The tough times

^“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” – 1 Thessalonians 5: 16 - 18

ONE thing life should have taught us all by now is that trouble keeps coming our way. So the question I pose today is – how do we react to this inevitability? There are two paths we can take; the most obvious is clearly marked ‘SELF PITY’, but there is also a straight and narrow path marked ‘THANK YOU LORD’. Why should this be the way we choose to go? As we have often said, there is nothing more important in life than to please God, and He wants us to “give thanks in all circumstances.” It’s tough, we all know, but His Word tells us that when we rejoice and pray, about the life He gave us, especially in its tough phases, we produce the perseverance, character and hope that the Holy Spirit in us releases. When we choose that path, we please God and create hope.