The Recipe for Life

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

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.. (AMP)

I love recipes. Without them, I would never be able to cook anything. After eating the same old dinner dishes, my wife goes on Pinterest and looks up something new. Whatever sounds good to her, she “pins” it, and we cook it. It comes with a recipe and helpful pictures. Without fail, if you follow the recipe, it will turn out super duper good. We have discovered some of our most favorite dishes this way. I love recipes.

We all would like a recipe for life, right? You know, the one that spells out what to do and when to do it, so you are almost guaranteed a life that is fulfilling and has no bad consequences. I don’t think that exists, but I do find in 1 Thessalonians one of life’s recipes that spells out God’s will for us in Christ Jesus.

Step 1: “Rejoice always.” Not some of the time or when you feel like it, but all of the time. Even when things are just pure toilet timing.

Step 2: “Pray continually.” That’s right, continually. Not just when you feel like it or when you are forced to at the dinner table, but continually. Call up the Lord and chat with Him over “everything,” the Bible says. He loves it when you have to get things off your chest, need to cry, or just sit in silence and listen.

Step 3: “Give thanks in all circumstances.” “All circumstances,” not just the good ones. Sure, it is easy to give thanks when you get a raise or get a new job, but how about when you get sick or when life serves you up a dumpster fire for dinner? All circumstances!

Here is the catch, you will find yourself not rejoicing, not praying often, and complaining when you move away from the Lord. A recipe that is followed correctly will always produce the intended outcome. You cannot expect chocolate chip cookies to be chocolate chip cookies without the chocolate chips! Follow the recipe, for crying out loud. You have no room to complain if you don’t follow the recipe. Here is one of life’s little nuggets for you, if you have ever wondered, “What is the will of God in my life?”, you found it right in the Bible. Start there. Pin it, post it, write it, say it, pray it, and remember it. Follow the recipe.

Prayer: Father, help us to rejoice always, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances. I pray that we would not get paralyzed in finding the will of God for our lives. Rather, I pray that we all would start here and expect to be led by Your Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name, amen.