Monday, November 30, 2015

2 Thessalonians 1:9-10

2 Thessalonians 1:9-10
These will suffer punishment: eternal destruction away from the presence of the Lord and the glory of His might when He should come to be glorified in His holy ones and to be the subject of marvel in all the ones who believed – because our testimony upon you all was being believed – in that day.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

We continue on with the idea of judgment in the first verse.  But look at how Paul describes judgment in this passage: being away from the presence of the Lord and His glory.  Yes, people will encounter destruction, fire, and all of the other things that we talked about earlier.  But the true sadness will be in the eternal separation from God.  All good things come from God.  What Paul is describing is an existence with no true goodness in it.  That’s the punishment for rejecting God.

What do you think life would be like without the goodness of God?  What would life be like in complete separation from the presence of God?

Second Thought:

Furthermore, look at when Paul says that they will enter judgment: when Christ should come.  Once more we hear that the trigger for the eternal beginning is the return of Christ.  We will enter into God’s presence when Christ returns.  Those outside of Christ will enter into judgment when Christ returns.  Our focus should be on that moment as the time when the eternal will begin and we will be transformed into an eternal existence – whether for good or for bad.

How does this thought affect your thinking about the eternal?  How important is this point really in the greater scheme of Christianity?

Third Thought:

Furthermore, look at what Paul turns to when he begins speaking about the believers.  Paul talks about Jesus being glorified among them.  Eternal life – for the believers – is going to be about glorifying Jesus.  It is so easy for us to think about eternal life and what we will get.  It is easy for us to focus on all the people that we will get to meet.  It’s easy for us to think about all of the questions to which we’ll finally get answers.  But when Paul talks about the eternal, none of those things even enter the conversation.  Paul speaks about giving glory to Jesus.  That’s the focus of the eternal.

How like Paul are you?  When you think about eternal life, do you think about glorifying Jesus or the other things that are often touted about in the world as the focus of eternal life?


Passage for Tomorrow: 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12

Sunday, November 29, 2015

2 Thessalonians 1:5-8

2 Thessalonians 1:5-8
This is the evidence of the righteous judgment of God – in order that you all should be regarded as worthy of the kingdom of God, for the sake of which you all also suffered: if after all it is righteous before God to repay the ones who afflicted you with affliction and to you all who are being afflicted to repay rest with us in the revelation of the Lord Jesus with his powerful angels in flaming fire while giving punishment to the ones who do not know God and to the ones who do not obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Paul talks about the righteous judgment of God here.  There are two parts to this judgment, and we’ll deal with the positive one first.  Half of the righteous judgment of God is that those who are in Christ will know the rest that comes with being a part of God.  We will know rest.  However, we need to be careful here.  We may get to participate in a glimmer of that rest now from moment to moment, but we will only know the true rest after Christ returns.  So we who are in Christ look forward to those brief moments of resting in God’s arms when we can get them now.  But a day will come when our whole existence will be found in the rest that comes in knowing God.

How does this idea of rest help to make affliction and persecution manageable?  Are you quick to remember the rest of God when you are under persecution?

Second Thought:

Now let’s talk about the other side of God’s righteous judgment.  There will be repayment against those who afflict God’s people.  There are two things that we must remember at this point.  First of all, in the same way that those who are in Christ will only find true rest when Christ comes back so those who are not in Christ will only experience full judgment when Christ returns.  Those who are in judgment will not feel full judgment in the here and now.  Second – and far more importantly – it is God who will repay.  The Bible is absolutely clear on this point.  Vengeance is mine, says the Lord.  True justice will only come after Christ returns, at the time when God is in full control.  It is not up to us to get people back and to get revenge.  Revenge isn’t a dish best served cold.  Revenge is a dish best served by God.

Do you ever desire revenge?  Why do we have an easy time seeking revenge?  Why is it best to let revenge be into God’s hands?

Third Thought:

Before stopping for the night, let’s talk a bit about the coming of Christ.   It is an event promised to us all throughout the New Testament.  Christ will return.  When he does, life as we know it will end.  We will go from a time of human free will into a life either completely in the presence of God or completely apart from God.  Furthermore, we will know his coming.  He is going to come with his angels in power and might.  He won’t come as a hidden baby to model humbleness to God but rather as a champion to show who is in control.

What do you think about the second coming of Christ?  Is it a moment you look forward to with anticipation or with fear?  Why might you be able to express both emotions?


Passage for Tomorrow: 2 Thessalonians 1:9-10

Monday, November 23, 2015

2 Thessalonians 1:3-4

2 Thessalonians 1:3-4
We are obligated to give thanks to God at all times for your sake, brothers and sisters, just as it is fitting, because your faithfulness increases greatly and the love of each of you all multiplies into each other.  Accordingly, we ourselves have a high level of confidence in you all in the assemblies of God regarding of your endurance and faithfulness in all of the persecutions and afflictions that you all endure.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Paul again uses the word obligated.  Giving thanks to God regarding the example of faithful people in our lives is an obligation.  God gives us people to help inspire us.  God gives us faithful people so that if we choose to do so we can see God in them.  God gives us faithful people to inspire us when we are down.  God gives us faithful people to urge us into greater faithfulness.  But they are absolutely a gift from God.  We need to give Him thanks.

Who are the faithful people in your life for whom you give thanks?  When is it easy to forget this obligation?

Second Thought:

Paul tells us why it is that he is giving thanks.  The faith and love of the Thessalonians is spreading.  In this we have the true measure of faithfulness to God.  When we are living in God, His love spreads through us.  His faithfulness spreads through us.  That doesn’t necessarily mean that everyone gets it, of course.  But His love will grow when we are truly living out of His desire for our life.

In what way has the faithfulness and love of God spread into you?  In what way have you pass on the faithfulness and love of God to others?

Third Thought:

Of course, growth leads to confidence.  Because the people in Thessalonica have grown in love and faithfulness, Paul can be confident in them under persecution.  Paul knows that they will see persecution from the world around them.  But they will have the example of the spreading of their love upon which they can lean.  When things are difficult, they will know how God has been with them already.  When things go difficultly for us in life, it is often our past victories that give us the most hope for future success.

When have you needed to reach back and remember high moments in order to endure persecution?  How does this demonstrate the importance of recognizing when God is active and at work in our life now?


Passage for Tomorrow: 2 Thessalonians 1:5-8

Sunday, November 22, 2015

2 Thessalonians 1:1-2

2 Thessalonians 1:1-2
Paul and Silvanus and Timothy.  To the assembly of Thessalonica in God our Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Paul, Silas (another name for Silvanus), and Timothy.  These three are the core of the ministry to the early Gentile church.  We need to remember that this letter was likely connected to a response from Thessalonica to the letter that we just finished studying.  In other words, these three pillars of the early church are in agreement with the content of this response.  This is a response of unity.

Why is it important for our leaders to be united together?  When have you experienced such unity?

Second Thought:

Notice that in Paul’s writing, Paul repeats the words, “God our Father” twice in short succession.  Paul doesn’t do this to be difficult or to sound repetitive.  Paul does this to make sure that the Thessalonians understand that God the Father is the center of life.  God the Father is crucial to our decisions.  God the Father is the foundation of our thoughts and discussions.  As this response to the Thessalonian church comes forth from Paul, Silas, and Timothy it is necessary to remember that it more importantly comes from God and His ways.

Do you think it is easy to lose sight of God as the center of life?  Do you think that it is easy to lose sight of the fact that God is the center of the community of believers?

Third Thought:

Paul also repeats the phrase “the Lord Jesus Christ.”  This is for most of the same reasons as he repeated the phrase “God our Father.”  It is important to remember that Jesus Christ is at the heart of the church.  It is important to remember that Jesus Christ is at the core of our discussions and decisions.  When we speak in the church, we should speak from His example and base our thoughts on His teachings.  It is not up to us to determine what is right and wrong.  We are to follow the path that Jesus blazed before us.

Do you think it is easy to lose sight of Jesus as the center of life?  Do you think that it is easy to lose sight of the fact that Jesus is the center of the community of believers?


Passage for Tomorrow: 2 Thessalonians 1:3-4

Saturday, November 21, 2015

1 Thessalonians 5:25-28

1 Thessalonians 5:25-28
Brothers and sisters, pray also for us.  Greet all the brothers in a holy kiss.  I adjure you all in the Lord to read the letter aloud to all of the brothers.  The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Paul asks for the prayers of the Thessalonians.  I am always humbled by Paul’s request for prayers.  To ask for prayer means that we are acknowledging that we need help.  We need support.  We have a concern in our life that we feel is beyond our control.  To ask for prayer is fundamentally to ask other people to join with us in the imperfection of life.  Paul has no issue acknowledging that he lives in an imperfect world and then inviting others into that same perspective.

Where are you asking for prayer?  Where are others asking for prayer from you?

Second Thought:

Paul wants the letter to be read aloud to everyone.  We are not to choose who is good enough to know something and who is not.  We are certainly in a position to not force learning upon others.  We are certainly in a position to not teach those who aren’t interested.  But if we are in a position to share with a person who is demonstrating their desire to learn then we have an obligation to share and teach and encourage.

With whom do you share the faith?  With whom do you not share the faith but could?

Third Thought:

I love that Paul always ends on a note of grace.  After all, we aren’t going to be able to live up to all of the instructions of God through Paul.  We’ll make mistakes.  None of us will deserve salvation.  So we rely upon grace.  At the end of this letter, the Thessalonians and we need to remember that grace is the crucible upon which our lives truly rest.

Are you good at remembering grace in the end?  Are you good at making sure your last words to other people are filled with grace?

Passage for Tomorrow: 2 Thessalonians 1:1-2


Friday, November 20, 2015

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
And may the same God of peace make you all entirely holy, and may your entire spirit and soul and body be kept blameless in the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  The faithful one who calls you – He will also do this.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Paul desires that the Thessalonians be made holy.  Paul wants them to be separate from the world.  But notice to whom Paul gives the credit.  God makes us holy.  God empowers us to be separate.  We don’t have what it takes within us.  But God does.  God makes us entirely holy.

How are you holy in life?  How does this separate you from the world?

Second Thought:

I often think about why it is that I still sin.  After all, I believe in a powerful God.  I believe in a God who can do anything.  I believe in a God who will bring us into eternal life where sin will exist no more.  So why do I still sin?  I sin because I will be blameless in the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.  I am not currently blameless.  But I will be blameless.  I will be remade blameless.  But that means that I am not now blameless.  I still have free will.  My flesh is still at war with God.  I long for the day when I will be made blameless.

What do you think it will be like to be made blameless?  Why do you think God allows us to have free will even now?

Third Thought:

The last point that Paul makes in this chapter is a little easy to miss.  The God who calls us is able to accomplish what He desires.  This is easy to miss because I think that we take it for granted.  How often do we take God’s omnipotence for granted?  Yet God is capable of accomplishing His desire.  Why would He call us if He cannot accomplish His will?  Of course He can accomplish His will.  The faithful one who calls us doesn’t call us into something that may happen.  He calls us into something that absolutely will happen.

Into what has God called you?  Do you believe God can do it?

Passage for Tomorrow: 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24


Thursday, November 19, 2015

1 Thessalonians 5:18-22

1 Thessalonians 5:18-22
In all things, give thanks.  For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus into you all.  Do not quench the Spirit.  Do not despise prophecies.  But examine all things; hold fast to the good thing.  Abstain from every appearance of evil.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Give thanks.  In other words, we are to live with an attitude of gratitude.  On the surface, that doesn’t seem all that difficult.  After all, when we think about all that God has done for us why wouldn’t we give thanks?  We have received eternal life when we should deserve condemnation.  However, in practice it isn’t all that easy.  Life can get us down.  We can worry.  We can doubt.  We can get yelled at.  We can make mistakes.  We can do things that cause us and others to suffer.  In those situations, it is difficult to give thanks.  It is difficult to give thanks when we are impacted by our sinfulness.  It is difficult to give thanks when we are impacting others in our sinfulness.  It is difficult to forgive when we have to deal with the consequences of others’ sinfulness.  But in all of those times and places, our reality is unchanged.  We are saved and do not deserve it.  We always have reason to give thanks.

How are you at giving thanks?  Do you give thanks as you ought?

Second Thought:

Do not quench the Spirit and do not despise prophecies.  In other words, when God desires to teach us and guide us, we are to listen and obey.  When God desires to work through us, we are to follow and open ourselves up to Him.  We need to live in such a way that is prepared to receive from God.

How willing are you to receive from God?  How prepared are you to receive from God?

Third Thought:

Finally, we are to examine all things.  In doing so, we are to hold fast to what is good.  That makes sense, of course.  But what really caught my eye today is the warning against evil.  It doesn’t just say, “Don’t hold fast to evil.”  No!  It actually says, “Don’t even have anything to do with the appearance of evil.”  Evil is so dangerous and so misleading and so destructive to the community that we are to not even give an appearance of evil.  That’s powerful advice.  It’s one thing to not actually do any evil.  It is another thing entirely to not even give off an appearance of evil.

Where might you give off an appearance of evil in your life even if you aren’t actually guilty of doing it?  Why is this an important angle to consider even if we aren’t actually guilty of evil?

Passage for Tomorrow: 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24


Wednesday, November 18, 2015

1 Thessalonians 5:15-17

1 Thessalonians 5:15-17
See that no one should recompense evil for evil.  Rather, at all times pursue the good thing into one another and into all.  Rejoice always.  Pray continuously.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Do not recompense evil for evil.  In other words, when someone treats you badly, don’t treat them badly in return!  This is hard advice.  We want revenge.  We want payback.  We want to make sure that we aren’t the last one kicked but that we have every opportunity to be the one who gets in the last kick.  But here’s the problem.  When we seek revenge, all we are doing is inviting revenge back.  We create a cycle that might never stop but continuously escalate.  The only way to ensure that things do not escalate is to buy into the concept that we do not recompense evil for evil.

Do you ever want to get someone back?  Why is that thought inherently wrong?  How can you avoid the urge to need to get revenge in your life?

Second Thought:

Rejoice always.  This one is difficult.  Life is hard.  Things don’t always go your way.  There are always things to worry about, things to complain about, and things over which we can stress.  Yet we should rejoice always.  Remember that this is said by Paul, who was abused and mistreated in practically every town in which he went!  If he can rejoice, so can I.

When do you find it easiest to rejoice?  When do you find it the most difficult to rejoice?

Third Thought:

The third of Paul’s final directives is an interesting one.  Pray continuously.  This one is one that honestly took me years to process and wrap my head around.  I think I’m still making sure that I’ve figured it out.  For me, the trick was to decide to live my life as though God is always present.  In other words, I don’t talk to myself anymore, I talk to God.  When I’m in a conversation with other people, I believe that God is also in the room listening and guiding.  When I’m driving down the road, conversation with God is one of my favorite pastimes – even audible conversation!  What I needed to realize is not that I needed to pray more often.  Rather, what I needed to realize is that every step of every day needs to be lived in pray.  Prayer is not something I do when my eyes are closed.  Prayer is something that I do with every breath I take.

Do you pray continuously?  What does that mean to you?

Passage for Tomorrow: 1 Thessalonians 5:18-22


Tuesday, November 17, 2015

1 Thessalonians 5:14

1 Thessalonians 5:14
We urge you, brothers and sisters, admonish those who refuse to work.  Encourage those who are losing heart.  Help the physically weak.  Be patient towards everyone. 

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Admonish those who work.  We are created to work.  We are created to feel a sense of accomplishment.  We are created to move our lives and the lives of the people around us forward.  When we refuse to work, two things happen.  First, we lose the ability to feel accomplishment.  More importantly, when we are idle we are disobedient to our Creator and the way that He has created us.

Do you enjoy accomplishing things?  What things do you enjoy the most?  What does this say about you and what God may be calling you into?

Second Thought:

Encourage those who lose heart.  The reality is that life is difficult.  We are always needing to overcome the hard life around us.  It is easy to lose heart and become discouraged.  As a community, God calls us to come beside the discouraged and help them along.  We are called to sow hope in the people around us.

Are you an encourager?  Whom do you encourage?  What might this say to you about to whom God is calling you to minister?

Third Thought:

Help the weak.  Be patient with everyone.  There will be those who are unable to do things – or at least unable to do them as we might do them.  For those who cannot, we need to help.  God helps us when we cannot save ourselves.  Therefore we need to help others when they are in need as well.  For those who do things differently than we might, we need to be patient and let them express what God is doing within them.

Are you a natural helper?  Are you naturally patient with people around you?

Passage for Tomorrow: 1 Thessalonians 5:15-17


Monday, November 16, 2015

1 Thessalonians 5:12-13

1 Thessalonians 5:12-13
And we ask you all, brothers and sisters, to honor the ones who work in you all and who directed you all in the Lord and who instruct you all and to regard them with a great degree in love because of their work.  Live at peace with them all.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Honor.  Respect.  Hold in high regard.  This is what our opinion should be of our mentors and those in authority over us.  In many cases, this is true.  Do we honor our spiritual mentors?  Typically.  But what about those to whom we don’t voluntarily submit ourselves?  Do I honor the police?  Do I honor my president, Congress, and state government whom I don’t genuinely think lives their life in the same ethic as I do?  Do I honor my parents all the time?  Do I honor my teachers or professors who assign me grades?  Sometimes it is easy to give honor.  Sometimes it is difficult to give honor.

Where do you give honor?  Where do you hold back your honor?  Do you have people in your life who are in the Lord whom you should honor but don’t?

Second Thought:

Regard in a great amount of love.  Paul steps the need to honor up a bit.  Yes, we are to honor them.  But we are also to love them with a great amount of love.  But it’s even more than that.  We are to honor them with a great deal of love because of their work.  We are to love the police officer who pulls us over for speeding because he is keeping the street safe.  We are to love our parent who sends us to our room because they are keeping us safe.  We are to love the spiritual mentor who calls out our sinfulness for what it is and gives us opportunity to grow.

Is it easy for you to love the work of the authorities in your life?  When is this easy?  What can make it difficult?

Third Thought:

Paul’s advice is to live at peace with those who are working in us.  Doesn’t this really make sense?  If someone wants the best for me, doesn’t it make sense to live peacefully with them?  Why resist those who genuinely are looking to cause me to grow and become a stronger and better person?  No.  We resist those who are over us not because they have bad intent but because we don’t want them to be over us.  Paul is advocating that we stop being so intent on our independence and be willing to place ourselves into God’s hands and those whom God has asked to watch over us.

Do you live at peace with the authorities in your life?  What makes this easy?  What makes this difficult?

Passage for Tomorrow: 1 Thessalonians 5:14-15


Sunday, November 15, 2015

1 Thessalonians 5:9-11

1 Thessalonians 5:9-11
Because, God did not set us up into wrath but rather into a state of acquiring salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for our sake, in order that whether we should stay awake or we should sleep we should live together with Him.  Therefore encourage and build each other up into one – just as you are also doing.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

God did not set us up into His wrath.  He didn’t!  We might deserve it.  We might be guilty of sin and deserving of condemnation.  But God does not want that for us.  He did not create us to be sinful.  He also gives us an opportunity to be saved through His Son.  In no way does He desire us to be condemned.

Do you ever forget that although God is responsible for justice that He does not desire for us to stand condemned?  Why is this important to remember?

Second Thought:

As I said above, God desires us to be saved.  He desires that we would live forever with Him.  I find this to be a great thought.  We don’t deserve it.  He is so much better than any of us.  But He still wants relationship with us.  That’s awesome.  That’s awe inspiring.

Are you inspired by God’s grace?  What does God’s grace lead you to do in your life?

Third Thought:

Finally, we are reminded to be encouraged and to encourage one another in these words.  It is so easy to beat ourselves us with our sinfulness.  It is so easy to get down on ourselves because of our failings.  But that is not what we are to do.  We are to encourage one another in God’s grace.

Is it easy to forget about God’s grace?  Whom do you inspire in God’s grace?


Passage for Tomorrow: 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13


Saturday, November 14, 2015

1 Thessalonians 5:7-8

1 Thessalonians 5:7-8
For the ones who sleep, sleep at night.  And the ones who are made drunk are drunk at night.  But we, while being of the day, should be sober-minded while clothing ourselves in a breastplate of faith and love and a helmet of the hope of salvation.  

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Paul then talks about behavior.  Those who sleep and get drunk do so at night which such behavior is acceptable – and even common!  On the other hand, those who are not of the world will not engage in worldly behavior.  We will be sober-minded.  We will think and question and consider the consequences before simply acting.  We will be able to do what is best for the community around us instead of what is best for ourselves.

Are you sober-minded?  Are you able to be a person of the light instead of a person in human darkness?

Second Thought:

While living in the light, we start with the breastplate of faith and love.  First of all, let’s remember what the breastplate did.  The breastplate protected the heart and vital organs.  The breastplate kept the core of the person secure.  So what is it that keeps the vital core of a spiritual human secure?  What else could it be except love and faith?  Faith is God’s relationship with us.  Love is our reflection of that relationship back to God and out towards the world.

How is your faith?  How is your love?  In what ways do these two things keep you secure?

Third Thought:

 From faith and love Paul turns to the helmet of the hope of salvation.  If we think about what the helmet protects, it protects our head.  The head is the center of logic and rational thought.  However, we as human beings tend to doubt.  Human beings tend to have our thoughts turned away from God.  So what is it that we need to bring our thoughts back in line?  What is it that overcomes all doubt?  Quite simply, it is the hope of eternal life!  What else is better at keeping us focused on God than remember the joy we will have in eternity with Him?

When you doubt, why does the hope of eternity help you out?  When you are tempted into sinful thoughts, why does the hope of eternal life help you resist such thoughts?


Passage for Tomorrow: 1 Thessalonians 5:9-11

Friday, November 13, 2015

1 Thessalonians 5:4-6

1 Thessalonians 5:4-6
But you all, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness in order that the day should come upon you as a thief.  For you all are sons of light and sons of the day.  We are not night nor darkness.  Consequently, therefore, we should not sleep as the remaining ones but rather we should be vigilant and sober.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Paul once more reassures the Thessalonians.  They are not in darkness.  They are not children of the night.  They do not need to be worried about the day of the Lord coming upon them unexpectedly.  It will not come upon them like a thief.  We may not know the day, but we do not need to be worried about being shaken out of our spiritual security.

Why is it good to realize that nothing can pull us out of the hands of God?  Do you ever worry about being caught off guard by the Lord’s return?

Second Thought:

Paul now gives us a phrase that is often repeated.  We are children of the light.  We are sons of the light.  This hearkens us back to the beginning of the Gospel of John when we are reminded that Jesus is the light that has come into the world.  We are in Jesus.  He is the light of the world.  We are His disciples.  If He is in us, then we are absolutely children of the light.

What does it mean to you to be told that you are a child of the light?  Have you ever connected this phrase to the idea of discipleship before?

Third Thought:

So what is the result of our status as being in the light?  We can be confident.  But we should also be vigilant.  We should be sober-minded.  We should make wise choices.  Our actions should reflect God.  We should keep alert for the doors that God opens into our life.  That’s what it means to be a child in the light.

Are you vigilant in your walk with the Lord?  Where are you looking for doors to be opened?


Passage for Tomorrow: 1 Thessalonians 5:7-11

Thursday, November 12, 2015

1 Thessalonians 5:1-3

1 Thessalonians 5:1-3
And regarding the times and seasons, brothers and sisters, you all do not have a need to write to you all.  For you yourselves have known accurately that a day of the Lord comes as a thief in the night.  When they should say, “Peace and safety,” then utter ruin comes upon them as birth pains upon the pregnant one.  And they should surely not escape.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Once more we hear Paul reassure the Thessalonians that they do not have a need to know more about the day of the Lord.  They have been taught what they need to know.  There is no secret knowledge out there that they do not know.  They aren’t missing anything that people can hold over their heads or use as reason to make them feel less mature.  They know what will happen.  It is easy for people to make us feel dumb or stupid; we should not be so quick to let them make us feel that way.

When do you need reassurance in what you know?  When is it easy for you to feel as though you don’t know all that you need to know?

Second Thought:

Paul uses two analogies to speak about a day of the Lord.  Neither of them are pleasant.  The first analogy is the thief in the night.  We think we are safe.  We think we are secure.  Then all of a sudden our security is shattered and we are confronted by an outsider breaking into our security.  So it will be with Christ.  We think we have life under control.  We think that we have it all made.  We think that we have built up a nice life around ourselves.  But then Christ will return.  We’ll see our life exposed for what it is.  That which is of God will stand the test.  That which is not of God will be stripped away.

How does this image frighten you?  In what ways should you be frightened?  What do you have in your life that will be stripped away?  In what ways should you not be frightened?  How does God’s promise of salvation help us look into this time to come?

Third Thought:

The second analogy that Paul uses is the pregnant woman.  I don’t know a single woman who would voluntarily transport back in time just to feel the birth process happen again.  On the other hand, I don’t know many women who after it had passed didn’t feel an appreciation for the sense of motherhood that entered their life.  Christ’s return will be painful.  It will be hard.  We won’t want to revisit that moment again.  But when we get to the other side of judgment it will be worth it completely!

Have you ever had to endure something hard in order to experience joy and fulfillment?  When is that hard?  What is the perspective that helps us get through those moments?


Passage for Tomorrow: 1 Thessalonians 5:4-6

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18
Because the Lord Himself – in a call of command, in a voice of an archangel, in a trumpet call of God – will descend from heaven and the dead in Christ will rise first.  Then we who live – who remain – at that time we will be seized with them in the clouds into a meeting in the Lord into the air.  And in this way we will always be with the Lord.  Therefore comfort one another in these words.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Let’s look today at the manner in which the Lord will return.  He will come back with a command.  That means it will be forceful, planned, and assertive.  He will come back with the voice of an archangel.  That means that he will come back in power and presence.  He will come back in a trumpet call of God.  That means that it will be noticeable and it will certainly get our attention.  When Christ came the first time He was a simple baby born in a manger and overlooked by most people.  When Christ returns a second time the world will take notice and know.

Do you think you would like to be alive when Christ returns?  What do you think the reaction to such an event will be like?  How does the description of Jesus’ return demonstrate the power and presence of God?

Second Thought:

Next, let’s look at a very straightforward teaching of Paul’s that many like to overlook.  The dead in Christ will be raised when Christ returns.  They will be raised first, before those who are alive go to Christ.  But the point is that they will be raised when He returns.  We all await His coming – dead and alive alike.

How do you wait for the Lord’s return?  Do you think you wait patiently or impatiently?  What do you think that this moment will be like?

Third Thought:

Finally, Paul gives us a really neat promise.  Then we will be with the Lord forever.  When the Lord returns, nobody will be able to wrest us out of His presence.  We may be physically apart from Him now, but the day will come when we will be in His presence forever.  We are to comfort one another in this.  We are to look to the hope and the promise that comes with this teaching.  We need not mourn.  We need not wonder what it will be like.  We need not think that our life is over at death.  The day will come when we will be with the Lord forever and nothing will alter that status.

What do the claims that Paul makes in this section say about the power of God?  Do the power of God help you feel more comfort in the promise of eternal life that God gives to us?


Passage for Tomorrow: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

1 Thessalonians 4:13-15

1 Thessalonians 4:13-15
And we do not desire for you all to be ignorant, brothers and sisters, regarding the ones who have fallen asleep in order that you all should not be grieved just as the rest of the ones who do not have hope.  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose, in the same manner through Jesus God will also lead the ones who have fallen asleep with Him.  For we say this to you all in a word of the Lord, that we who live – the ones who remain into the coming of the Lord – should surely not precede the ones who were being asleep.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

I love the fact that these words are spoken by Paul out of love and compassion for the Thessalonians.  But you will notice that Paul doesn’t try to comfort them with what they want to hear.  Paul comforts them with the truth.  Paul tells them truth, not platitudes that bring them shallow comfort.  He wants them to know what will happen according to God’s promises.  He doesn’t want them to be uninformed or basing their faith on a poor foundation.  Fundamentally, these words are rooted in His truth.

Why is it important to be rooted in God’s truth?  What will happen to us if we root our beliefs in what we want to hear rather than what God actually says?

Second Thought:

Furthermore, Paul says that he doesn’t want the Thessalonians to be like those who don’t have hope.  I think that this is a really neat perspective, too.  If we don’t know God or even believe in His promises, then we cannot possibly know future hope.  We don’t have any reason to believe that there is anything after death.  Without knowing God, death becomes the end.  That is a position of no hope.  Paul doesn’t want that to be a reality for the Thessalonians.

Do you live a life of hope?  How does your hope in the eternal shine through your life so that it can be seen by others?

Third Thought:

Paul begins explaining what will happen by saying that the dead will go to be with Christ first.  When the coming of the Lord happens, the dead in Christ will be handled prior to dealing with the ones who are alive and in Christ.  There are two points in this to consider.  First of all, it is pretty clear from Paul’s words here that the dead in Christ are raised at the coming of Christ.  Second, we do not need to grieve or mourn over the dead.  They are safe.  If a person dies and they walked with the Lord, then they will continue to walk with the Lord upon the return of Christ.  After all, if Christ was raised by God, why would we think that God cannot or will not raise us, too?

How well do you do regarding your grief over the dead?  Why do we grieve?  How does knowing that another person walked with God make your grief easier?  Why is it important for you to walk with God for the sake of your loved ones?


Passage for Tomorrow: 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

Monday, November 9, 2015

1 Thessalonians 4:9-12

1 Thessalonians 4:9-12
And regarding brotherly love, you all do not have a need for me to write.  For you yourselves are taught by God in order to love each other.  For you all do this same thing into all the brothers and sisters in all of Macedonia.  But we encourage you all, brothers and sisters, to abound even more and to aspire to live in a mild manner and to perform your own tasks and to work with your own hands just as we commanded you all in order that you all should behave decently towards those outside and you all should have a need of nothing.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

How do we know sanctification when we see it?  Paul tells us here in this passage.  We can see sanctification when we see people who have a genuine love for the people around them.  After all, isn’t that what God does?  God genuinely loves us even though we do not deserve it.  Sanctification is become more like him and less like our sinful nature.  Therefore, if we are becoming more like Him then we should have more genuine love for the people around us.

How do you rate in regards to brotherly love?  Is your love for the people around you evident in your life?  How does your love abound?

Second Thought:

Paul then encourages the Thessalonians to live in a mild manner.  This is a very interesting point.  What does it mean to live in a mild manner?  I believe that it means that we do not live in a manner that draws too much attention and focus upon ourselves.  I believe it means that we live in a manner that doesn’t force the people around us to manage our behavior.  I believe that it means that we live a life that leaves as little negative impact upon the people around us as possible.

Are you mild?  Who are the people in your life that represent living in a mild manner?  What other characteristics would you add to what it means to live in a mild manner?

Third Thought:

Then Paul tells the Thessalonians to do their own work.  They aren’t to work other people for their own benefit.  They aren’t to be lazy and reap fruit that they didn’t actually deserve.  They are to work for what they need and live accordingly.  Paul is asserting a good work ethic for the sake of community.  We all know those people who take things for which they did not work and do not deserve.  We should not be those people as it casts a shadow upon our witness for godly life.

Do you reap where you don’t work?  What is your work ethic like?  Where are the areas in your life that you work hard?  What are the areas where you tend to take off and not work as hard?


Passage for Tomorrow: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-15

Sunday, November 8, 2015

1 Thessalonians 4:6-8

1 Thessalonians 4:6-8
… to neither sin against or exploit his brother in anything that happens because the avenger is the Lord regarding all these things just as we also warned you beforehand and admonished you regarding the future.  For God did not call you upon impurity but rather in holiness.  For this reason, the one who rejects this rejects not mankind but God, who gives His Holy Spirit into you all.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

I love what Paul brings up immediately after talking about human sexuality.  Paul tells the Thessalonians that we are not to exploit our brothers and sisters in the evens that unfold around our life.  Life happens.  We will all find ourselves in positions of disadvantage.  When we take advantage of another person’s specific disadvantage we are ungodly. Of course, we do this frequently because we are self-centered individuals.

Do you ever look to take advantage of the misfortune of life events that occur to others around you?  What are some simple ways that you can work on not taking advantage of the people around you as they deal with life?

Second Thought:

With respect to taking advantage of one another, we remember that God is the avenger.  This should be a sobering thought.  We are take advantage of another person, we are offending God and inviting God to take revenge upon us.  God can certainly find vengeance that is both fitting and appropriate for what we actually deserve.

When have you experienced God’s vengeance?  When have you been guilty of inviting God’s wrath into your life?

Third Thought:

Just to make it clear, Paul wants to make sure that the Thessalonians realize the consequences of this.  When we take advantage of one another, we reject this teaching.  Since this teaching is at the heart of what it means to be sanctified, we are rejecting sanctification.  When we reject sanctification, we reject the one who offers us sanctification.  Inherent to our obedience is a rejection of God – even if temporary.

Were in your life are you embracing God?  Where in your life do your words and choices show your human rejection of God?


Passage for Tomorrow: 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12