R, T, P...
Rejoicing, Thankfulness, and Prayer. Those are three elements we hope to dig into this Fall season. We will be looking specifically at Philippians 4:4-9 and 1Thesalonians 5:16-19.
"Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me - put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you." (Phil. 4: 4-9)
"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not put out the Spirit's fire." (1Thes. 5:16-19)
The call to action is at the end of the Philippians passage. It's recruitment time. It's time to actually put into practice all the things we have heard and have learned. It's time to make the most out of our short lives here. We've got one shot at this. There's 'being' and 'doing' involved. It's time to bring life and action into our faith. May our faith not be considered dead. May others see a difference in our lives and want to emulate them. May they be drawn to Jesus. May we be effective ambassadors for Christ, walking in faith, exercising the gifts He has bestowed upon us to build His kingdom. At the end of the Thessalonian passage lies an interesting command to chew on. May we not put out the Spirit's fire along our journey to heaven. Bless us, Lord, with the wisdom, knowledge, direction, conviction, and encouragement as we dive deeply into these passages of Your Word. May we be about giving You all the glory in life.
