"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" (1 Thessalonians 5:15-18). God gives us three directives and a motivational reason to do as he says. Let's look at these backwards starting with the motivation.
God reassures us that he controls the beginning and the end of all our circumstances. "This is the will of God for you." In every situation he is either carving away harmful residue from your spirit or ministering to someone else through your responses. In most cases he is doing both things through the same circumstance (Romans 8:28-29; 1 Peter 2:12, 3:1-2).
We give God thanks because he is making us more into the image of himself and he is gracious enough to allow us to be part of his ministry to others. We continually pray because we know our natural instinct is to lash back, and we recognize our need to depend on him working in and through us. Remembering these truths, we rejoice regardless of the situation.
How good it is to walk with God (Ephesians 5:8; 1John 1:7).
