1 Thessalonians 5:16-18Amplified Bible
16 Rejoice always and delight in your faith; 17 be unceasing and persistent in prayer; 18 in every situation [no matter what the circumstances] be thankful and continually give thanks to God; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Happiness(?!?) of the United Family
One of the greatest blessings we have is our family. A happy marriage is worth more than any fortune; a united family is worth more than any wealth. A family that honors God is a valuable testimony to the richness of God’s blessing in life.
A family dedicated to serving the Lord and is devoted to each other in all things and at all times and during all seasons and under all circumstances, is a family that at all times, during all seasons, under all circumstances knows happiness.
The husband who fears the Lord and wants to live God’s way works with all his energy for a safe and well behaved godly home for all of his family members.
He loves his wife “just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25); he is united to and faithful to his wife, who is “like a fruitful vine.” They love, respect, show open affection and care for one another too.
And if they are blessed with children, their children are “like olive shoots,” fruitful in bringing more blessing into their lives. Godly parents teach their children in the ways of the Lord so that they may be blessed all the days of their lives. Mothers and fathers are not antagonizing nor provoking their children.
And if God wills it, as long as he tarries, they may live to see their children’s children, receiving even more abundant blessings and joys from God’s hand.
With blessing the Lord brings prosperity, peace, and joy to families who seek to honor him. Coming together as a family is a wondrous time of faith, fellowship.
When you each honor God in your home, you will always have him as an ally.
The Word of God for the Children of God, for the Body of Christ, our own church family and our neighbors is neatly set before each one of us on our meal tables.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Amplified Bible
16 Rejoice always and delight in your faith; 17 be unceasing and persistent in prayer; 18 in every situation [no matter what the circumstances] be thankful and continually give thanks to God; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.
But we know that in the Kingdom of God, not all is always going so “ideally.”
Grateful When You Aren’t Where You Want to Be …
November and December are months we see lots of pictures and quotes and Bible verses about thanksgiving appearing all across social media platforms.
But for all too many years my heart on those November and December days and nights in the dark, emptiness and quiet of my apartment and currently my own home would 100% suffer mightily to be acknowledged, recognized as thankful.
This wasn’t how life was supposed to go. I wasn’t at all where I wanted to be.
For years I struggled with giving thanks. Family tragedies occurring in too close a proximity. My heart wanted to praise and be joyful in these circumstances, but I knew that I wasn’t happy with where God was leading our family at the time.
In fact, it felt like God wasn’t leading us at all. The quietness and the lack of direction from God was disheartening, further magnifying my thanklessness.
In my head I “knew” God had not left me, and this was part of His perfect plan. I even told people that I was thankful just to be “home.” But deep down I wasn’t.
One day, I read those verses in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.
“16 Be rejoicing always, 17 be praying unceasingly, 18 be giving-thanks in everything. For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.“
Paul was writing to the church in Thessalonica.
If you were to read Acts 17, you would see the hostile environment in which this church was founded.
Their circumstances hadn’t much improved since Paul had left them.
Maybe some of the believers felt like I did.
Maybe they thought to themselves, “I don’t really like it here… this isn’t where I thought I would be.”
In the middle of those hard situations, Paul writes and tells the believers always to give thanks. Not only just a general “Hi, give thanks”-but a specific covenant call to give thanks in all circumstances.
Even the hard, harder and hardest ones.
Paul tells the church to give thanks because first this is the will of God.
We give thanks because God commands it. We don’t have to feel joyful when we do, but we can rejoice in God despite how we feel. Paul also tells the church to “pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) Prayer has a way of aligning our hearts, connecting our minds to the truth of who God is, His plan for our lives.
Prayer connects us to God and that is a great reason to give thanks.
In verse twenty-four of that chapter, Paul says, “He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.”
Paul also says something similar in Philippians 1:6. He says,
“And I am sure of this, that he (meaning God) who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”
God will work out our lives according to His plan.
Those plans include His glory and our good.
Romans 8:28-29 tells us this. Paul tells the Romans that they can trust that all things are for their good, which is to be conformed into the image of Christ.
The truth is God is always working and we can give thanks that He never leaves us. We can come to Him in prayer, and He is shaping us to be more like Christ.
Although the circumstances might not be good, we can give thanks to a God who has a purpose even when we find ourselves in a place we don’t want to be.
Today, I have come to the Throne of God to thank God for changing my plans.
These truths from the Bible help me give thanks.
I’ve been told by God to give thanks, that God has a definite direction, purpose, for my life, God will never leave me nor misguide me. I have learned that being grateful isn’t about our surroundings, but about the God who surrounds us all.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Paul also talks about giving thanks in Philippians 4:6. It says,
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”
How are we to not be anxious?
The answer is prayer.
Two types of prayer are mentioned here in Philippians 4.
The first is supplications. These are the prayers we pray on behalf of others and for ourselves. They are the prayers we pray when asking God to meet our needs.
Maybe you are not in a place you want to be, so ask God to change things.
Who better to ask to intervene in a bad situation than God Himself?
After asking God to help you, the next phrase says, “with thanksgiving…”.
As we ask God to help us we also give thanks.
This is the second type of prayer. If you are struggling to give thanks, look up the additional scriptures and find reasons even today to give thanks to God!
What about your current situation feels less than joyful?
How has God shown up in your life recently?
Take your cares and concerns to God, thanking Him for being with you.
Enjoy your Thanksgiving casting your burdens and cares upon the Lord!
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 84 English Standard Version
My Soul Longs for the Courts of the Lord
To the choirmaster: according to The Gittith.[a] A Psalm of the Sons of Korah.
84 How lovely is your dwelling place,
O Lord of hosts!
2 My soul longs, yes, faints
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and flesh sing for joy
to the living God.
3 Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O Lord of hosts,
my King and my God.
4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house,
ever singing your praise! Selah
5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
in whose heart are the highways to Zion.[b]
6 As they go through the Valley of Baca
they make it a place of springs;
the early rain also covers it with pools.
7 They go from strength to strength;
each one appears before God in Zion.
8 O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer;
give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah
9 Behold our shield, O God;
look on the face of your anointed!
10 For a day in your courts is better
than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
the Lord bestows favor and honor.
No good thing does he withhold
from those who walk uprightly.
12 O Lord of hosts,
blessed is the one who trusts in you!
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 
Fundamental error in quoting opinions made by Big Authorities with absolutely no knowledge of משנה תורה common law. Simple question never asked? How does the mitzva of Moshiach qualify as a Torah commandment? The mitzva of Moshiach an Oral Torah time oriented commandment. Now what type of commandment qualifies as a time oriented commandment? Impossible to learn Torah common law without the wisdom of learning by means of comparative similar mitzvot!!!!! Meaning Common Law precedents based upon positive and negative commandments. Impossible to understand tohor time oriented commandments ignorant of the role of tohor middot!!!! Time oriented commandments require the dedication of defined/specific tohor middot. What middah tohor does the mitzva of Moshiach dedicate holy to the G-d of the 1st Sinai Commandment? Again a question never asked!
Brit does not mean covenant. A bad translation. Just that simple. Tefillah does not mean prayer. A bad translation. Just that simple. Tefillah unlike saying Tehillem entails swearing a Torah oath. Just that simple. Impossible to swear a Torah oath without שם ומלכות. This tohor time oriented commandment which requires שם ומלכות, impossible to grasp without the Oral Torah logic system known as פרדס. Translating abstract Hebrew words to other languages amounts to false translations. Just that simple.
The Name שם, directly refers to the revelation of the Divine Presence Spirit revealed in the revelation of the 1st Sinai commandment. Any attempt to “convert” this Spirit Name to words: YHVH, Jehova, Jesus, Allah etc amounts to the sin of the Golden Calf wherein Israel 40 days after the revelation of the Spirit Divine Presence Name many of Israel translated to a false translation word אלהים! The Torah revelation at Sinai exposes the tumah of any and all attempts to translate the Spirit Name revealed in the 1st Sinai commandment, and excluded in the Xtian bibles and Muslim korans, as the “Sin of the Golden Calf”. Just that simple. Righteousness does not come by way of Av tumah avoda zarah. Just that simple.
T’shuva does not mean repentance. A bad translation. Just that simple. T’shuva has everything to do with the struggle, think of Esau and Yaacov in the womb of Rivka, between the two opposing Yatzirot within the bnai brit chosen Cohen peoples’ hearts. Hence the Torah incorrectly spelled heart as לבב rather than לב. Rabbi Yechuda Ha’Nasi – the author of the Mishna, the foundation to study the Oral Torah revelation of the 13 tohor middot revealed to Moshe, 40 days after the sin of the Golden Calf, on Yom Kippur; Yom Kippur where HaShem did t’shuva and annulled the vow to make Moshe the chosen Cohen nation rather than the seed of Avraham Yitzak and Yaacov! T’shuva learns from the father who annuls the vow made by his young daughter, or the Husband who annuls the vow made by his wife. Both of these Torah precedents serve to define the mussar of T’shuva! Repentance has no portion, it plays no part in annulling a vow. Just that simple. The translation of t’shuva to repentance a false translation. Just that simple.
Peace a false translation of Shalom. The latter a verb which stands upon the foundation of trust. The former evil translation a noun that amounts to pie in the sky false rhetoric. Like the “peace negotiations” between Arabs and Jews. Post Oct 7th Jews do not trust Arabs of Gaza. Shalom learns from the Torah mitzva of Shabbat. This precedent mitzva of shabbat, the Talmud builds around the 3 meals. A person does not invite an enemy into his home to sit and meal together – ever. No trust No shalom. Just that simple. The false & sophomoric translation of the substitute word “peace”, just that simple – utterly false.
The term יראת שמים, commonly mistranslated as: Fear of Heaven – another false translation. A טיפש פשט literal translation on par with the fundamentalist belief that the Genesis creation story literally refers to the creation of the Universe in 6 days! Bible toting Xtian fundamentalists absolutely abhor Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution. In 1925 the Monkey Trial between John T. Scopes teaching evolution in a state-funded school! Comparable to the dispute between Galileo vs. the Poop. יראת שמים, a metaphor which refers to protecting ones’ Good Name reputation. Hence the Hebrew term: Baal Shem Tov/Master of the Good Name. Mistranslating this abstract Hebrew metaphor to “fear of Heaven” as false as the absurd notions of Xtian fundamentalists concerning the Creation story in the opening Aggadic mussar of the first Book of the Torah – which introduces Av tohor time oriented commandments.
Emunah does not correctly translate into “faith”. Emunah learns from the precedents of Moshe standing before the Court of Par’o, on the matter of Par’o, his decree which withheld the straw required to make brick and the consequent beating of Israelite slaves. Another precedent: the rebuke of Yitro when Moshe judged the nation alone by himself. The Torah defines emunah as the righteous pursuit of judicial justice; wherein the Courts make fair restitution of damages inflicted by party A upon party B. The false substitution of faith as personal belief in some theologically decreed Creed concerning the nature of the Gods, such as Islam’s strict Monotheism; this latter perversion of emunah, it defines the Av tumah 2nd Sinai commandment know avoda zarah: do not worship other Gods.
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