1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 reads:
I remember strongly disliking brussels sprouts when I was a child. OK, dislike is a mild way of putting it. It didn’t matter if they were steamed, deep-fried, or sautéed in butter and bacon fat…I simply could not swallow them. My dad and I used to argue at dinner. He would say, “You’ll eat your greens…and you’ll like them!” Well, I ended up eating them against my very strong will, but I didn’t like them. Looking back over the years, I realize now that they weren’t going to kill me. Besides, did you know that brussels sprouts contain about 142% of a daily allowance of vitamin C? (trivia)
On the contrary, God instructs us to be thankful in all circumstances. Sometimes life gives us buttery sweet corn, and other times we end up with brussels sprouts. What God is teaching us in this passage is that he wants us to gain our happiness from him…and him alone, not our life circumstances!
This week, ask yourself what circumstance you need to have joy in. Then pray and ask Jesus to be that joy inside of you. May you then be able to be truly thankful for whatever situation you find yourself in.
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