Thursday Thought -- December 1, 2011

Good Morning Friends,

“With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith.  We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12)

Paul felt responsibility toward the Thessalonian Christians because he is the one who brought the Gospel to them.  They believed his testimony (2 Thessalonians 1:10).  Paul visited the Thessalonians as his travels took him near their area of the world, but that would have been very infrequent.  Paul wrote them occasionally -- at least twice -- but their postal system made writing an infrequent thing, too.  But though his contacts with them were infrequent, his concern for them was constant and it was demonstrated in his prayers on their behalf.  Paul preached over much of the known world, and almost every time he wrote, he mentioned his habit of praying for those whose lives he had touched with his ministry.  As busy as Paul was, he found time -- he made time -- to regularly and consistently pray for many others.

And the content of his prayers for others represents the best of what God wants to accomplish in us.  Paul’s prayers would be a great model to follow as we pray for others -- and a great model to follow as we pray for ourselves.

He prayed that God would count the Thessalonians worthy of the call they had received from Him.  God has called you, too.  He has called you to a relationship with Him.  He has called you to His service.  He has called you to represent Him in this world.  He longs for you to fulfill His purpose for you in that call.

He prayed that God would demonstrate His power in the Thessalonians by fulfilling every good purpose and every act prompted by faith.  Paul didn’t pray that the Thessalonians would have all of their dreams come true – but all of the “good” dreams and purposes, those dreams that come out of a sincere concern for others and not a selfish ambition for ourselves.  And it’s God’s power that can accomplish those -- we can never accomplish anything worthwhile in our own power.

He prayed that Jesus would be glorified in the lives of the Thessalonians.  There is nothing selfish there, not for Paul and not for the Thessalonians, either.  His desire in his own life and for the lives of all other believers was that God would be glorified in them.

Worthy of the call.  God’s power at work.  God receiving glory.  Now there are some things worth praying for -- and worth seeking in your life and in the lives of others.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Wednesday Thought -- November 30, 2011

Good Morning Friends,

“God is just:  He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well.  This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels.  He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.  They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed.  This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.” (2 Thessalonians 1:6-10)

Life is not fair.  Sometimes good people suffer and those who cause the suffering prosper.  But here is God’s promise:  there will come a day when justice will prevail.  It won’t happen because the world finally wakes up and everything becomes fair and just in this life.  It will happen when God intervenes in the world to bring His justice at the Second Coming.

I like the story of the couple returning by ship to New York after a lifetime of missionary service.  As the ship pulls in to the dock they see a crowd waiting to welcome them home and celebrate, but when they disembark they realize the crowd is for someone else, some celebrity and that no one is there to welcome them home.  The man turns to his wife and expresses his disappointment and frustration, it just isn’t fair.  The wife responds simply, “Remember, we’re not home yet.”

You work hard and don’t get the reward you deserve.  You stand up for what is right and holy and you get ridiculed and put down for it.  In some places and some times, you get imprisoned or even killed just for your allegiance to Jesus.  Children get sick and young people die.  Life just isn’t fair.  Remember, it’s not done yet.  It won’t be done until Jesus comes, and then justice will prevail.  Count on it!  If you cling to Jesus even when it hurts and is hard, in the end, it will be evident you were right.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Tuesday Thought -- November 29, 2011

Good Morning Friends,

“Paul, Silas and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:  Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing.  Therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.” (2 Thessalonians 1:1-4)

Paul began his second letter to the Thessalonians in the same way in which he began his first:  by thanking God for them.  In both cases he looked at the characteristics of the Thessalonian church that deserved special praise and both times he pointed to their faith and their love (in the first letter he also mentions their hope).

They were known as a church of faith.  Not just static faith, either, but faith that kept growing as they matured and walked with the Lord.  Faith is important to God.  In fact, without faith no one can please God at all. (Hebrews 11:6)  And what is true in the lives of individuals is also true for whole churches.  To please God, churches must have faith.  Faith that trusts God even in the midst of trials.  Faith that is willing to step forward even when the way is not clearly laid out, trusting that when God has revealed one step He will continue to reveal each additional step as it is needed.

They were known as a church that loved each other.  Again, it wasn’t love that stayed at the same level.  It was love that kept increasing as they got to know God better and got to know each other better.  Love for others is important to God, too.  In fact, it is the very characteristic that Jesus said would be the mark by which His followers would be known. (John 13:35)  Love that is willing to keep loving even when someone isn’t very loveable.  Love that is willing to keep loving even when that love requires great sacrifice.

Faith and love -- I can’t think of any two characteristics that I’d rather have my church known for!

His, by Grace,

Steve

Monday Thought -- November 28, 2011

Good Morning Friends,

“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.  The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.  Brothers, pray for us.  Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss.  I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers.  The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:23-28)

The work that is happening in your life is God’s work.  He’s the one who is sanctifying you.  It doesn’t happen all at once, in fact, it won’t be completely finished on this side of heaven.  But God is now at work in everyone who has received Jesus Christ and He will continue to be at work until you draw your last breath.  You can count on that, because God has promised it and He is absolutely faithful.  It isn’t going to be easy work, in fact, it sometimes brings great pain.  Scrubbing the evil influences of sin out of the recesses of your heart is painful.  But God loves you enough to do what needs to be done even though it causes you pain.

Paul closes this letter with a challenge to the Thessalonians to do three things that will assist in the sanctifying work that God is doing in their own heart and in the hearts of those around them.

1.  When we pray for each other we join God’s work.  When we pray for others, God works in our own lives through those prayers.  When we pray for others, we assist God’s work in their lives, too.  Somehow in the divine scheme of things, our prayers release God’s work.

2.  Our fellowship with other believers also assists God’s work in their lives and in ours.  Identified by a holy kiss, it’s more than just a simple act, it’s sharing in the lives of other believers, being a part of their lives and their being a part of ours.

3.  One more way we assist God’s sanctifying work is by reading and encouraging others to read His Word.  It is the word of life, the word of growth, the Word of God Himself.  He’s given it to us so that we can grow through it and so that we can use it in the lives of other believers to help them grow.

And at the very end of it all is grace -- it was at the beginning, too (see 1 Thessalonians 1:1).  Grace is where our relationship with God starts and it’s where it will end, too!

His, by Grace,

Steve

Friday Thought -- November 25, 0211

Good Morning Friends,

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.  Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt.  Test everything.  Hold on to the good.  Avoid every kind of evil.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-22)

There are decisions that you need to make about how to face life.  Each of these short statements is an imperative, a command, something we are to do.  These are attitudes and actions that we are not to sit back and wait to overtake us.  They are attitudes and actions we are to embrace ourselves.

Joy isn’t something that comes to us as a result of the happy experiences we have.  Joy is a choice we make about how we will face life’s circumstances.  Joy is achieved by looking at the right things -- a focus on the Lord and on what He is accomplishing in us and through us.

Prayer and gratitude are choices that we are to make.  They don’t come naturally.  The natural reaction is to treat life as if it is all up to us, we’re on our own.  To acknowledge the need for God through prayer and to acknowledge what He’s done by giving thanks goes against what’s natural.  You have to choose them.

Passion can be quenched, and it has been in the lives of many believers.  They started with fire, but somehow it’s gone out, or at least it’s growing cooler.  Embrace passion again by embracing the work of the Spirit in your life.

There are two extremes people choose, both of which are wrong.  One is to reject everything and the other is to accept everything.  There is a middle ground that is right, being open to the work of God around you and yet testing to be sure it’s God and not demonic or of the flesh.

Hold to the good, avoid evil.  Two more choices.

All of the choices presented here are simple choices.  All of them are yours to make.  How will you approach life?

His, by Grace,

Steve

Wednesday Thought -- November 23, 2011

Good Morning Friends,

“And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.  Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.” (1 Thessalonians 5:14-15)

Not everyone needs the same kind of treatment from us.  Even the same person doesn’t always need the same kind of treatment.  The kind of treatment that people need depends on what they are facing and how they are facing it.

Those who are idle don’t need to be helped to stay idle.  They need a swift kick to get them started again.  Paul calls it a warning.  The timid don’t need a swift kick, they need encouragement.  They need a kind and gentle word that will help them know someone else is with them and there to help them.  The weak don’t need to be made to stand on their own.  They need a helping hand in their trouble.

You determine what someone needs by looking carefully at what they are going through and looking carefully at the kind of attitude they have toward what they are facing.  The challenge is to give each person what he or she needs most.

And there are a few things that everyone needs.  Everyone needs patience.  No matter what a person is going through or how they are facing it, patience from us will help them.  The idle, the timid, the weak, no one is going to change in an instant.  Everyone needs to be treated with patience.  And everyone needs to be treated with kindness.  Even discipline is to be done with a kind heart, a heart that wants what is best for the one being disciplined.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Tuesday Thought -- November 22, 2011

Good Morning Friends,

“Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you.  Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work.” (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13)

All of us have pastors, elders and/or deacons, Sunday School teachers, Bible study leaders, or others who contribute to our spiritual health and growth.  The people that I know who fit into those categories work hard.  The majority of the ones I know do it without pay, because they are committed to the Lord and His people and are being obedient to what they believe God is asking them to do.

They put in long hours, studying the Bible to prepare to teach, attending meetings to discuss how the church can best serve and how people can best be helped, and talking with people about the Lord and about their problems.  They don’t do it for all of the acclaim they get -- most get very little.  They don’t do it because they are bored -- the hardest working folks in God’s kingdom seem to be the ones who are busiest with other things, too.

They take away from their own free time.  They take away from their family time.  Sometimes they even take away from their work time.

And almost all of the ones I know who fit into the category of leaders in God’s kingdom do a pretty good job of it.  Oh, they make mistakes, but their motives are right and they take their responsibilities seriously.

And the most significant things you have that you can give them are your respect and your love.  No other reward that you can give will mean more to them or keep them more motivated to keep going.

His, by Grace,

Steve