Let joy be your continual feast. Make your life a prayer. And in the midst of everything be always giving thanks, for this is God’s perfect plan for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
I found it very interesting that the word quotient is defined as “the numerical ratio usually multiplied by 100 between a test score and a standard value.” I thought that to be very interesting in relation to today”s verse. It show us the standard value, joy, prayer and thankfulness no matter what. Notice it also is not for us to generate these things on our own, it says that these things are only found in Jesus. The standard then needs to be compared to a test score. In plain English, we’re the test, and helps us look at how thankful we are and to whom.
These days there seems to be very little to be thankful for. But if we look at today’s passage, we see our gratefulness should be linked to only one thing, living out God’s individual plan for each one of us. Yet we moan and belly ache when our favorite show isn’t on TV or we’re stuck in traffic, a slow grocery line. Maybe because it’s too hot or too cold out or it’s raining. How about prices going up in the grocery store or now we can’t find toilet paper. All these things sap away our joy, makes our prayer time turn into “whine rooms” and generates anything but thankfulness.
How many today would love to go to work, a movie or attend church! Yet when we could we complained about our jobs, watched movies “on demand” and slept in on a Sunday. How much more stable would our lives be if we just were consistently grateful for things everyday and thank God for them? Let this “test” help us to consider what is truly important and that if nothing else we should be thankful that Jesus died for our sins and an abundant life. Enjoy the little things, the sunrise and sunset, that we have more time these few weeks to bond with our families. To use our technology to keep in touch with one another, not just communicate information. For our health when we don’t get the Coronavirus and I could keep going on.
The more we consider the things we do have, the less we will think of what we don’t and we’ll find ourselves living in a joy that will help us want to spend time with Jesus in prayer and we will be grateful because we are walking in God’s plan for us. So take time each day to find at least three things you’re thankful for and remind yourself of them each night when you go to bed and you will find a rest you’ve never known. Try it, you’ll like it!
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