2020.11.22 - How To Be Thankful Through All Of This

How To Be Thankful Through All Of This Text: 1 Thessalonians 5:15-18 15 See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men. 16 Rejoice evermore. 17 Pray without ceasing. 18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. I) ENDURING JOY First, God requires all of us to be joyful. Joy is not an emotional option for certain personality types Second, the joy he requires is consistently God-centered Third, the joy God requires is an act of the will. It may feel spontaneous, but it is not passive A) The presence of joy does not entail the absence of sorrow B) While we cannot make ourselves feel joyful, we can choose where we will look to find joy II) PERSISTENT PRAYER Verse 17, “Pray without ceasing.” • Being a Christian requires a lifestyle of prayer. • To “pray without ceasing” means we persist in prayer Jesus enables this kind of prayer in at least two ways: • The Father hears our prayers because of Jesus • The Father answers our prayers through Jesus III) ABIDING GRATITUDE Verse 18, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Ultimately this is not our home. “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe” (Hebrews 12:28, NIV) Watch us on our YouTube channel, our website or our Facebook page https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi7C66QudDzbTDtA-DaSQBw/ https://midwaybaptistnc.org https://facebook.com/midwaybaptistnc