1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
November 22, 2023
FEAST OF SAINT CLEMENT I, POPE AND MARTYR, AND BLESSED MIGUEL AGUSTIN PRO – 23rd NOVEMBER
November 23, 2023
THE 22nd OF NOVEMBER
OUR HAPPINESS DEPENDS ON WHAT WE BELIEVE, THINK, SAY AND DO
Who is the man who desires life, and loves many days, that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. – Psalms 34:12-14
The message of this verses is similar with the one of Proverbs 4:23, which says: “Keep your heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” Living to please God is the key for a good, blessed, happy and long life. The words we speak are the result of what we already thought about and kept in our minds, that led to emotions which we stored in our hearts. By paying serious attention to what we think about, we can stop the evil thoughts before they would turn into emotions that later will be revealed in our speech.
The use of deceitful or idle words is also dangerous, as it affects our integrity and cause people to stop paying attention to what we say, as they cannot tell if we are serious or not anymore. We spare ourselves of much pain and suffering if we choose to stay away from evil and do good, seek peace even if we have to pursue it or if we have to sometimes let go of things that we might consider important. We cannot have a happy and blessed life if we are tormented, argue often or seek to always have things our own way. God created us for love, peace and joy. Our bodies function the best when these emotions are predominant. That is why it is so important to keep our peace, even if we need to put effort into it.
SUGGESTED PRAYER
Lord God please help me to always seek to delight in the life I have in You. Only by living to please You, may I have a long life and enjoy happiness, peace and prosperity. Please help me to guard my lips, by stopping the evil thoughts before they would stir up negative emotions in my heart and cause me to speak evil or deceitful words. Help me to always stay away from evil and change the way I react when things are not going as I want them to go, so that I may maintain my peace. Thank You so much Lord Jesus for giving me Your peace and please help me keep it in my heart, as the priceless treasure it is. Glory and honor to Your holy Name, for ever and ever. Amen
Source: thetruthstandsforever 
