The Rule of Two, Three, Four

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

    One of my preacher friends, Michael Mynatt, preached on this passage and called it “The Rule of Two, Three, Four” because from the King James version we find: “rejoice always” is two words; “pray without ceasing”, three words; and, “in everything give thanks”, four words. So it’s the rule of two, three, four.

    When Paul says, “this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus,” he means all three of these things: rejoice always, pray continually, and giving thanks in all circumstances. It is God’s will that we do all of these things. It is God’s will that we are happy, contented, thankful people. There is always something to be joyful for. Paul told the Philippians to be joyful while he was in prison. He had previously said he was content, no matter his circumstances. He said knowing Christ makes everything seem like garbage.

    One of the fruit of the Spirit, in fact, is joy. We find joy in our circumstances when we are living by faith and walking with Christ.

    Praying continually means we never stop praying. We are in a continual communication with God. This effects our behavior and well it should. We don’t have to walk around with our eyes closed, of course, but we are continually aware that we are in God’s presence. When something upsets us, we take it to God. When something thrills us – like a beautiful sunrise – we glorify God on the spot. We are continually letting him know is on our minds. This is walking with him, what Micah 6:8 says God really wants from us, why we were created.

    Giving thanks in all circumstances is a little more tricky. We tend to be thankful when things are going our way, but not when we are suffering or under stress. But when we realize that God is always up to something good and that we can trust him, even when we don’t understand, we will begin to be thankful in all circumstances.

    All of these take practice, but they are God’s will for our lives.