Holding on to what is good
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil. 1 Thessalonians 5:17-22 From the text, the apostle Paul admonished Christians to be strong and to not let circumstances take away the joy they have. When you allow circumstances to overwhelm you, it will prevent you from demonstrating attitudes and behaviors that are in you because of Christ. It is His will that in the midst of trials, Christians will not forget the goodness of God. This is also what the Psalmist told the Israelites should do when facing difficulties in life. “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever” (Psalm 107:1). God is the source of every good and perfect gift so do not be deceived. Satan is the persistent enemy of good. When he saw that what God gave Adam and Eve was good, he set about to take it away from them. When he saw that King David was pleasing to God, he attempted to destroy David’s relationship with God. Do not let trials and difficulties in life dampen your outlook that you will tend to forget that that there are a lot more reasons why you can rejoice. Never take what God gave you for granted. If you do not hold on to it firmly, it may be lost. Because of your faith in God, people will challenge the good that you are doing. They may criticize you for your moral stand, the way you are raising your child, your use of money, or your involvement in the Lord’s work. Time pressures will attack the good in your life. Your time to pray, study Scripture, be with your family, and your service will all be pressured by the many other time demands you face. Once you let the demands of life take control of your life, you will miss out on living according to the will of God. Scripture reveals the solution for holding on to what is good—abstain from every form of evil. Satan’s goal is to rob you of what God intends for you. God wants you to take hold of what is good in your life. This will happen when you learn how to rejoice in Christ in all circumstances. Prayer is a wonderful gift from God. Yet sin robs the power of prayer (Isa. 1:15). If you will not flee from evil, it will rob you of the good things God has given. God’s commandments do not limit you: they free you to experience God’s best. Carefully abstain from every form of evil, and you will be free to enjoy every good thing God has for you.
Blessings.
