When your
Grandmother is Irene Ballard and your mother is Frances Green one could not
grow up and not understand this scripture.
Growing up as a child the words in this scripture were words I heard
often, and at times when all is quiet and still I can hear those words being
spoken by either one.
“Be joyful
always.” That doesn’t say sometimes or when we feel like it, but we are to be
joyful always. Even if we have received
devastating news we should be joyful.
We are able to be joyful because we have the Lord in our hearts to
comfort and guide us.
“Pray continually.” What this means is that we
are to maintain a close relationship with the Lord. For example, we text our friends and family,
sometimes even in the same room. What
are we doing? We are communicating. That is the relationship that the Lord
desires for us to have with him. It is a
constant sharing of our heart with His great heart, knowing he cares for us and
delights in our conversation.
“Give thanks in
all circumstances.” This is similar to the first directive for us to be
joyful. It is our acknowledgement that
we agree with what God is doing in our life.
There are
things that keep our faith burning and things that put it out. When we continue
to learn what God says in the Word our faith will continue to grow and as it
does we need to hold onto the good things and not let them go. This will keep our faith burning brightly!
We need to let
go of all the things that burn out our faith and that applies to the to the TV
shows we watch, the language we use, people we hang out with or the places we
go. Our faith in Jesus is too
important.
We grow in our faith every day by being
faithful, being fruitful, and remembering that we are forgiven. After all, the
one who calls you is faithful—and he will do all these things. Jesus is our
Savior.
Prayer:
We rejoice in the knowledge that our true joy is rooted in the One who
promises unending joy. So rejoice, pray
and give thanks. Amen
Elizabeth
Collins
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