1 Thessalonians 5:12-28
12 Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you.
13 Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.
14 And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.
15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.
16 Be joyful always;
17 pray continually;
18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
19 Do not put out the Spirit's fire;
20 do not treat prophecies with contempt.
21 Test everything. Hold on to the good.
22 Avoid every kind of evil.
23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
24 The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.
25 Brothers, pray for us.
26 Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss.
27 I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers.
28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

REFLECT

An area that can make us all feel guilty is when we are asked about our prayer life. We all feel bad about our inconsistencies in our quiet times. We sink lower when we hear Paul saying in verse 17 'pray continually'.

It's important that we develop our own prayer life. Of course we can learn from others too. But the joy of connecting with our maker is and should be unique to each individual. When we were new in our faith we were taught how to pray in the ACTS format? But as we mature in our faith, we should develop our own prayer life that is personal and satisfying. The gospel of Mark records Jesus getting up early when it was still dark and going to a solitary place to pray. Luke says 'Jesus often withdrew to lonely places to pray'.

We sometimes read a book and get inspired by someone's prayer life. But we feel guilty because we can't match up to their standards. Remember no one can pray your prayers better than you.

ACT

Make a plan of how you want to improve your prayer life. Maybe more time, a prayer list, praise God more etc.