Exhortations For Holy Living

I Thessalonians 5:16–22
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Attitude

In this portion of Scripture Paul deals with attitudes. He exhorts us to:

  1. Be joyful (v. 16). Joy takes the burden out of service. It does not depend on circumstances, for in the world the Christian will have tribulation (John 16:33).
  2. Be prayerful (v. 17). The Christian who prays “without ceasing” is not always praying audibly but prayer is always the attitude of his heart and life.
  3. Be thankful (v. 18). This does not mean that we are to be thankful for everything, but in the midst of any situation we should find causes for thanksgiving for what God has done for us.
  4. Be discerning (verses 19-21):

a. Don’t quench the Spirit. It is important that we allow the Spirit of God to teach us the Word of God.

b. Don’t scoff at  prophecies. What is discovered to be in harmonywith what has been given by the Holy Spirit in the Word of God should be retained.

c. Don’t accept everything that claims to be of the Spirit but test it. Beware of a false spirit that can lead you astray.

   5. Be separated (v. 22). Stay away from every kind of evil,                             Whatever form or whatever kind it may be.

Application

I need to always be willing to do an attitude check. Going over all five of the above,  how do I grade myself on a scale of 1 to 10 on each one. Which one do I need to work on the most?

I Thessalonians 5:16-22 (English Standard Version)


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