Maintaining a Joyful Spirit
15. See that none render evil for evil unto anyone; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves and to all people.
16. Rejoice evermore.
17. Pray without ceasing.
18. In everything give thanks for this is the Will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
19. Do not quench the Spirit.
20. Despise not prophesying.
21. Prove all things; hold fast to that which is good.
22. Abstain from all appearance of evil.
1 Thessalonians 5:15-22
Maintenance Costs
Maintaining anything will cost you something, even if is nothing more than regular attention. There is always a cost associated primarily because we live in a world filled with decay. The corrosion of this world will attack anything that represents good. There is a cost associated also if we desire for something to bear fruit. While the Bible says that living things have their seed in them, that seed must be cultivated so it can bear fruit. Until that happens, maintenance must be performed so that those things can produce fruit. Interestingly, God placed Adam in the Garden of Eden to maintain it. (see Genesis 2:15) The point was then and still is today, things must be maintained to prevent decay as well as produce at their maximum capacity. There is one other element that we must add to the maintenance process and that is God expects the believer to maintain their own positive attitude. We call that having a joyful spirit. In this passage, Paul is reminding the Christians that their work is important to God but that also they are important to God’s work. God expects every believer to rejoice evermore and to pray without ceasing. In doing so, you can maintain a joyful spirit.
Have you ever been working on something and suddenly realize that what you were working on has caused an injury? Do you just give up? No, you keep working because you know that repairing or maintaining something is worth it, even if it does cause pain. It seems that each time I engage in repairing or maintaining things around the home, it costs something. It may mean I break something before I can finally fix it or that it takes more time than what I originally anticipated. (My wife reminds me of the things that I can’t do, but that just gives me greater motivation to finish the job). But I have come to accept the fact that many of the projects and objectives I take on in life will come with a cost. Part of that cost is my attitude of joy. There is a price of time and sometimes pain in order to complete these endeavors. Sacrifice is seldom convenient, but it is always rewarding when done right. WJC
Consider the people in the Bible as examples of how they maintained a joyful spirit. We’re told that many of them had to endure harsh trials and persecution. Yet they served God with gladness. The Prophetess Deborah is an example. God assigned her the task of judging Israel at a time when the pagan neighbors were determined to destroy the newly formed nation. She and her countrymen endured harsh attacks, insults, and death threats, yet she was able to keep herself and the nation together by devoting attention to God. I believe they demonstrated two important qualities that helped them to maintain a joyful spirit despite their challenges. The first was the intense desire to talk things over with God. Deborah understood that her success rested solely on whether she listened to God. She called out Barak and encouraged him to fight the battle for the Lord because God was with him. The second quality they demonstrated was praise. They rejoiced in the victory that God gave them and were not ashamed to give all the honor to the Lord. When the Lord destroyed their enemies, according to Judges 5, they sang God’s praises for granting them victory. Do we practice those same qualities in our culture today? Do we pray for God’s direction as well as protection? Do we praise God for the blessings even when we must go into battles? Ceremonial recognition of God is not enough. We need God, so why not offer the prayers and the praise in recognition of His Power at work. Those qualities are essential if we are to maintain a joyful spirit.
Of course there will be barriers. Of course there will be challenges and maybe some defeats on the way to ultimate victory. God still expects every child of God to have that joyful spirit as an example of His Presence and of our patience while He is working things out. You know that He will work it out. At the very core of the joyful spirit is the solid understanding that no matter what, God will get the glory.
The Believer’s Toolkit
Centuries after Deborah had encouraged Israel to keep a joyful spirit, the Apostle Paul was directed by God to encourage believers in that same manner. The Apostle recognized that some were having difficulty understanding why they had to encounter problems if they were saved. Other believers could not understand why they had to put up with wicked people and why they could not take revenge. Still other Christians felt that they knew enough about God and had no need that anyone should teach them anything about how to walk with God. They felt that they had arrived and that they simply had to wait for the Lord’s return from Heaven. So, these three issues were threatening to quench their joyful spirit: problems, people, and pride. Paul recognized that kind of thinking was bound to produce heartache and failure. In his closing remarks to the Thessalonian fellowship, he left some tremendous Words of encouragement. If properly followed, God’s direction would always produce joy in the believer’s heart despite the conditions around them. Paul knew first hand what it meant to have joy even in the midst of poor conditions. He had faced persecution at every turn and yet God had used him to bring the Word to many foreign lands. That is what a joyful spirit can do.
Believers have a toolkit that will help them maintain their joy at all times. First, get over the “revengeful spirit“ by doing good. See that none render evil for evil unto anyone; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves and to all people. The “payback attitude” has no place in the body of Christ. It is one of the main reasons why people hold grudges. It is the fuel for family feuds. It can incite a war and keep it going for years. Paul could have said simply that we not render evil for evil but he went further. We should follow that which is good. This is more than just letting something go. It is leading you to do something good when the bad happens. Notice how we are to display good behavior to everyone? There are two things to consider. First, don’t pay the person back with bad actions but with good actions. Second, follow good all the time among believers and unbelievers.
It goes further to say that rejoicing should be continuous. Rejoice always. Let’s clarify something. This is not suggesting that you have to be laughing all the time. No, it means that you have a joyful outlook in knowing that the future is in God’s Good Hands despite the current crisis. Deborah maintained that joyful spirit even as she joined
Barak on the battlefield because she knew that victory was in God’s Hands.
Also in the toolkit we find that prayer is essential. Pray without ceasing. We are so familiar with praying and speaking, but we should also be praying and watching. We should watch for how God will reveal His Word. We should watch for directions in the way we should go. Prayer will also mean waiting and preparing for God’s next move. Please don’t think that prayer is all about you saying something. Yes, call upon the Lord in your time of need. Yes, pray over your problems. Yes, pray for those in need. But also, pray and wait for God to tell you something. Listen to His voice in the times of storm and you will hear Him proclaim, “Peace, be still.”
The toolkit comes equipped with an attitude of gratitude. In everything give thanks for this is the Will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. I notice there are some extremes in this verse. First, in everything give thanks. We must not pick and choose what we are thankful for. The Bible declares that we thank Him for everything. That is the first extreme. The second extreme concerns God’s Will. It says that giving thanks is the Will of God. In other words, when I give thanks – I am performing God’s Will. That is remarkable. The third extreme is not specifically stated but is certainly implied. In the same way that I pray always, I am expected to praise God all the time and express gratitude. Everything is everything and that leaves nothing out. That is what people in Deborah’s day understood. Praise God for every battle as well as every victory.
If we are to maintain a joyful spirit, that means we must rely on the Holy Spirit’s Power. Don’t quench the Spirit or don’t hinder the Holy Spirit from working. I once thought this referred to not praising God in a Church service. But that is not what Paul is referring to. There were two things the Thessalonians had stopped doing. They had stopped following the Holy Spirit’s lead. This grieved the Holy Spirit. Second, they were not paying attention to prophecy as indicated in the verse, despise not prophesying. It should remind us that our heart should be “on fire” when it comes to serving the Lord. We should also be paying attention to the Prophecy of the Lord’s Return. We are getting really close to that time. This all points to one thing: are we relying on the Holy Spirit? If we are to maintain a joyful spirit, we must rely on the Holy Spirit to feed us that Joy.
Let me also inform some and suggest to others that obedience means following those that God has appointed over you. Listening to sermons is not just some spiritual activity. It is actually listening for God’s instructions so you can serve the Lord with gladness. I listen to sermons so that I can better understand how to carry out the work that God has assigned and to do it with joy. Some people can serve God but they cannot serve God with joy. Some people can serve God with joy only when things go their way. Still others have difficulty doing either. If you had a joyful spirit you would quickly find that it is God who is really doing all the work.
There is something else that you need in your toolkit is a “testing tool.” This is one thing that will prove most helpful. It has personally kept me from overreacting to situation that happen. Paul simply says, Prove all things; hold fast to that which is good. It is the testing tool that God has equipped in your heart that will maintain your joyful spirit. It involves three question: Is it true? Second, is it helpful? Is God pleased? Believe it or not, those three questions will keep you from years of frustrations. That testing tool will help you find the strength to keep going even when you don’t feel like it. People will ask you to do things or not do something and you can ask those questions to help you work through the issues.
Lastly, but certainly not least, Abstain from all appearance of evil. Rather than saying there is nothing wrong with something, just avoid it. It does not matter how many people may be participating in something, if it looks bad then avoid it. The devil is known for creating a pretty picture, but the Saints must know enough about God to not give in to things. One golf pro put it this way. “You only make four mistakes in golf: mistake to the right, mistake to the left, mistake too short, or mistake too long – If you correct those four mistakes you will have a perfect game.” The believer has really only one criteria to follow to avoid evil – Did you follow God or yourself.
Maintaining a joyful spirit will mean going to the toolkit constantly, but it is well worth the time and effort. Remember that God is not just looking at what you do, He is also concerned about the spirit in which you did it. The best way to live the Christian life is to always rejoice and live for God’s Glory. Are you maintaining that joyful spirit?