To be fully HUMAN — A Daily Reflection

 

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV

 

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

 

This nineteenth step in learning to live by faith incorporates several things – all of which can be pretty tough to do.  Like the first one… the same thing we talked about yesterday… Be joyful always.  This is a tough one, isn’t it?  Be joyful when you get a ticket?  Be joyful when you bounce a check?  Be joyful when you lose your mate?  Be joyful when you are diagnosed with cancer?  Be joyful when your child is in a car wreck and crippled for life?

 

Yes.  Be joyful… always.  In all areas of our lives, we must learn to be joyful.

 

And we must learn to pray continually.  This doesn’t mean close your eyes on the freeway!  This doesn’t mean walk around with your head bowed all day in prayer.  This doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a movie or a good book or 18 holes of golf.  This means that you must have a prayerful attitude all day every day.  How do you do that?  By talking to Him all day, every day.  You’re at your doctor’s office for your regular checkup.  Ask Him where you should sit in the waiting room.  Silly?  Nope.  There might just be someone sitting next to you who needs a word of encouragement, and if you pick the wrong seat, you’ll miss talking to that person.  You’re having trouble with a difficult co-worker, and need to take care of the situation.  With no time for "formal" prayer, talk to Jesus on the way to the person’s office, asking for the right words to say - a whole lot better than rehearsing how you are going to chew the person out, isn’t it?

 

A prayerful attitude means that you are so close to Jesus that He continually influences everything you say and do and think.  His Spirit is there with you, all day, every day, continually throughout your life.  When you commit yourself to a continual prayerful attitude, you seek His wisdom… His guidance… His touch in everything you do.  You will hear His voice… you will know He is influencing your thoughts and actions.  By opening up to Him through a prayerful attitude, you allow Him to work in you.  You stay in constant communion with Him.

 

And give thanks for everything – good, bad or indifferent – give thanks for everything in your life – because everything that happens in your life is God’s will for you – hard as it might be to understand… as much as you’d like a situation to just go away… as much pain as you’re in.  God has a reason and a purpose for everything.  So give thanks that He loves you enough to allow you to suffer with Him, to allow you to grow in faith, to allow you to become more like Him, to allow you to be His child.