If It Is Not Good

1Thessalonians 5: 16-18 16Rejoice always, 17pray without ceasing,  18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

 

 

 

Give thanks, and rejoice? Pray without ceasing? I know I can hear some of you now….really Brian? Do you know the year I have had? Do you know the struggles, the disappointments, the tragedy, and the fix I am in right now? You are saying that I should still give thanks? I should still rejoice? I am telling you unequivocally, yes give thanks. At the moment when you think you have nothing to give thanks, is the moment you should realize there is someone (most likely in the same town, if not neighborhood) who would love to trade places with you. In all things, at all times, give thanks and rejoice. Think of the years that Joseph spent in jail (for a crime he did not really commit no less), think of Noah and the doves that came back with nothing to show. What about Paul in Prison? Time and time again throughout the Bible we see people in dire positions. Things are not looking good, as a matter of fact most of the time they are looking pretty grim. Yet we do not see despair, we do not see isolation, we do not see  then throwing in the towel, or starting up a pity party. No, we read of them praying, singing songs of praise and worship, we see them giving thanks for their lives, even though it is not the way they want it to be right then…….and there it is, the bottom line, and the brass tack. All of them had a couple of things in common, they were not where they wanted to be, but they had faith that it was not where they would end up. Romans 8:28 tells us that God works for the good in the lives of those who love Him. Do you know what that means? If it is not good, then God is not done. That my friends is a cause for eternal optimism. What can’t we endure for a short while?

 

Time is something we created. There is not an eighth day where it is written that God created the 24 hour day. I am convinced that it is one of the biggest hindrances to our relationship with Christ. You see our time is nothing to Him. As a result it seems like we are always “waiting an eternity” when it is really just a blink of an eye.  The storm you weather now is worthy of thanks. For it is that storm that will draw you closer to the Lord. Now I am not by any means saying that God makes bad things happen to us so we will love Him more. That would make the Lord a pretty petty God. However bad things happen in life, by our choosing, by our actions, the actions of others, sometimes we really can’t see why. If you survive it in one piece will largely depend on if you believe this is the end or not. I remember when I was a kid, and a F was the “end of the world” then later when a girl dumped me, that was “the end of the world” later in life the loss of a job, or a missed promotion was “the end” Until one day it finally clicked, this can’t be the end, because this is not good. That tells me two things, it is going to get better, and no matter how much this hurts, it will not last a lifetime. That my friends is worthy of thanks. And you can bet I was praying through the whole time, then praying some more after just, to say thanks again.

 

Oh yeah, I know it is easy to say, but hard to do, it is hard to find the voice to give thanks when the boot of life seems to be crushing your windpipe ….but let me ask you this, what have you ever received in life for free that was worth having?  Your home?  Your spouse? Your job? Life takes a lot of hard work, so why would we think that our spiritual life would be a walk in the park? The closer you get to the Lord, the harder the devil will work to pull you away.  I offer up this challenge, your next hardship, perhaps that is right now, give thanks, give thanks that it is not worse, give thanks that it is short lived, you pick what to be thankful for, but give thanks, then pray, offer up your troubles, give Christ the chance to show up, let Him know that you depend on Him, and then here is the hard part…… rejoice. If for no other reason than you know that the end of this storm must be coming. Make it a point to rejoice. Yes I do know how hard that can be. I have been there and done it……and I want you to know, it will work. God is not a liar, Christ will not leave you, the Holy Spirit will not subside. If it is not good, He is not done, and that is a huge reason to rejoice, pray, and give thanks.

 

 

God Bless,

 

Brian Thetford

 

The Ridge Fellowship

 

Psalm22

 

The Workweek With Christ