. Embrace passion again by embracing the work of
the Spirit in your life.
There are two extremes people choose, both of
which are wrong. One is to reject everything and the other is to accept
everything. There is a middle ground that is right, being open to the work of
God around you and yet testing to be sure it’s God and not demonic or of the
flesh.
Hold to the good, avoid evil. Two more choices.
All of the choices presented here are simple
choices. All of them are yours to make. How will you approach life?
His, by Grace, Steve
No comments:
Post a Comment