Pastor Nihal and the congregation of the Church of The Good Shepherd Thimbirigasyaya gave me an opportunity. I shared the word at their evening service on the first Sunday in 2026. It was such a joy and honor and I thank God for the opportunity.
Our text for this message is from 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18. I began by sharing my testimony. It happened while I was worshiping at this church in 2016.
We had reached the point where funds were depleted. Our two boys were in an ‘IB’ curriculum. I could not afford their school fees after the next 18 months. It was time for me to explore other employment opportunities.
As a family, we sat and discussed the situation and what needed to be done prayerfully. We also agreed that we would ask God specifically as to where I would like to have a job! The boys wanted to get back to the school in the Philippines, we agreed, we all prayed!
Long story short, doors opened in miraculous ways. I would be happy to share the details with you. By May 2017, I had a job in the Philippines. As a family, we moved, and the boys got enrolled in the same school they had been.
We received one request from the boys after our move. We should be open to God and His voice. Additionally, we should attend a more ‘open’, ‘non-traditional’ church! It took a while for me to understand ‘God’s Heart for the Next Generation’. Psalm 127:3 spoke to us– “Children are a heritage from the Lord.” We understood that being available for our children honors God’s gift.
The request was fulfilled with His help, today our boys serve in this Church together with their spouses! As parents, there is no greater joy.
We are used to certain ‘traditions’ in the front-line churches. One such tradition is that every Sunday, we ‘recite’ the prayers from the printed liturgy. This liturgy is placed in the pew in front of us as I speak.
A general statement I make here, many of us beat the vicar when it comes to reciting the ‘Lord’s Prayer’! The message to all is that there is a danger here – Traditions Can Replace a Relationship with Ritual.
➡️ Ritual without heart leads to spiritual emptiness.
Our text gives us three impossible commands “Rejoice; pray; give thanks”
Can we honestly say, “I rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and in everything I give thanks!”
We have trouble understanding God’s will in some areas of our lives. Yet, ‘rejoicing always’, ‘praying without ceasing’, and ‘giving thanks always’ is God’s will for US in Christ Jesus!
The last phrase in the passage of scripture gives us some context: We must be “in Christ Jesus.” For us, being in union with Him through His Holy Spirit in us is essential. Without this union, we never come close to obeying these commands.
1. God commands us to rejoice always.
What does this command mean? Does “rejoicing always” mean we should always wear a smile? Does it mean having an upbeat bounce in our steps? Is it a sin if we ever feel sad, depressed, upset, or grieved? If “rejoicing always” means always presenting a bold/happy face and never feeling sad, then we have a problem!
Scripture encourages us, it is written that neither Jesus nor Paul were always happy.
So “rejoice always” does not mean, “Deny our feelings, put on a happy face, and never feel sad”. We know and we will experience trials and this is to train us as His children; the Bible acknowledges this is Hebrews 12:
What then does Paul means when he commands, “Rejoice always”?
It’s important to remember that he wrote this to believers who were suffering persecution because of their faith. Do we?
In difficult trials or if people have mistreated us because of our faith, we can focus on the things above. Christ is at the right hand of God. Our life is hidden in Him. The encouragement for us is to understand that this command to ‘rejoice always’ is not primarily about feelings. Instead, it is an act of obedience.
2. God commands us to pray without ceasing.
This command too generates the question ‘Does this mean that I must pray every waking moment?’ Obviously, not, because neither Paul nor the Lord Jesus did that!
OUR PRAYERS CANNOT BE LIKE HOW WE RECITE THE LORDS PRAYER EVERY SUNDAY! WE ARE ALWAYS RUSHING TO FINISH THE SERVICE WITHIN 1 HOUR!
We recite the prayer – ‘THY WILL BE DONE’ and then when ‘His will’ is done, we complain!
WHEN WE PRAY, COINCIDENCES HAPPEN AND WHEN WE DON’T PRAY, THEY DON’T!
Our prayers should be frequent and persistent:
- Like the friend who came at midnight to ask for a loaf of bread (Luke 11:5-13), we persistently knock. We continue until we get what we’re after.
- We are persistent like the widow who kept bothering the unjust judge (Luke 18:1-8). We keep coming back until we obtain what we were asking for.
I shared a story that one of my favorite preacher shared – https://www.facebook.com/share/r/15wDfkVcLH/
Prayer claims the promises of God during our trials. Laying hold of God’s promises brings joy. We know that He is for us.
WHEN WE PRAY, COINCIDENCES HAPPEN AND WHEN WE DON’T PRAY, THEY DON’T!
3. God commands us to give thanks in everything
Giving thanks in every situation does not mean that we must be happy with every situation. Nor do we have to be submissive to accept matters without praying and working for change.
When God takes us through hard trials, we don’t feel thankful. Nonetheless, by faith, we can say, “Lord, I trust that You are good. I trust that You know what You’re doing in this difficult situation.” The story of Joseph illustrates this truth.
Joseph’s brothers hated him and planned to kill him until they saw a caravan of traders heading toward Egypt. They cruelly sold their brother into slavery.
Later, he managed to reconcile with his brothers and to see his aged father again. Later, after Jacob died, the brothers feared that Joseph would get even with them for what they had done. Joseph was so upset that his brothers still did not understand him. He then wept and asked, “Am I God, am I in God’s place?”
Then he revealed the theological perspective that had sustained him during those awful years of slavery and imprisonment in Gen 50:20
Joseph saw God both as sovereign and good. Submitting to the sovereign goodness of God in every situation IS the key to a thankful heart.
The Lord spoke through the Prophet Isaiah 43:18-19. He encourages us and reminds us that HE is with us.
Our desire must be to be in union with Jesus through His Spirit.
INSPIRE 