DaySpring Daily Word of Inspiration: 1 Thess. 5:16-18 – Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Once again we are faced with looking at our lives here in 2014 and the question remains; Do I look more like a person who serves the interest of Christ or the interest of this world? We all want to make strides in the New Year to start fresh, new and against the grain of our natural wants, actions and desires. However, have we focused in on what that newness should look like? Do you have the correct model in front of us to mimic our lives after? God’s will for you and I is not for us to just look like a Christian but to have a core existence of the fruits that come from living a Christ-centered lifestyle. Fruits? The writer here suggests that some of the fruit that are produced by a Christ-like mindset and lifestyle are that of constant prayer, always rejoicing and giving thanks to God in good times ……..and yes, the bad times too.

You say, well it’s cliché to say, “Thank you God for waking me up this morning”. I would submit to you why would that be – if you absolutely mean it?! I don’t remember any one of us having the power, knowledge or ability to tell ourselves to wake up because we should be living today. This is a direct blessing from God, another chance (which is undeserved) to get it right before we destroy ourselves. Why shouldn’t you rejoice or give thanks to God for that? As you live in Christ, being molded by his commands and principles, did you know that you will be in-line with the direct WILL OF GOD? That’s a hard task to accomplish already in itself! Why? Well simply because we sometimes don’t want to submit to authority.

Now, I know what you’re thinking, what does submitting to authority have to do with being in God’s will? Well take this on; When you were a child, your parents told you to do things that you didn’t like. As you aged, you did them (without grumbling) on your own, it made them proud. Over a course of time, you saw that their instruction was good for you and it (hopefully) resulted in you honoring them with praise to your friends & colleagues & even thanking them for instilling in you great principles that have shaped you into the person you are today. Well the same is with God!!!!! He is our heavenly Father. He instructs us on what to do. As we grow and take on his principles in our lives on our own (FREE WILL), He is proud of us for growing in and displaying his will for our lives. Then we start to praise him, give him thanks and talk to him more often (pray) because he instilled amazing things in our lives that make us who we are today and allow us to talk to other about him. By submitting to His authority as we would our own parents our lives are enriched by their teachings and when we’re obedient to those teachings, life in the mold of the one we’ve submitted to. It was their will for us to have a particular life. Submitting to the Father and obeying this commands helps us achieve His will for our lives.

We pray today that you too can live in God’s will through Jesus’s example and that it produces nothing short of giving thanks, praise and continual praying into your life. May God be praised, in Jesus’ name, AMEN.