1 Thessalonians 5:28 - A blessing

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Amen.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 - A guide for daily living

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

It's easy to say and hard to do, but really, if we live this way every day we will be living in God's will. Rejoice always - allow the peace that passes understanding and the joy of the Lord to always be felt inside and seen by others.
Pray continually - talk to God about everything all day long, let prayer be your inner monologue.
Give thanks in all circumstances - there is always something to be thankful for, even in the most difficult situations.

Lord, thank you for telling us your will for us. Please help us to rejoice, pray and give thanks. Amen

1 Thessalonians 5:14 - Family interactions

And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.

As we go about our lives as Christians interacting with other members of our Christian family...remember these things.

Lord, thank you for giving us a family of believers. Please help us to care for each other. Amen.

1 Thessalonians 4:13 - Sleep in death

Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.

When someone close to us dies, it is painful. Our loss is so great it can be overwhelming. But if the person who died was in Christ, we have hope. We know that they will one day be with God.

Lord, thank you for giving us hope. Please help those grieving for the loss of a loved one. Amen.

1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 - Work hard and mind your own business

And to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.

Ok, I gotta' say, this verse kind of surprised me. the two verses above it were about love so I expected to be sharing something about love.

Then I read this.

I'm always looking for the grand calling, the thing that will make me amazingly significant. Just this morning I read about this concept in Unoffendable by Brant Hansen. So maybe God has me in the right place, doing the right job, working hard.

Lord, thank you for giving us these simple tasks. Help us to realize that an extraordinary thing has already happened: You, the Lord of Lords, Creator of the Universe, love us and want to be with us. Amen.

1 Thessalonians 4:4 - Control your body

That each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable,

In this passage, Paul is talking about sexual immorality, but I think this verse can go beyond sexual sin. I need to control my body. That includes how I treat my body and what I do with my body. I've thought a lot about this in relation to food and being overweight. I don't think being overweight is a sin, by any means. I don't think being overweight has to limit my potential in any way. But...I think loosing weight could make me better. I would be a better employee with more stamina. I would be a better actor with a broader range of roles to play, I would be a better Christian with more energy and influence.

Lord, thank you for giving us choice in our lives. Please help me to control my body. Amen.

1 Thessalonians 3:13 - Strengthen your hearts

May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.

This prayer is from Paul at the end of the introduction to his letter to the church at Thssalonica. He is happy to hear these new Christians are remaining faithful and he prays for God to strengthen them to remain faithful. When we share Christ with people, we want to continue to keep them in our prayers, asking God to strengthen their hearts.

Lord, thank you for allowing us to come before you on behalf of others. Please strengthen the hearts of new Christians everywere so that they will be blameless and holy when Jesus returns. Amen.

1 Thessalonians 2:19-20 - Our glory and joy

For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you? Indeed, you are our glory and joy.

Our glory and joy to present to Christ when he returns are those with whom we have shared the gospel and they have obeyed. Here Paul is speaking of the church at Thessalonica. Who is your glory and joy? Is there anyone you have helped to teach about Christ? If not, it's never too late to start.

Lord, thank you for giving us the opportunity to share the good news. Please lead us to people who are seeking you and help us to bravely share your word. Amen.

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1 Thessalonians 2:15b - Hostile

They displease God and are hostile to everyone.

This verse is in reference to the Jews who killed Jesus, the prophets and drove out those preaching Christ. If our beliefs are causing us to be hostile to everyone, our beliefs need to be reexamined. Hostile is a strong word. Even enemies are to be forgiven and treated kindly.

Lord, thank you for offering us forgiveness and kindness. Please help us to offer forgiveness and kindness to everyone. Amen.

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1 Thessalonians 2:11-12 - The family of believers Part 3

For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.

Paul compares fatherhood to teaching the gospel to the people of Thessolonica. When sharing the gospel and working with new Christians, it is important to be encouraging and comforting while at the same time urging them to live Christlike lives as children of God.

Lord, thank you for being our Father and offering us loving patience. Please help us to treat new Christians as you treat us. Amen.

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1 Thessalonians 2:9-10 - The family of believers Part 2

Surely you remember, brothers and sisters, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you. You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed.

Paul continues to talk about sharing the gospel with the people of Thessalonica. He now compares the relationship to that of brothers and sisters. When we share Christ, we need to aim to be holy, righteous and blameless while not being a burden.

Lord, thank you for teaching us how to share the gospel. Please help us to be a blessing as a sibling to those we are reaching. Amen.

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1 Thessalonians 2:7b-8 -The family of believers Part 1

Just as a nursing mother cares for her children, so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.

Today and for the next two days I am focusing on 1 Thessalonians 2:7b-12. In this passage Paul is discussing how the gospel was shared with the people of Thessalonica. He compares this process to a family. The verse above describes the mother and how she cares for her children, just as those sharing Christ cared for the people of Thessalonica and became involved in their lives.

Lord, thank you for giving us examples of how to share the gospel. Please help us to not be afraid to get involved in peoples lives and show them we care. Amen.

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1 Thessalonians 2:4 - Praise from people

On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts.

In these and the surrounding verses Paul is talking about how the gospel was shared with the people of Thessalonica. It is a good guide for how to share Christ. My purpose in this blog is twofold: personal study and to share my study with others. On down the passage verse 6 states, "We are not looking for praise from people."

Lord, thank you for this opportunity to study your word. Please help me to not seek praise from people, but only work to please you. Amen.

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1 Thessalonians 1:4 - Chosen

For we know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that he has chosen you,

Chosen by God. What a powerful thought. God has chosen us to be his children. The following verse tells how we can know we have been chosen: "because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction." The gospel isn't something we have to convince ourselves is true, we can feel our conviction, it's power and the Holy Spirit living in our lives.

Lord, thank you for making us a part of your family. If we don't feel your power, Holy Spirit and deep conviction, help us to reevaluate our conversion story. Amen.

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