God's Will
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May 24, 2015 |
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 "Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
Senior Pastor Dr. Jaerock Lee
We can see that some believers receive love from God, experience His grace, and receive many blessings in their everyday lives while other believers, though they seemingly try hard, suffer from hardships or persecutions and live difficult lives.
So, where does this difference come from? It depends on the extent to which they understand God's will and obey it. Then, what is His will toward His beloved children?
First, God's will is that we should rejoice always.
We can rejoice always if we believe that God is the One who created the heavens and the earth and all things in them, that it is He who controls human history, and He is also our Father.
We were destined to go to Hell due to sins, but we have been saved through Jesus Christ and have become God's children. Now we can go to Heaven, so how can we not rejoice?
Some people might say they are in a situation where they cannot rejoice at all because they have diseases, family problems, or financial problems. But if we rejoice only when we have something joyful and if we do not rejoice when we have tests, trials, or problems, then aren't we the same as non-believers?
For non-believers, their whole purpose of life is on this earth. Because they do not know the spiritual realm, they rejoice only when there is something joyful. At other times, they just live in the concerns, worries, sorrow, and pain. Because they don't know there is Heaven and Hell after death, they just follow the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of this life in an attempt to enjoy their lives, which is only for 70 or 80 years.
But, by believing in Jesus Christ they are saved and become God's children. They have hope for Heaven, so they can rejoice not only when there is something good but also in the midst of tests, trials, or pains. After they experience the relativity of things in this world, they enjoy glory and happiness forever in the eternal kingdom of heaven. They can also rejoice even in trials if they believe that even those trials are allowed by God so that they can receive even better heavenly dwelling places and even greater glory.
Secondly, it is God's will that we pray without ceasing.
1) We have to make it a habit to pray.
Some people pray only when they feel like it or they have a problem. Some others pray only when they are in a good mood or when there is something to be thankful for. But we have to make it a habit and pray all the time like the Lord did. Many biblical figures made it a rule to pray.
Right after accepting Jesus Christ, you might not know how to pray, and feel it is difficult to pray. But as you continuously learn God's Word and keep on praying, your spirit will grow up and prosper, so that you will be able to pray powerfully.
When God's children, who were born again of the Holy Spirit, cease to pray, at first they might not feel the difference so much. But as time passes, they feel increasingly more afflicted in their hearts. Just as we will die if we do not breathe, if we do not pray for a long time, our spirit also has no choice but to die.
One of the main reasons tests and trials come upon believers is because they cease to pray. As we fill up the measure of prayer by following our habit of praying, we will be able to keep the Spirit's fullness and receive the strength to live in God's Word. Then, we can always be protected by God.
2) To pray without ceasing is to pray at all times in the Spirit.
Sometimes the Holy Spirit urges our hearts to pray other than our designated prayer time. If we obey and pray at these moments, we might experience something special, for instance, avoiding a big problem or an accident.
To pray at all times in the Spirit is to be guided by the Holy Spirit all the time with a prayerful heart. When the Holy Spirit speaks to us and urges our heart, we can hear His voice and obey the urging only when we are awake with a prayerful heart. We can be sensitively receptive to the Holy Spirit's works only when we pray being on the alert.
3) To pray without ceasing is to meditate on God's Word day and night.
The word of the truth must be active all the time in our heart no matter where we are, what we are doing, or who we are with. Some believers seem to be crying out in prayer, but as they go back to the world, they live in their old ways of living without any change. No matter how long we pray, if we live in fleshly thoughts and untruths, we cannot be considered to have prayed with our heart.
If we pray without ceasing and with all our heart, God's Word will always dwell in our heart. Then, we can be guided by the Holy Spirit at all times. When we do this, our lives will change; we will be able to cast away evil and become holy, and will be guided to the way of prosperity.
On the contrary, if we cease to pray and lose the fullness of the Holy Spirit, thereby being unable to receive the Holy Spirit's guidance, then the fleshly thoughts will lead us. Then, we will not be able to live by God's will, and we will suffer from hardships. We then tend to put our own will ahead of God's will, we might even end up being caught in the traps of Satan.
The enemy devil always tries to take away our faith so we won't go to Heaven. They are searching for someone to devour like a roaring lion, and we can drive it away only when we pray without ceasing. For this reason God tells us to pray unceasingly, and even says it is sin to cease to pray (1 Samuel 12:23).
Thirdly, God's will is that we give thanks in everything.
If we can always rejoice and pray without ceasing, we will have many conditions of thanksgiving in our lives. Although we do not have visible and tangible things to give thanks for, we can still give thanks in everything if we rejoice always and pray without ceasing. It's because we have already received such great grace and deep love of God that even if we give thanks all the time for the rest of our lives we cannot repay Him for it.
We were forgiven of our sins and have gained eternal life through the saving grace of Jesus Christ. We have received the right to become God's children and have the hope of Heaven. If we understand this secret of salvation, how can we not give thanks in everything as children of God?
By the way, to give thanks in everything is not just giving thanks for good things but even in the midst of hardships. Anyone can give thanks when there are things to give thanks for.
If we give thanks with faith even in a situation where we cannot really give thanks, God accepts such faith joyfully and gives us blessing, so that all things will work out for the best (Romans 8:28). Thanksgiving has such wonderful power to change any kind of circumstances or situation.
The same principle applies to growth of faith. God is leading each of us in the best way for us individually. He sometimes allows trials and unfolds before us the procedures that are required for our spiritual growth. At those times, depending on how thankful we are in each situation, our growth of faith will also be different.
If you think like, "Why has my faith increased only a little?", then it is proof that you are not thankful. Therefore, I hope you will give thanks in all circumstances by seeing everything with faith.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, faith without works is dead, and faith is perfected by the works. I urge you to check yourself based on the passage "Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks." I hope you will obey God's will by clearly understanding it. I pray in the name of the Lord in doing so you will receive God's blessing and answers as well as gain His love and recognition.
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