“Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). This passage teaches us three principles that should be true of every follower of Jesus Christ. We are to rejoice evermore, always be in an attitude of prayer, and be ever thankful. This seems like a tall order, which is true. Equally true is what it is: The Word of the Lord!

Our rejoicing, praying and thanksgiving are not to be limited to unique and special occasions or even a special day. It is to be the ongoing pattern and practice of our lives. Rejoice always means to rejoice and keep on rejoicing. Pray without ceasing means to pray and keep on praying. To be thankful in everything means to be thankful in everything. And I mean in everything! “Impossible,” you say? You are right. Apart from Jesus Christ, having an ongoing attitude of rejoicing, praying and thanksgiving is impossible. But in Christ, all things are possible. Paul said, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). Through Him, that is Christ, I can rejoice always, pray without ceasing and give thanks in everything…even in the midst of suffering and sadness. 

The question then, is how do we do these things? The obvious answer is not in our own strength and energy. Notice Paul said it was “through Him” that he could do all these things. I believe the key is where our focus lies. The author of Hebrews says we are to “Fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith” (12:2). Therefore, when our focus is fixed on Jesus, we can rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and in everything give thanks. We rejoice in three things: (1) The Lord, (2) the gospel, and (3) the spiritual growth of others, including our own spiritual growth. Philippians 3:1 tells us to rejoice in the Lord. Acts 13:48 teaches us to rejoice in the gospel, particularly as it spreads throughout the world. 3 John 4 admonishes us to rejoice as others grow spiritually. Likewise, we should rejoice in our own personal spiritual growth. A quick reading through Paul’s letters and we discover he was a man of prayer. In fact, we could say he prayed always. It wasn’t that he was constantly offering up words of prayer. The key was he was always in an attitude of prayer. He recognized he was ever in God’s presence so he always maintained an attitude of prayer. In the passage, “pray without ceasing,” the Greek word used is where we get our English word for hacking cough. Paul prayed thus for the Thessalonians and others. Finally, we are told, “in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” It means in every circumstance. This is a tall order. But when we recognize that God is sovereign, that He orders the events of our lives and that He is in the process of making us more like Christ and perfecting our faith, “so that,” as James says, “you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:4), thankfulness flows a little more easily. God wants to perfect our faith and teach us to trust Him. The only way He can do that is to take whatever measure of faith we have and stretch it. The only way He can do that is through testing it. Often times, the only way He can do that is through leading us into and through some very difficult and painful circumstances. Do I really and truly believe that God is who He says He is and that He will do what He says He will do? Well, the only place I discover the answer to these questions is in the midst of difficulty and suffering.

So then, regardless of our circumstances, no matter what the Lord in His wisdom sends our way, “Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Joyfully, full of hope (Romans 8:24-25), in the confidence of faith (Hebrews 11:1), we live, we breathe, we rejoice, we pray, we give thanks! When the trials of life come my way, I reflect on God’s Word and the song that reminds me, “It will be worth it all when we see Jesus, life's trials will seem so small when we see Christ; One glimpse of His dear face all sorrow will erase, so bravely run the race till we see Christ.”

“Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).

I cannot think of one person I know, who is a believer, who enjoys and looks forward to suffering. I know I do not. However, every believer I know, without exception, looks forward to sharing in God’s glory. For many, this glory is simply being in heaven with Jesus Christ and enjoying all the glories that heaven has to offer. However, sharing in God’s glory is much more than simply being in heaven with Him. The Bible says that God saves all believers for His glory. Furthermore, the Bible says that believers will share in His glory. This is a difficult concept for most to understand. Equally as difficult is the method by which we will come to share in His glory – suffering. This suffering, I believe, is two-fold. First of all, there are those who suffer because they are a believer. Secondly, there are those who suffer as a believer. Either way, the Bible says that believers are to expect suffering and are to rejoice in it. Peter says, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing” (1 Peter 4:12-13). This is the Word of the Lord!

So when we suffer, we are to remember three things. First of all, it is through suffering that we will come to share in God’s glory. Paul says, “We suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him” (Romans 8:17). Secondly, we must understand that whatever the suffering may entail, it is only temporary when considered in the breadth of eternity: “For momentary light affliction is producing in us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison” (2 Corinthians 4:17). Finally, God allows us to suffer in order to call us to an eternal hope: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it” (Romans 8:18, 24-25).

I have personally experienced enough suffering and darkness in my life that I have concluded this world really has nothing for me. Because I have suffered, I have come to long for eternity. To put it plainly, I hope for that which I do not see. And what is this hope? It is the future glory that shall be revealed in me (Romans 8:18; Colossians 3:4). It is the future glory that is described as an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison (2 Corinthians 4:17-18). It is this future glory that will far exceed anything I have ever seen or heard or longed for in my heart, as it is written, “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). Therefore, I encourage you to remember and recall these things to mind as you think about that which you have suffered or may be suffering now – We share in His sufferings that we may share in His glory!

“Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do no be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5:15-17).

The Bible has a lot to say about time. We are told to make the most of time – to be careful how we spend our time. We are admonished not to waste time. The unbeliever is warned today is the day of salvation – now is the time to be saved. Why all this emphasis on time? The reason is because God knows time is only for a moment but eternity is forever. We are told to use our time wisely because we do not know how much time we have: “You do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for little while and then vanishes away” (James 4:14). The truth is simple – God has allotted to each one a certain number of days, a certain length of time. The Bible says, “And in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them” (Psalm 139:16). This is the Word of the Lord!

Because time is so precious we are told to be careful how we use it. We are warned not to use it unwisely but to make the most of it. We are not to foolishly squander it but we are to seek to glorify God in how we use the time He has granted us. The writer of Hebrews tells us that Jesus Christ is the “author and finisher of our lives” (12:2). However, as long as we insist on spending our time as we see fit, He cannot fulfill His will for us. As long as we insist on cutting our own paths, He cannot lead us into His paths of goodness and righteousness. As long as we insist on holding the reigns of our lives, He cannot be our Lord. As long as we insist on doing things our way, according to our own desires, He cannot bring about His desires or guide us into His wholeness, usefulness, and blessings. Therefore, we must “be careful how [we] walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of [our] time.”

Charles Beaty and his wife were living the American dream. The insurance agency they owned was beginning to take off. They had the first of their four children. They bought their first house. His wife began talking to him about missions. She thought they should look into offering themselves for service. His response was, “that sounds good honey, but we won’t be going until our kids are graduated from high school, and we have them out of the house and we’ve finished that mission.” However, after attending a weeklong conference on missions that was filled with the need to reach the unreached peoples of the world, everything began to come together. A year and six months later, they were in France learning French, preparing to go to North Africa to a people group that was restricted.

Most of us think we have forever, that there is another day, another year, another 10 years. This is what Charles Beaty thought. It is troubling that many want to wait until things are “just right” before they will consider God’s will for their lives. However, thankfully Charles did not. He went to North Africa at 31. Three years later, on October 2, 2001, he died in his sleep after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 34. Only eternity will tell what God was able to do through him in the three short years he had to make a difference for the kingdom. How much time do you have left on this earth? Only God knows. Therefore, “make the most of your time.”

“For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). The greatest event in all of human history, second to none, was the two-fold event of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Without the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we would have no hope of any kind. It is no wonder then, that for Paul, like all the writers of the New Testament, the cross of Christ represented salvation itself. In his letter to the believers in Corinth, he recalled how he had preached Christ’s death: “For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.”

Paul took great joy in proclaiming this message. He understood the secret of the cross. Earlier he wrote, “We preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:23-24). What makes this so amazing is that Paul did not always hold this position. He had once been opposed to Christ and His message. To put it plainly, Paul had been an insolent, self-righteous, religious bigot. He sought to destroy anyone who believed the message of the cross. However, all this changed one day as he journeyed to Damascus. The Bible tells us that on that journey he came into direct contact with the crucified and resurrected Jesus (see Acts 9:1-18 for the full story). This encounter forever changed Paul’s life and thinking. He was converted. The one who had sought to destroy the message of the cross and all associated with it, now sought to proclaim its message!

What did all this mean for Paul? For him, it was the beginning of a lifetime of suffering on behalf of the crucified and resurrected Jesus. However, like the other apostles, he rejoiced, “that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name” (Acts 5:41). Paul saw profound meaning in his own sufferings (see 2 Corinthians 6:4-5; 11:23-28). His own trials connected him to Christ who had suffered on the cross and who had been resurrected. He wrote in his letter to the Philippians, “That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death” (3:10). He also understood that the suffering of Jesus on the cross is played out in the lives of all God’s people. In Philippians, he also wrote, “For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake” (1:29).

It is an ironic message, indeed. The gospel – the good news of eternal life and spiritual glory – is based on suffering and shame. However, the message of Jesus’ shameful death should inspire us to ever greater love for Him and His Church. We should desire nothing more than to preach, both by words and deeds, Jesus Christ and Him crucified. As the writer of Hebrews told believers of his day, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (12:2).

“Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me – to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me” (2 Corinthians 12:7-9).

Many believers struggle with why bad things happen to good people. They logically conclude that if God is really a good God then surely He has to be opposed to the suffering of His people. However, the Bible paints a different story. We understand that it is through suffering that the believer will come to share in God’s glory: “We suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him” (Romans 8:17). We also know that those who perpetrate evil against God’s people will not win in the end: “But transgressors will be altogether destroyed; the posterity of the wicked will be cut off” (Psalm 37:38). But what about suffering that is not necessarily the result of someone else’s evil schemes? After all, we not only suffer because we are believers. We also suffer as believers. That is, we all have experienced or know someone who has personally experienced great suffering in this life. Some have battled with disease. Others have suffered great loss. Some have watched their dreams fall apart. In fact, for some, there seems to be no end to suffering.

The Apostle Paul was no stranger to suffering. The Bible records for us that Paul suffered through imprisonments, that he was beaten and often in danger of death. He was stoned and even suffered shipwreck on three different occasions. However, there was one form of suffering he endured about which the Bible says he “implored the Lord three times that it might leave me” (2 Corinthians 12:8). I do not believe he prayed three short prayers of “Lord, let it leave me.” Rather, these were three long seasons of prayer, perhaps months, even years, where he pleaded with God. However, each time God answered, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” In other words, God’s grace was sufficient for Paul’s suffering. Likewise, His grace is sufficient for you and me, regardless of what suffering we might experience or are experiencing now. So how is the believer to experience God’s sufficient grace during times of suffering? I believe the key is where our focus is. In his first letter to the Corinthian believers, Paul said, “And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God” (2:1-5). This is the Word of the Lord!

Whatever your experience of suffering may be, remember this – God wants to demonstrate His Spirit and power through your suffering, “so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.” His grace is absolutely and completely sufficient for you! It was so sufficient for Paul that he could write, “Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10).

“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). No other Thoughts to Ponder has received as much response as one I wrote a couple of years ago entitled, “Time and Eternity.” The basis for that article was Paul’s admonishment in Ephesians 5:15-17: “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” I want to consider the subject of time and eternity again from a different perspective. I want to consider the gift of life and what we do with that gift. 

Like time, life is a gift. In fact, life, in a sense, is an economic instrument within time. In other words, we can either spend our lives or invest them. We can either do with it as we desire or we can pour it out for Christ. Consider the words of Paul: “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” What did he mean by those words? To put it simply, he means we are to seek to pour out our lives so that we will magnify Christ in both life and death. Paul was a man who had singleness of purpose – to so magnify Christ in his life and death that others would be swept into the kingdom. He sought to proclaim Christ where Christ was not known.

Are you pouring out your life for Christ or are you spending it on yourself? Consider these two true stories from “Don’t Waste Your Life,” by John Piper: In April 2000, two missionaries, Ruby Eliason and Laura Edwards were killed in Cameroon, West Africa. Ruby was over eighty and Laura was pushing eighty. They were both medical doctors. One was single all her life, the other a widow. They both lived for one great thing: to pour it out in order to make Jesus Christ known. The brakes failed, the car went over a cliff, and they both were killed instantly. Then there is the story of a couple in the northeast who took early retirement from their jobs. He was 59, she was 51. Now they live in Florida, where they sail on their 30-foot yacht, play softball and collect shells. Now I ask you to consider which one of these two stories is a tragedy. Which one of these two stories is an example of pouring it out for Christ? Can you imagine getting all the way to the great Day of Judgment only to say, “Look, Lord. Isn’t my shell collection impressive?”

For whom are you living? I would encourage you to consider again the words of Paul: “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Think about pouring your life out in such a way so as to magnify Jesus Christ in both your life and in your death. I remember when I was a child three of my friends from church made decisions to be missionaries. In recent years, after much prayer and wrestling with God, I have made the same decision. I was thinking about those three individuals recently. None of them are missionaries. In fact, as far as I can recall, none made any effort to even pursue such a calling. One married and moved away. One is living in grievous sin. One I have no idea about other than he’s not a missionary. Maybe you’re in a similar situation. You felt the call of God to go and proclaim Christ among the unreached only to allow the demands of life to distract you. Well, let me remind you of two things: (1) “To live is Christ and to die is gain,” and (2) “Make the most of your time.” We do not know how long we have left on this big blue ball in space. In fact, we don’t even have the promise of tomorrow. We only have today. Some reading this article have lived most of their lives, others have only just begun. Only God knows how much time each of us has left. Therefore, I encourage you to invest your life rather than spend it – to pour it out for Christ!

“For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6). Why does God allow difficulty to come our way? How should we respond to difficulty? What is God’s purpose in difficulty? These are good questions, ones that are asked often by those who find themselves in difficult circumstances. One thing the Bible is crystal clear about, and I have come to fully believe, is God has a purpose in allowing difficulty to come. Because of this, we do not have to let difficult circumstances rule our lives. We can live above them! The circumstances are not to be our focus. In this life we will have tribulation. But our focus must be on God! To do that, we must do three things.

First of all, as you experience difficult circumstances I want to encourage you to have confidence in God. Notice what Paul said to the Philippian believers: “For I am confident” (1:6). Paul expressed absolute confidence in God. His focus was on the One “who began a good work in you.” Therefore, he understood the responsibility was on God. He wrote that God would “perfect it,” that is, bring the work to completion. So, like Paul, you can have the full conviction that, through the work of Jesus Christ alone, you will be kept eternally and God will complete that which He has already started in your life!

Secondly, make prayer the priority of your life. Paul was in prison when he wrote his letter to the Philippian believers. However, he did not complain about his circumstances. Instead, he prayed. He did not pray, “God, get me out of here.” He prayed for others. He prayed for the further advancement of God’s kingdom. He wrote, “and this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ” (1:9-10). The use of the words, “approve the things that are excellent,” means to differentiate between highest matters and side issues. There is nothing like a little difficulty to cause us to really consider what is really important and what is not. So pray that through the difficulty you are experiencing God would allow you to discern what is important and what is not so important.

Finally, understand that God is up to something in the midst of your suffering. This is true even though most of the time you want be able to pinpoint what He is up to. Ultimately, we can say He is in the process of making us more like His Son, Jesus Christ. You should also understand that your life is a testimony to the world concerning the power of the gospel. God allows difficulty to further advance the Gospel. Paul wrote, “What then? Only in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed” (1:18). Paul understood that through his imprisonment (his difficulty) the Gospel was being proclaimed. Believe it or not, God uses your life and mine to proclaim the Gospel to a watching world. As you experience difficult circumstances you have two choices and only two choices. Either complain and belly ache and wonder why in the world God is allowing you to hurt, or by faith, have confidence in His purpose, pray, and understand that God is advancing His kingdom through your life!

“Remember my affliction and my wandering, the wormwood and bitterness. Surely my soul remembers and is bowed down within me. This I recall to mind, therefore I have hope. The Lord’s loving kindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:19-23).

“Remember my affliction and my wandering, the wormwood and bitterness…” Obviously these are the words of one who struggled with despair and depression. After all, the writer of Lamentations begins chapter 3 by asserting, “I am the man who has seen affliction because of the rod of His wrath” (3:1). Depression. It is the common cold of emotional disorders. At any given time, 17 percent of the population suffers from it. It is more than the occasional feeling of the blues. It is a condition of general emotional dejection and withdrawal. It is sadness greater and more prolonged than anything one who has not experienced it could ever imagine. It can even be incapacitating on occasion. And the believer is not exempt.

Some of the great biblical characters wrestled with depression. At one point in his life, Moses wanted to die (Exodus 32:32). While struggling with his suffering, Job “cursed the day of his birth” (3:1). Furthermore, he cried, “My spirit is broken, my days are extinguished, the grave is ready for me” (17:1). Elijah was incapacitated with depression soon after he had been an integral player in one of the greatest demonstrations of God’s power (1 Kings 19). Even the great prophet Jeremiah (who also wrote Lamentations) declared, “Why did I ever come forth from the womb to look on trouble and sorrow?” (20:18). How is the Christian to respond?

As a mental health professional, I work with people everyday who are depressed. Some were abused as children. Others are depressed because they missed their “dream” in life. Still others have suffered loss over which they had no control. And finally, there are some who cannot point to any particular reason for their depression. How should the Christian respond? Well, it is never appropriate for one believer to look at another believer, who may be struggling with depression, and indicate that it is their “lack of faith” that is the cause of their depression. Furthermore, the Christian who may be struggling with depression should not feel guilty because they cannot seem to “hold it together.” Even Jesus was “a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3).

The Christian should respond to depression by remembering that it is God who gives strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow. The Bible says, “This I recall to mind, therefore I have hope. The Lord’s loving kindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:19-23). This is the word of the Lord!

One Christian brother I know said this: “I am a Christian who has struggled with depression for a long time. I am finding it hard to face each new day. My wife and I want to have children but are unable to. I don’t understand why God is allowing this. And I don’t like this feeling of not being in control. But I choose to believe that God is sovereign…that He is in control. I choose to believe that each day, His mercies are new…Great is His faithfulness!” Indeed, there is strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow!

“But as for me, my feet came close to stumbling. My steps had almost slipped. For I was envious of the arrogant as I saw the prosperity of the wicked. When I pondered to understand this, it was troublesome in my sight. Until I came into the sanctuary of God; then I perceived their end” (Psalm 73:2-3, 16-17).

Why does God allow evil and suffering in the world? This is a question we are confronted with everyday. We turn on the news and see images of passenger jets slamming into buildings. We listen to the radio only to learn a sniper has taken yet another innocent life in and around our nation’s capital. We pick up the newspaper and learn of abuse allegations within the Church. We answer the telephone and receive news a loved one has been diagnosed with a terminal illness. We read and hear about the fact that in many parts of the world there are wars, famines, natural catastrophes, and epidemic diseases. It seems that everywhere we look, people are suffering. Furthermore, evil abounds and the evildoers seem to be getting away with the evil they perpetrate. It is no surprise that such evil and suffering and the supposed prosperity of the evildoer causes many to question how a good God can allow such evil and suffering. Such was the case with Asaph, the author of Psalm 73. He begins by saying, “But as for me, my feet came close to stumbling.” Why? Because he was “envious of the arrogant as I saw the prosperity of the wicked.” Like many believers today, Asaph almost lost his confidence in the Lord because he was envious of the prosperity of the wicked. Like most believers, Asaph struggled with why? Why does God seemingly allow the evildoer to prosper while the believer, who seeks to live righteously, suffers? To understand the answer to this question, we must look to eternity.

Our problem is that too often we view the purpose and promises of God in terms of our present personal happiness. However, we fail to realize that the purpose and promises of God are more about the coming of Christ’s kingdom than our individual enjoyment here and now. God’s focus is eternal. Therefore, as believers, we must focus on eternity. For us, life is more about eternity than it is about the here and now. For Asaph, the turning point for him came when he “came into the sanctuary of God.” It was there that his focus began to shift from now to eternity. He came to recognize that God would reward the righteous in eternity and destroy evil and the evildoer. Clearly, eternity makes all the difference. Paul says, “For momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Cor. 4:17-18). This is the Word of the Lord!

I do not know what you are struggling with today. I do not know what losses you have experienced in life. I have no idea what evil you might have experienced. I can only testify to my own experiences. But this I do know, our citizenship is in heaven (1 Peter 1:1), and as believers, our questions will one day be answered. When? When we all get to heaven. Paul put it this way: “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known” (1 Cor. 13:12). I do not understand fully now. However, in eternity I will know fully.