We may not be able to choose the situation we find ourselves in, but we can choose how we respond.
- We Must Learn to Rejoice Perpetually (5:16)
- We can never truly rejoice if we have not been liberated from our sin.
- Christian joy is not a switch we turn on and off but rather exists as a reflection of our encounter with Jesus and the Word of God.
- The fulfillment of Jesus’ miraculous birth, life, death, resurrection and promise of ultimate return provide us with sufficient reason to rejoice in every circumstance.
- We Must Learn to Pray Constantly (5:17)
- Prayer is far more than a last-ditched call for divine intervention.
- Our approach to prayer reveals what we believe to be true about God.
- Learning to pray requires intentional effort and ongoing practice. We must seek to cultivate a lifestyle approach to prayer.
- We Must Learn to Live with Invariable Thanksgiving (5:18)
- If we believe that God has the whole world in His hands, then we must live with a heart filled with gratitude.
- Thanksgiving is not an act we partake in once a year but rather a continual response to what God has done and is doing in our lives.
- No matter how challenging our current situation may be, we must remember that God is working His plan to fruition.
What God has willed; we cannot ignore.
To follow a man named Jesus is to commit to living a life that rejoices, prays, and is grateful no matter the roughness of the road.