1 Thessalonians 5:12-28

I Thessalonians 5:12-28
12Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. 13Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. 14And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else. 16Be joyful always; 17pray continually; 18give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 19Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; 20do not treat prophecies with contempt. 21Test everything. Hold on to the good. 22Avoid every kind of evil. 23May 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. 24The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it. 25Brothers, pray for us. 26Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss. 27I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers. 28The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Devotion (Jen Bunch)
I think about being joyful a lot. Sometimes it feels like our society promotes the idea that everyone is trying to “bring you down.” It’s so easy to fall prey to this idea. There is a great song (from the 1990s!) by Larnelle Harris called “I Choose Joy.” In the song, the lyrics are written, “If not another blessing came, I’d still give you praise.” I think of this song often when I’m having a particularly bad day, because God has given me so many blessings, that if he really did choose to never give me another one, I should still spend the rest of my life in joyful praise and thanksgiving to him for all he has given me. This helps me to have an attitude of gratitude, praying continually and giving thanks in all things.

Prayer:
Dear God, thank you for all of the blessings you have given me in my life. Help me to be grateful in all things and to choose a life of joy. In Jesus’ name, Amen