| Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “Fully Alive” Our Bible verse for today: “Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Don’t stifle the Spirit.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 (CSB) Our thought for today: “Attitude is everything!” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 is one of the most important verses in the New Testament when it comes to living a life that is fully alive, and therefore it’s worth spending a few moments this morning carefully considering it. First, Paul’s instruction to us in these verses is written in the form of a command. These aren’t suggestions. He isn’t offering us good guidance. He’s telling us emphatically to do these things. Choose to do this. Make up your mind, be intentional about it, and purposely do it. “Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in everything.” There are literally dozens of verses in both the Old and New Testaments which tell us over and over again to choose joy, to pray about all things, and to be thankful. When God tells us something that many times, it must mean that He wants us to do it. That’s why Paul also writes, “…for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” He then goes on in verse 19 to tell us that if we don’t intentionally adopt those attitudes of joy, prayer, and thankfulness, we stifle the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The Spirit can have less of a positive impact in our lives because we have not adopted the attitude we have been instructed to have. It is a choice. We have to be intentional about these things. Make a decision, “I choose joy over despair.”; Then decide, “I will pray more – about big things and about small things.”; And also, “I will be thankful for what I have rather than regretting what I don’t have, and I will count my blessings frequently.” This is an attitude that has to be purposefully adopted and then practiced with discipline and intentionality until it becomes your dominant mindset. Over time, thinking like that will simply become your nature. If you have a bad attitude, you cannot and will not be fully alive – you won’t be at your best and truly enjoying life. There’s a reason God commanded us through Paul to intentionally cultivate and maintain a good attitude. It’s because in life, attitude is everything. God Bless, Pastor Jim |
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