REJOICE ALWAYS, PRAY WITHOUT CEASING, IN EVERYTHING GIVE THANKS...

Woke up with the short succinct COMMANDS of 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 on my heart:

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.--1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

And since it was morning I wondered why the Holy Spirit chose to place "Rejoice always" first....for me it is usually prayer as soon as my mind realizes I am awake...my favorite is,  "Lord, have mercy on me today for I am weak" and then I thank Him that I can start my day with my coffee and His word. (shallow...I know)  Once I have my coffee the rejoicing part comes easier.  BUT as I meditated this morning on these three short verses before getting out of bed. I realized that of course, rejoice always or rejoice evermore is first because my joy in Him is the background music of my life. Before I pray...in order to pray, I must "REMEMBER" my God.  For me to even go to prayer or thanksgiving when I awake, I must remember Him and rejoice because He is my hope and my source of joy as a believer...THIS world is not my home.  My God is the same yesterday, today and forever...He is ALWAYS with me and nothing can separate me from His love...so yeah...rejoice always....even at 6 am before coffee.