“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
The day came to close on the sale of our long.time home. We would downsize to a cottage in a retirement center, but it was a hard decision. After turning over our keys to the house, I sighed and asked the Lord, “Now what?” In my heart I knew His answer: “Rejoice and be glad!” So began my determination to see God’s goodness everywhere in life and to celebrate it with joy.
Our response to the trials and tribulations of life can be joy, not because we’re impervious to heartaches, sufferings, and sin, but because we are in Christ Jesus who has overcome the world. It’s He who gives us the ability to celebrate.
Christians not only are commanded to rejoice, but to do so continually. Sounds impossible, doesn’t it? But God doesn’t ask us to do what He has not given us the ability to complete. As we mature in Christ, we see that our rejoicing doesn’t depend on happy circumstances but rather on the perfectly loving presence of God. And when we can’t see our way through to celebrate, “the one who calls you is faithful and he will do it” (v. 24)!
Yvonne Swope and her husband Donald, along with their two cats, have recently settled into their new life at a retirement center in Williamsburg, Virginia. In this community they have found an atmosphere of joyful gratitude among the residents. She loves writing, listening to the life stories of others, and sharing her own stories of God’s goodness. Yvonne and her husband especially enjoy being with their ten grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. This is her eighth Anchor writing.
Our response to the trials and tribulations of life can be joy, not because we’re impervious to heartaches, sufferings, and sin, but because we are in Christ Jesus who has overcome the world. It’s He who gives us the ability to celebrate.
Christians not only are commanded to rejoice, but to do so continually. Sounds impossible, doesn’t it? But God doesn’t ask us to do what He has not given us the ability to complete. As we mature in Christ, we see that our rejoicing doesn’t depend on happy circumstances but rather on the perfectly loving presence of God. And when we can’t see our way through to celebrate, “the one who calls you is faithful and he will do it” (v. 24)!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yvonne C. Swope
Yvonne Swope and her husband Donald, along with their two cats, have recently settled into their new life at a retirement center in Williamsburg, Virginia. In this community they have found an atmosphere of joyful gratitude among the residents. She loves writing, listening to the life stories of others, and sharing her own stories of God’s goodness. Yvonne and her husband especially enjoy being with their ten grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. This is her eighth Anchor writing.
Scripture Focus
1 Thessalonians 5:16-24
Insight
Verse 16, “Be joyful always,” is one of the shortest verses in the Bible. But those words hold a world of importance to us.
Bible In A Year
- Job 41-42
- Psalm 62
- John 1