Today’s "Life Journal" Daily Bible Reading can be found on Line. Click Here!
Give Me An Attitude Like Paul's!
Scripture
1 Thessalonians 5
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Observation
Let me repeat what Paul just said, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances” and I think that key words in this verse are the words, “always, continually, and all.”
As I continue to get better every day Kathy has had to remind me several times that my attitude next some readjustment. I have become frustrated and angry at times over such petty things. I am glad that I have a wife that has learned to call me down when I am acting in a way that doesn’t bring glory to the Lord Jesus Christ. Imagine me getting frustrated and angry…believe it!
Paul was stoned and left for dead, he was flogged with a whip multiple times, he was shipwrecked, he was put in jail, he was persecuted and the Jewish leaders were constantly trying to kill him and yet he writes, “rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
I believe I am right in the center of God’s will for my life and yet He allowed me to experience what it is like to have a massive heart attack and experience a slow (at least I think so) day-by-day recovery. Yes, God allowed it. And He expects me to “rejoice always, pray continually, and give thanks even in these circumstances.”
I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything. Don’t get me wrong I don’t ever want to repeat it over again, but it has been one of the most spiritual times of my life. I am totally overwhelmed when I think about it. It has nothing to do with me personally but it has everything to do with how Christians from all over the world prayed and prayed and prayed for me. I cry every time I think about how our church responded and how St Joseph Hospital had never seen anything like it. How people surrounded Kathy and my children and stayed with them throughout the ordeal and brought food and how they constantly prayed for my recovery. I have been told that people lined the hallway in front of the intensive care where I was and cried out for God to save me! I am humbled and totally overwhelmed by emotion thinking about what was done on my behalf.
So I have reason to “rejoice always, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances” for this is the will of God for me in Christ Jesus.
Application
I will write these verses on a card and put them up in several places in our house to remind me of the attitude that I should have as I recover. And I will get Kathy to say them to me every time I start to lose it over something small and trivial.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, help me to rejoice always. Help me to pray continually. And help me to give You thanks in all circumstances because I know that this is Your will for me in Christ Jesus. Thank You for every thing that I have gone through over the past 5 weeks. Thank You for every person that has lifted my name up to You. You are worthy of Praise. You are the Creator God. Thank You for delighting in someone like me!
Today’s "Life Journal" Daily Bible Reading can be found on Line. Click Here!
No comments:
Post a Comment