DAY 45 - AGAIN I SAY...
ANDREW MATRONE, YA MINISTRY LEAD
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17
Have you ever met someone who ALWAYS seems to be happy? Like no matter what, they’re ALWAYS happy. It can kind of drive you nuts, right? It’s like, how can you be happy right now… We’ve got no jobs, we’ve got no food, our pet’s HEADS ARE FALLIN’ OFF! Dumb & Dumber, anybody?
Do you know why that is frustrating for most of us? It’s because most of us (myself included) have a really difficult time being happy or filled with joy despite our circumstances. For many people, our joy or happiness is dictated by the current events in our life. In other words, as the world goes, so my soul goes.
Over the years, after reading the scriptures, I have come to understand verses like this a little more. I don’t think Paul (the writer) is saying “at ALL times, be this giant ball of joy!” No… for 99% of the population, that’s literally impossible. What I believe he’s saying is that despite what’s going on in your life you have to CHOOSE, that no matter what, I will continue to rejoice, I will continue to pray and I will continue to give thanks.
Why is this so important? Well… when you choose to rejoice, pray, and give thanks in all things, you’re making a very strong statement to your outside or internal circumstances, and it’s this: that you do not get to dictate my joy, you do not get to dictate my peace, you do not get to dictate my mind or my soul! Yes, you have affected me, but you don’t get to rule me! Come on, somebody!!! And the beautiful thing is that when we do this, the scripture tells us that we are falling into God’s will for our lives, which is exactly where we want to be.
So my question to you today is this: Where do you need to choose to rejoice? Where do you need to choose to pray? Where do you need to choose to give thanks? Don’t let your driver be your circumstance. Take control over your mind and your soul and make the choice that no matter what, I will choose to rejoice, pray, and give thanks!
Praying for you today! Love y’all!