My friend and business partner just returned from visiting Italy. It was a trip of a lifetime for him, his wife and family members. Although he and his family looked Italian, and their last name was Italian, they didn’t speak Italian.
One of the surprising things they discovered during their visit was no one had ice. Stores didn’t sell it and when you asked for it at a restaurant, either they didn’t have it or the waiter looked at you funny. My friend would laugh when his brother asked for “macho.” The Italian word for ice is, “ghiaccio.” The waiters and shopkeepers didn’t find this amusing.
As Christian’s, we are citizens of a different world. We too have to learn a new language. What Paul describes in 1 Thessalonians 5 is effectively, the grammar of a new language: ‘Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances’ (v.16). Prayer should be like breathing – something we do continually, but often unconsciously. Instead of always complaining ‘give thanks in all circumstances’ – expressing your thanks to God and other people – in little things as well as big things.
All this can seem a very daunting prospect. But you are not on your own. Paul prays, ‘May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through’ (v.23), and he finishes on a resounding note of hope and help – ‘He who calls you is faithful, and he will do it’ (v.25).
When people look at you, can they tell you are a citizen of a different world?
Living Life by Design 
Leave a comment