About ten years ago, a good friend of mine gave me one of those daily flip calendars that had a memory verse for each day. I won’t lie, in the moment I thought it was a little cheesy and wasn’t thrilled by the gift because, “I’m not that kind of person”… turns out I actually kind of am.
It’s like an all-year-round Advent calendar… with less chocolate. But also with more reminders of who God is and who I am as a child of God.
The verse for today, May 4th, is this:
“Always be joyful.
Never stop praying.
Be thankful in all circumstances,
for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NLT
I had sensed the Spirit nudging me last night to use whichever verse it would be as the prompt for today’s devo. When I flipped it over last night to check it out I couldn’t help but chuckle.
I’ve officially joined the Covid-positive crew and have been in and out of sleep, fever, coughing fits and migraines… and here the Lord was reminding me to re-set my priorities.
Right here, right now.
And so I began giving thanks!
Thank you that I haven’t coughed in 5 minutes!
Thank you that I have such a cozy bed to live in!
Thank you that I can still smell and taste things!
Thank you for cough drops and tea and for Vicks VapoRub!
I’ll confess, I was being a teeny bit cheeky at first, but even in the midst of my silliness, I began to notice something super interesting…
The more I gave thanks for one thing, the quicker I was able to think of another thing to give thanks for. It was like being joyful led to more joy; like giving thanks bred even more thankfulness in my heart!
Before I knew it, I was interceding for others I know who also have Covid right now and are in way less comfy/homey places. I began praying for our hospitals and for all of the frontline medical professionals and hospital staff who are tirelessly working to keep people alive. I began praising the Lord that so many of you reading this in our Lifespring family have already kicked Covid and risen above it healed up and whole.
And then I began to understand why this is “God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus”.
God doesn’t instruct us to always be joyful or to always be giving thanks no matter what because he’s cruel or because he doesn’t understand how hard things can be. I believe God calls us to such a high standard because he does know how impossibly difficult things can be and he knows that having a mindset of joy, prayer and thanksgiving will ultimately strengthen and help us persevere through the challenges.
The Lord also knows we are not perfect. Thankfully the instructions in this passage are not to do all these things OR ELSE!! It doesn’t say… “This is God’s will… and he will be extremely disappointed in you every time you complain.” No.
Because all of us are held together in Christ, in love, there is no fear for the times we cannot give thanks or cannot conceptualize how to rejoice. Perfect love casts out fear! (1 John 4:18)
At the end of 1 Thessalonians, Paul writes, “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.” (verses 23-24)
I love this! Because this is Paul reminding the Thessalonians (and us) that this is the work of God alone. That we are being sanctified (being set apart and made holy) over time and through the work of God.
This is something I am also taking great comfort in, because honestly, there have been way more moans and groans and complaining over the last few days than I’d like to admit. But I am being sanctified! All of us are being sanctified, Lifespring!
May we find that to be our starting point for giving thanks today.
Lord,
Stir up joy within the Lifespring family…
as we face this moment and this day and the weeks to follow.
May our default mindset become one of prayer and thanksgiving!
May we remind ourselves and one another of your mercies that are new every morning;
of your great faithfulness that carries us through our moments of weakness.
Thank you setting the bar so high for us and for loving us and casting out fear
as you sanctify us, God.
We love you so much!
Amen