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