The Awesome Threesome Guaranteed… to Change You!

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Rejoice.Pray.Give thanks. 1-2-3… simple as A-B-C… easy as Do-Re-Me… Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

Follow – Follow – Follow – Follow the yellow brick road… to Oz, where Wizard will “give you a  heart – courage – a brain – a home… FOR SURE!

Most of us  Some of us  A few of us will memorize the awesome threesome… rejoice. pray. give thanks…  and proceed through the Cliff Notes for a newborn’s “Growing Up to Be a Good Christian” manual, which of course we all want to happen within the next few weeks  days minutes of our mentoring.

Rejoice? Be Happy!… Pray? Whatever!… Give Thanks? Certainly, once received!

There’s just one, maybe two, or perhaps three tiny exceptions… Always – without ceasing – in everything.

“Hey they’re (we’re) just babies here, let’s start with just the basics!” As far as the rest of the sentence, that’s for a DEEPER Bible Study, say college/divinity school taught by the “Do as I say, not as I do” method of learning.

Unfortunately Fortunately, God’s syllabus follows His plan – His will – His way (And He doesn’t change)!

First… Get a life and LIVE the life you get.

Rejoice always; In the “Strong’s Concordance”, one of definitions for “rejoice” is “to be well, thrive”.

I love this word THRIVE… Happy? Not necessarily, especially if I don’t happen to like or approve of the details of today… but LIVING WELL(my version of thriving!), the life I have today.

Jesus says, John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”Jesus brings a life worth pursuing to live it well. Not a our “Fake It Until you Make It” life, but a rejoicing (living well)life.  Neither ignoring the ALWAYS, or re-defining it as time spent in my prayer closet, an abundant life which begins when God breathed into your/my nostrils the breath of life; and we became a LIVING being. (Genesis 2:7)From this moment until the last breath we are living beings made in God’s image, fearfully and wonderfully made, to rejoice (passionately live well) – THRIVE in the life we have been given.

Number 2…Not by chance but absolutely the middle – the CENTER… of the awesome threesome. Pray without ceasing; communication (communion) with… the GIVER OF LIFE for all the days of said life. The asking/talking part of our time in God’s throne room is thoroughly taught/researched/practiced to the point that we are usually left with no time for COMMUNION side of communicating! Without ceasing my well be defined as without missing a beat of the day I have planned.

Three of three… the one able to leap the tallest and baddest of all independent nonsense.

In everything give thanks; Gratitude! Not taught nor used much in our world today. We are so desensitized to the blessings that rain down every moment of every day over every created person/place/thing in all the earth. If it’s not something I want/wish for/expect at this moment, I refuse to acknowledge or accept it as a trigger to give my thanks. “Sure, it may be something I need, but hey, God OWES me THOSE THINGS! My slave and/or debtor does not require MY gratitude… they should be grateful that I call them mine or give them my attention!”

Rejoicing.Praying.Giving thanks are all three necessary endeavors for a well lived life. But for a CHANGED life one must never leave out God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

If you refuse to believe in The Giver of Life, or you kick Him out like we are doing in our schools and government, or even put Him in a small closet called “Church”, the results will always be an empty vessel.

You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:13) Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6)

Give me! Give me! Give me! Its our mantra for life.

So God did give… “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

For a changed life… JUST SAY JESUS! Make it God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. (Philippians 2:13) With Jesus, Rejoice.Pray.Give thanks become the AWESOME THREESOME.

GUARANTEED to change your life when you ask – seek – knock!  Give me! Give me! Give me JESUS!

**All Scripture quoted comes from the “Bible Gateway” app and is the NASB version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.