Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Rejoice, Pray, Give Thanks

What do you want to be when you grow up?

What do you want to do with your life?
Where do you see yourself in five years?

Why are you pursuing this particular field?

These are all questions we are familiar with, if you’re anywhere from eight to 80 years old. All throughout our life, the focus is on what we are planning on doing, what career we are planning to follow.
As Christians, we wonder about God’s will for us quite often. That’s the point where the questions go from the ones above to this:
What does God have planned for my life? Is this really the job He wants me to take? Is this the right place to live or should I move? Where will God have me in five years?
The answer for what God’s will is for our lives is in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18:

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

God simply wants us to rejoice, pray, and give thanks. Everything else flows from these things. God will work through our rejoicing, prayers, and thankfulness to reach others.
This means that whether you are a doctor, waitress, or stay at home mom, God wants you to rejoice, pray, and give thanks during your day. But what does this look like, you might ask? Here are some examples from the above mentioned jobs:

Rejoicing

·         A doctor can rejoice when a patient’s tests come back with good results

·         A waitress can rejoice when all of the customer’s orders are correct from the kitchen

·         A stay at home mom can rejoice when her kids happily help with chores

Praying

·         A doctor can pray for those families who get bad news, that they will lean into God and experience healing

·         A waitress can pray for each family that she serves

·         A stay at home mom can pray for her children to become world changers

Giving thanks

·         A doctor can give thanks when surgeries go well and when patients take on a healthier way of life

·         A waitress can give thanks for all of the people she has come into contact with and for what God did through her in the time that they were in the restaurant

·         A stay at home mom can give thanks when she senses her children are learning life lessons, even if they are hard in the moment.

I once heard a pastor say: “A calling has nothing to do with your occupation and everything to do with your identity.” Since our calling is about our identity and not only our jobs, our calling is a part of every area of our lives.  

What your job is ultimately does not matter when it comes to God’s will: what matters is who you are in Christ.

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