1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Thoughts from Allie Gardner

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Swipe to read today’s written devo!

QOP- Swipe
Slide

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.”

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

QOP- Behind the Scenes
Slide

Rejoice always... literally always.

Pray without ceasing... meaning without stopping.

Give thanks in everything... every single thing.

Does anyone else read that and immediately think, “Um, how is that possible?”

Slide

I have gotten to the point in my walk with Jesus that I am actually starting to get excited when I read passages like the one we are looking at today... impossible passages that leave me helpless to obey them apart from the power of God. And that is exactly the point!

Slide

When the Apostle Paul wrote this, he wasn’t being glib, and he wasn’t trying to give us something we couldn’t do. In fact, he would have known how impossible this command would be in our own strength. He wrote often about how limited he felt in his own strength, how weak he was, how he could do nothing in his own strength.

Slide

But Paul also knew the secret to walking out commands like this- total and complete dependence on Christ living in and through us. See, for Paul, and for all believers, human strength, wisdom, will, or even talent is never enough. No matter how hard we try, verses like this will constantly be outside of our natural abilities.

Slide

And that’s because we were never meant to walk the Christian life from our own efforts. We were always meant to live it through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit in our lives and through the power of Jesus Christ manifest in us. Our personal limitations draw us into the power of God, causing a deep need inside our souls that can only be filled by His perfect presence. We have this void, this lacking in us that can only be met by Jesus Christ and His Lordship in our lives.

Slide

That is why this verse says that this is the will of God, in Christ Jesus, for our lives. Because the will of God is that we move and live and breathe in the power of Holy Spirit. It is that we would never operate out of our own strength but only by the strength of Christ in us. It is that we would become so completely dependent on Him that we would not even fathom doing life apart from Him.

Slide

And it is verses like this, that when lived out in the power of God, become a reality. We can rejoice always in the power of God. We can pray without ceasing in the power of God. And we can give thanks in all things in the power of God. Not our strength, but His alone. For His glory and for our good.

QOP- Make it Real
Slide

This week, we’ve been talking about what it means to pray without ceasing. Let’s take a second to just remind ourselves what praying without ceasing is. It’s not that God expects us to exist our whole lives in a meditative state, disconnected from the world and in constant verbal communication with Him 24/7. That is not reasonable or even possible. We need to at least sleep, eat, and take care of personal business. God would not command us to do something that we were not even physically designed to be able to fulfill.

Slide

Instead, praying without ceasing is this commitment to come back to God. It is a commitment to do life with Him, to invite Him in, and to return to Him. We don’t pray for something and then move on. Sometimes I think we view prayer like a phone call. We pick up the phone, have a conversation, and then hang up. But what God wants from us is a constant companionship, this hand in hand relationship that walks through life together.

Slide

So, understanding that praying without ceasing is the commitment to do life with God and not just inserting Him into the important parts, how do we actually live that out? I mean, that level of communion with our God sounds awesome in theory, but it's really hard to live out. I would say, that left to our own strength, it is impossible to live out. I am far too forgetful and easily distracted. My mind and my heart, if left to themselves, wanders away from God far too easily.

Slide

But this is where the power of God gets to show off in our lives. See, apart from the indwelling of Holy Spirit, we would have no power to maintain this constant connection with God. We would not be able to do it. Period. But, praise God He knew our limitations and He sent us a Helper.

Slide

This week, I was studying the Greek word used when Paul says that Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness in Romans 8:26. This word for “helps” is more than our English concept of helping- it is a deep and intimate partnership. The picture this word described is the joining of two forces to accomplish something you put your hand to. How beautiful is that?

Slide

So, when we don’t have enough, He does. He comes along side us and meets us in our weakness. And as we strive toward what God has called us to, He works in perfect partnership with us to accomplish that which we would be helpless to do on our own. He doesn’t do it all for us, He still invites us to participate for our own benefit. But He is the force that makes our efforts possible. He bridges the gap.

Slide

So, this week, as you contemplate what it looks like to live a life that is in constant companionship with your Lord and Savior, lean hard into the promise that Holy Spirit sees your weaknesses and your inability to complete the task on your own. He sees and He is poised to be your helper, your perfect partner, your strength. That’s why He was given to us by the Father and in the name of Jesus Christ. He is the literal installment of divine power in our lives that enables us to live the life we are called to live.

Slide

So be encouraged and be strengthened.

QOP- End in Prayer
Slide

Holy Spirit,

I need You. I can’t do this on my own. I need Your strength to ever hope to accomplish all I know God has willed for my life. I need Your provision, Your guidance, Your wisdom. Fill me today. I want more of You. Show me where I am not trusting You and help me to root out anything that keeps me from full reliance on Your power in my life.

In the name of Jesus Christ,

Amen

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“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.” 

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Behind the Scenes

Rejoice always… literally always. 

Pray without ceasing… meaning without stopping. 

Give thanks in everything… every single thing.  

Does anyone else read that and immediately think, “Um, how is that possible?” 

I have gotten to the point in my walk with Jesus that I am actually starting to get excited when I read passages like the one we are looking at today… impossible passages that leave me helpless to obey them apart from the power of God. And that is exactly the point! 

When the Apostle Paul wrote this, he wasn’t being glib, and he wasn’t trying to give us something we couldn’t do. In fact, he would have known how impossible this command would be in our own strength. He wrote often about how limited he felt in his own strength, how weak he was, how he could do nothing in his own strength.  

But Paul also knew the secret to walking out commands like this- total and complete dependence on Christ living in and through us. See, for Paul, and for all believers, human strength, wisdom, will, or even talent is never enough. No matter how hard we try, verses like this will constantly be outside of our natural abilities.  

And that’s because we were never meant to walk the Christian life from our own efforts. We were always meant to live it through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit in our lives and through the power of Jesus Christ manifest in us. Our personal limitations draw us into the power of God, causing a deep need inside our souls that can only be filled by His perfect presence. We have this void, this lacking in us that can only be met by Jesus Christ and His Lordship in our lives.  

That is why this verse says that this is the will of God, in Christ Jesus, for our lives. Because the will of God is that we move and live and breathe in the power of Holy Spirit. It is that we would never operate out of our own strength but only by the strength of Christ in us. It is that we would become so completely dependent on Him that we would not even fathom doing life apart from Him.  

And it is verses like this, that when lived out in the power of God, become a reality. We can rejoice always in the power of God. We can pray without ceasing in the power of God. And we can give thanks in all things in the power of God. Not our strength, but His alone. For His glory and for our good. 

Make It Real

This week, we’ve been talking about what it means to pray without ceasing. Let’s take a second to just remind ourselves what praying without ceasing is. It’s not that God expects us to exist our whole lives in a meditative state, disconnected from the world and in constant verbal communication with Him 24/7. That is not reasonable or even possible. We need to at least sleep, eat, and take care of personal business. God would not command us to do something that we were not even physically designed to be able to fulfill.  

Instead, praying without ceasing is this commitment to come back to God. It is a commitment to do life with Him, to invite Him in, and to return to Him. We don’t pray for something and then move on. Sometimes I think we view prayer like a phone call. We pick up the phone, have a conversation, and then hang up. But what God wants from us is a constant companionship, this hand in hand relationship that walks through life together.  

So, understanding that praying without ceasing is the commitment to do life with God and not just inserting Him into the important parts, how do we actually live that out? I mean, that level of communion with our God sounds awesome in theory, but it’s really hard to live out. I would say, that left to our own strength, it is impossible to live out. I am far too forgetful and easily distracted. My mind and my heart, if left to themselves, wanders away from God far too easily.  

But this is where the power of God gets to show off in our lives. See, apart from the indwelling of Holy Spirit, we would have no power to maintain this constant connection with God. We would not be able to do it. Period. But, praise God He knew our limitations and He sent us a Helper.  

This week, I was studying the Greek word used when Paul says that Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness in Romans 8:26. This word for “helps” is more than our English concept of helping- it is a deep and intimate partnership. The picture this word described is the joining of two forces to accomplish something you put your hand to. How beautiful is that? 

So, when we don’t have enough, He does. He comes along side us and meets us in our weakness. And as we strive toward what God has called us to, He works in perfect partnership with us to accomplish that which we would be helpless to do on our own. He doesn’t do it all for us, He still invites us to participate for our own benefit. But He is the force that makes our efforts possible. He bridges the gap.  

So, this week, as you contemplate what it looks like to live a life that is in constant companionship with your Lord and Savior, lean hard into the promise that Holy Spirit sees your weaknesses and your inability to complete the task on your own. He sees and He is poised to be your helper, your perfect partner, your strength. That’s why He was given to us by the Father and in the name of Jesus Christ. He is the literal installment of divine power in our lives that enables us to live the life we are called to live. 

So be encouraged and be strengthened. 

Crystal Garnett

Crystal Garnett

ACF Digital Discipleship Director and Church Planter

End in Prayer

Holy Spirit, 

I need You. I can’t do this on my own. I need Your strength to ever hope to accomplish all I know God has willed for my life. I need Your provision, Your guidance, Your wisdom. Fill me today. I want more of You. Show me where I am not trusting You and help me to root out anything that keeps me from full reliance on Your power in my life. 

In the name of Jesus Christ, 

Amen 

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