LIVING THE CHRISTLIFE

WAYNE BARRETT

NOVEMBER 19, 2025

Count Your Many Blessings

1 Thessalonians 5:16-22; Psalm 50:14

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God

in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything;

hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil.—1 Thessalonians 5:16-22

______________________

vv 16-18 – “Rejoice always…”

The punctuation (in English) of these three verses has particular significance (commas and then

the semicolon). The concluding statement applies to all three of the preceding exhortations.

Also, in Greek, the first three statements rhyme and have rhythm, a cadence:

Pantote chairete, Always rejoice

adialeiptōs proseuchesthe, unceasingly pray,

en panti eucharisteite! in everything give thanks!

All three of these encouragements are decisions we make and actions we then take—including

the first one!

They overlap and interconnect—e.g. rejoicing normally involves giving thanks, and vice versa.

“Rejoice always”

This is different than “enduring” or being faithful.

To rejoice is to be glad, to celebrate, to praise

We can rejoice in our salvation.

We can rejoice that we are in relationship with Christ.

We can rejoice in who God is.

We can rejoice in all that he has done for us.

We can rejoice in his promises.

We can rejoice in the beauty and wonder of his creation.

Here we can be aided by Scripture—especially but not only the Psalms. We can also be aided by

hymns, e.g. “For the Beauty of the Earth,” “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty,” “Great Is Thy

Faithfulness,” “Holy, Holy, Holy,” “Amazing Grace,” “What a Friend We Have in Jesus,”

hundreds, actually thousands more!

“Pray without ceasing”

Folks in the first century had jobs and “did things,” just as we are and do

The instruction here is that in ALL that we do, we are in a state of prayer, whatever our

occupation.

This is not hyper-religious. This is the normal, Christian condition.

“Give thanks in all circumstances.”

more lit. “in everything give thanks”

The Christian life should be characterized by thanksgiving.

A person who is truly thankful will not be a complainer or a grumbler.

The hymn gives good advice: “Count Your Blessings”

We are to do this in everything.

2

“for this is the will of God …”

This is in important concluding statement. We don’t have to wonder

God desires for us to rejoice always, unceasingly pray, and give thanks in all things.

This triad of instruction is a good self-checklist.

vv 19-22 – “Do not quench the Spirit …”

These statement also, in the Greek, have rhyme and rhythm.

To Pneuma mē sbennyte

Prophēteias mē exoutheneite

Panta de dokimazete

To kalon katechete

Apo pantos eidos ponērou apechesthe.

The Spirit do not quench.

Prophesies do not despise.

All things however test.

To the good hold fast.

From every form of evil abstain.

“Do not quench the Spirit”

Through unbelief

Through sinful living—to include apathy

“Do not despise prophesies”

The immediate application of this for us would be to the Bible and to what says to us through the

teaching and preaching of his word

Do not be dismissive, do not ignore

“but test everything”

Scripture commends us for putting what we hear to the test

The primary test is against God’s word—does it conform?

By the fruit of the teaching and/or the teacher—is Jesus Christ glorified? Are followers built up

in Jesus Christ? Specifically Jesus Christ.

“hold fast what is good”

“Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in

which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached

to you …”—1 Corinthians 15:1-2

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure,

whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything

worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and

seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”—Philippians 4:8-

9

Not as easy as it sounds.

“Do not doubt in the darkness what God has revealed in the light”—selected

“Abstain from every form of evil.”

Evil is anything that places the human self above God.

And evil come in many forms—many of them might seem appealing in every worldly way.

___________

“Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,

and perform your vows to the Most High.”—Psalm 50:14

In Hebrew: “Offer to God thanksgiving”

Do we truly recognize the value (born of love and grace) that God places upon thanksgiving?

And the parallel line, the second side of the coin, is that we live faithfully unto God.