REJOICE AND PRAY AND GIVE THANKS

PROCLAMATION

“And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.  Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else. Rejoice always, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”  1 Thessalonians 5:14-18 (NIV)

 

EXPLANATION

These words were written by the apostle Paul, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, to the believers in the church at Thessalonica.  Paul begins the fifth and final chapter of this letter by stating that he does not have to remind them that the day of The Lord is coming for they are children of the light. (1 Thessalonians 5:1-8)  He encouraged them to build one another up, just as they were already doing.  He also told them to acknowledge those among them who work hard for The Lord and to hold them in high regard. (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13)  Then he urged them to warn the wrongdoers, to help the weak, to encourage the down-hearted, and to be patient with everyone.  Finally he told them to rejoice always, to pray continually, and to give thanks to God in all situations. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)  He said that they should hold on to that which is good and reject every kind of evil. (1 Thessalonians 5:21-22)

 

APPLICATION

We should acknowledge those among us who are doing a good job and warn those who are doing poorly.  We should encourage the depressed and help those who are in need.  Remember the old saying, “There, but for the grace of God, go you or I.”  We should always be patient with others, for at some point in our lives someone was patient with us.  Believers should not walk around with a negative attitude.  We are to rejoice because everything is going to work out in our favor and for our good. (Romans 8:28)  So we should count everything as a joy, even our storms, trials, and tribulations. (James 1:2)  We should have a prayerful attitude and pray often about everything. (Luke 18:1, Ephesians 6:18, and 1 Thessalonians 5:15)  We should also acknowledge that God’s hand is in everything (Proverbs 3:6) and then we should thank Him for everything. (1 Chronicles 16:8, Psalm 92:1, and 1 Thessalonians 5:18)  Everything that happens is either a blessing or a lesson to be learned.

GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART

Proclamation:

“I will give thanks to You, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all Your wonderful deeds.  I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praises of Your name, O Most High.”  Psalm 9:1-2 (NIV)

Explanation:

This psalm is a song which was written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by King David.  Here David sings and publicly praises God sincerely with all of his heart.  He enthusiastically tells the people about the things which God has done.  David is making a joyful noise unto The Lord as he has encouraged the people to do. (Psalm 66:1, 95:1, and 100:1)  He is thankful that The Lord has saved him from his enemies and for being a refuge, or a stronghold, for him and for the righteous and the oppressed. (Psalm 9:9)  He knows that God has sustained him. (Psalm 9:4)  He knows that The Lord will judge the wicked and He will provide for the righteous. (Psalm 9:5-9)

Application:

This psalm is very personal for David.  He begins by stating “I will …” four times proclaiming his exuberance in worshiping The Lord.  We would do well to do likewise.  No one can tell our story regarding what The Lord has done for us better that we can ourselves.  When we think about where He has brought us from and what He has brought us through, we ought to shout for joy and praise His name.  It was God who maintained us and sustained us through our storms. (Psalm 9:4)  We ought to acknowledge Him for all that He has done. (Proverbs 3:6)  We ought to sincerely thank The Lord and love Him with all of our heart. (Deuteronomy 13:3)

Give Thanks To God In All Situations

"And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.  Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.  Be joyful always;  pray continually;  give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."  1 Thessalonians 5:14-18 (NIV)

Under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, the Apostle Paul wrote these words in his letter to the believers in Thessaloniki.  Paul was providing them with practical instructions for Christian living.  He told them how they ought to walk and talk in order to please God.  He said that they should comfort, encourage, help, and warn one another.  He also said that whatever they were going through, they should be joyful because it was part of God's permissive will for them. 

These words are as relevant for believers today as they were for those believers then.  We need to be reminded that we are children of God (Galatians 3:26), and that we are in this world but not of it. (John 8:23)  We are to behave in a Christ-like manner, and we are to help one another.  We are even to love our enemies and haters (Matthew 5:44), and kill them with kindness. (Romans 12:20)  Whatever our current situation, it is only a test and part of God's permissive will for us. (James 1:12)  So, let us count all things as joyful. (James 1:2)  Let us pray sincerely and frequently (James 5:16), and let us give thanks to God for everything. (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

Thank You Lord

"And we also thank God continually because, when you received The Word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, The Word of God, which is at work in you who believe."  1 Thessalonians 2:13 (NIV)

The Apostle Paul wrote these words to the believers in The Church at Thessaloniki.  He was thankful that they received the disciples, and that they heard The Word of God and they believed it.  Paul also said that they were witnesses that the disciples worked while among them so as not to be a burden on the people.  Then he urged them to live theirs lives in such a manner that would be pleasing to God, and to continue to imitate Christ-like behavior.

Today, we should also be thankful, and we should thank The Lord God continually.  We should thank Him for His Son, Jesus, The Christ, and we should thank Him because we have The Word of God within us.  During this thanksgiving holiday season, and every day throughout the remainder of this year and on into the future, we should give God thanks for blessing us.  We should also live our lives in a way which imitates Christ-like behavior. (1 Thessalonians 2:14)

Praise The Lord For All His Blessings

"Praise The LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy name.  Praise The LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits;  who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's."  Psalms 103:1-5 (NIV)

This psalm of King David is a song of praise.  He encouraged the people to praise The Lord God with all that is within them because of all of the good things that He has done for them.  They should praise Him because He forgives their sins, heals their diseases, lifts them up when they fall, loves them in spite of their selves, and He gives them the desires of their hearts while He preserves strength and their ability to function.

We should praise and thank The Lord much more often than we do.  He has done so much for us.  He is worthy of all praise.  In fact, His praise should continually be in our mouths. (Psalms 34:1)  We have been blessed in more ways than we can count.  He wakes us up each day.  He forgives our many sins.  He blesses us with His loving kindness and His mercy.  He allows us to recover from illnesses.  He renews our strength.  He delivers us from death.  We ought to praise The Lord with all that is within us, and we ought to praise Him often.

Give God Thanks

"Give thanks to The Lord, call on His name; make known among the nations what He has done.  Sing to Him, sing praise to Him; tell of all His wonderful acts.  Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those who seek The Lord rejoice.  Look to The Lord and His strength; seek His face always."  Psalms 105:1-4 (NIV)

In this psalm King David is encouraging Israel and us to give God thanks, to remember what He has done, to rejoice and praise Him for doing it, and to tell others about it as we continue to seek His face.

We are encouraged throughout the Bible to give thanks unto The Lord.  Psalms 105, 106, 107, 118, and 136 all begin with the phrase, "O give thanks unto The Lord ..." and then they each go on to provide a reason for doing so.  During this Thanksgiving holiday season, and every day into the future, we need to give God thanks.  Express your joy and gratitude, and share them with others.

Don't Worry About Anything Pray About Everything

"Rejoice in The Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:4-7 (NIV)

In his letter to the Christians in Philippi, the Apostle Paul wrote these words to encourage them to strive to be Christ-like. Because their joy comes form The Lord, they should not worry about anything. They pray and give thanks, and ask God for what they want. Because they are believers, God will protect them and give them peace.

We need to understand that our joy comes from The Lord. We believe in Him and He blesses us. We pray and thank Him and ask for more blessings. Don't worry about anything, pray about everything. Because we belong to Him, He will protect us and provide for us.

May You Live Worthy And Gorw In His Knowledge And Power

"For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of The Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to The Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light." Colossians 1:9-12 (NIV)

The Apostle Paul is letting the Christians in Colossae know that he is praying for them. He appreciates the good work that they have done and prays that they will continue, and grow in knowledge, and bear good fruit, and be strengthened with His power to endure what is ahead.

It is not just the preachers that work for The Lord, but every beliver has a job to do for God. He has to prepare us before He can use us to work for His glory. That preparation can sometimes be painful and unpleasant, but it is for our benefit. No matter how much we know, or think that we know, we all need to grow in spiritual knowledge and holiness. We need to be strengthened with His power to produce good fruit and to withstand the storms of life that are to come. According to John MacArthur, the good fruit we need to produce includes leading people to Christ (1 Cor 16:15), praising God (Heb 13:15), giving money (Rom 15:26-28), living a Godly life (Heb 12:11), and displaying holy attitudes (Gal 5:22-23). Thomas Nelson states that endurance and patience are necessary for our persevering through the storms, problems, trials, and tribulations that are to come, along with forebearing the faults and offences of others.

Be Thankful And Grateful For Those Who Help You

"I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers ... I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints." Philemon 1:4-7 (NIV)

The Apostle Paul is writing to his friend Philemon with a special request on behalf of Onesimus. Paul tells him that he is thankful for him and that he prays for him. Paul also tells him that he has been a source of joy and and an encouragement to him.

We ought to be thankful for the people that God has placed in our lives who have been helpful to us. We should also let them know that we are grateful for what they have done for us. We should let people know that the things that they have said and done have brought joy into our lives and that they have been a source of encouragement to us. People do not have to be kind or nice to us, and we should be thankful and grateful when they are. We ought to tell them how we feel while we have the opportunity. Life is short, and tomorrow is not promised to us.

Rejoice God Hears And Answers Prayers

"Praise be to The Lord, for He has heard my cry for mercy. The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to Him in song. The Lord is the strength of His people, a fortress of salvation for His anointed one. Save Your people and bless Your inheritance; be their shepherd and carry them forever." Psalms 28:6-9 (NIV)

After lamenting about his situation, David prayed for deliverance, then offers praise and thanks to God, even though his situation had yet to change. David knew that God would hear him, strengthen him, protect him, help him, save him, and bless him, so he was joyful and thankful .

We should believe and behave as if our prayers have already been answered. Our faith in God should allow us to know that He hears our prayers and that He will bless us because He loves us, not because we deserve it. Let us exercise a little more faith in God each day.

The Blessedness Of Answered Prayer

"To You, O Lord, I called; to The Lord I cried for mercy ... Hear, O Lord, and be merciful to me; O Lord, be my help." You turned my wailing into dancing; You removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to You and not be silent. O Lord, my God, I will give You thanks forever." Psalms 30:10-12 (NIV)

With a renewed perspective after a near death experience (Psalms 30:3) and a period of arrogance (Psalms 30:6), David recognizes that "all he is and all he has is due to God's unmerited grace." (John MacArthur) Here David expresses thanks to God for answering his prayers and blessing him.

Only God can turn our situations around and take us sickness to health, from "wailing" to "dancing", from sorrow to joy. We ought to recognize when God has answered our prayers and be thankful. We may not have all that we asked for, and we ask for a lot, but God has blessed us and given us some to the things that we asked for, in addition to some things that we did not mention, and we should give Him thanks.

Examples Of Good Christian Behavior

"And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and everyone else. Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." "Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil." 1 Thessalonians 5:14-18 & 21-22 (NIV)

This is how we ought to treat and help each other, and how we ought to behave. This is a brief summary of good Christian behavior. We should have, and display, a positive attitude of gratitude, frequently praying and giving God thanks. Whatever we are going through is part of God's permissive will for us.

"Test everything." This is a call to carefully, and prayerfully, examine what we hear and read, and to make sure that it is "biblically correct". Hold on to and keep that which is consistent with The Word of God and reject that which is "unbiblical". Avoid all evil, including that which appears evil. "Abstain from all appearance of evil." 5:22 (KJV)

Our true character is revealed not only by what we do when others are watching, but also by what we do and think when we are alone. God sees all.

God Is Always With Us

"The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him; He hears their cry and saves them. The Lord watches over all who love Him, but the wicked He will destroy." Psalms 145:18-20 (NIV)

We are never alone, God is always with us and He watches over us. To those of us who love Him, He fulfills our desires, hears our cry, and He saves us. He keeps us from all hurt and harm; and protects us from dangers seen and unseen.

We ought to thank God for all that He has done for us, is doing for us, and what He will do for us.

Give Thanks To God # 4

"Give thanks to The Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever." Psalms 106:1 (NIV)

May you have a blessed and joy filled celebration on the day of giving thanks to God for all that He has given to you.

Give Thanks To God # 3

O that we could all praise and thank The Lord now as David did then.

"David praised The Lord in the presence of the whole assembly saying, 'Praise be to you O Lord, God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is Yours. Yours, O Lord is the kingdom; You are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honor come from You; You are the ruler of all things. In Your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. Now, our God, we give You thanks, and praise Your glorious name.' " 1 Chronicles 29:10-13

During this period of giving thanks, we should all pray and give thanks God for everything.

Give Thanks To God # 2

"Giving thanks always for all things unto God and The Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;" Ephesians 5:20 (KJV)

"Always giving thanks to God The Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." Ephesians 5:20 (NIV)

We should be thankful to God for who He is, for all that He has done, and for what He has done for us through His Son, Jesus The Christ, our Lord and Savior.

We should be grateful for all things which are divinely allowed to enter our life since they will all be used for our good or the good of others.

Give Thanks To God

"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let The Word of Christ dwell in you richly ... with gratitude in your heart to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of The Lord Jesus; giving thanks to God the Father through Him." Colossians 3:15-17 (NIV)

May we all be blessed during this period of giving thanks and may we remember to include The Word of God in your thoughts, words, and actions as you interact with family and friends. May
we exhibit good Christian behavior and reflect an attitude of gratitude to all that we encounter.

A Call To Praise And Thank God

"Make a joyful noise unto The Lord ... Serve The Lord with gladness ... He is God ... He ... made us ... we are His ... Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise; be thankful unto Him, and bless His name. For The Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting; and His truth endureth to all generations." Psalms 100:1-5 (KJV - King James version)

"Shout for joy to The Lord ... Worship The Lord with gladness ... He is God ... He ... made us ... we are His ... Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; Give thanks to Him and praise His name. For The Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations." Psalms 100:1-5 (NIV - New International version)

This Psalm is a call to praise and thank The Lord. We are not only told to praise Him, but how to praise Him, and why we should praise Him.

During this period of celebration and giving thanks, and every day for that matter, we should let everyone that we come into contact with know that The Lord God is the source of all goodness and that we are grateful for all that He has done, is doing, and will do for us in the future.

We Are Wonderfully Made

Do you ever stop and think about the miracle that is you? We are wonderfully made.

"I will praise Thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvellous are Thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well." Psalms 139:14 (Read Psalms 139:13-17)

From the single sperm cell and the one ovum (egg), two small cells which united and began to multiply, and grow, and differentiate into the various body parts that we have. From our mother's womb, our birth, our childhood growth and development, and all of the dangers that we go through in life, the fact that we exist at all is a miracle.

We ought to praise God and thank Him for our lives. We are wonderfully made. We each are a work of God.

We Have The Victory

"But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Corinthians 15:57

We already have the victory, but some of us act like we don't know it yet. It doesn't matter what it is that we are dealing with, we've already won!!!