2 Thessalonians 3:16-18

2 Thessalonians 3:16-18

And may the Lord of peace Himself give peace to you all through all things in every way.  The Lord be with you all.  The greeting is by my own hand of Paul.  This is a sign in every letter – in this way I write.  The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

As Paul writes this letter, he focuses on peace.  I think that he does this because this is a difficult letter to hear.  In this letter, Paul talks about false teachings regarding the end of the world – the return of Jesus Christ.  This is a topic that we don’t know much about to begin with, so of course it is a difficult area of the faith to learn and understand.  It is an even more difficult to feel comfortable and confident when thinking about the last days.  After that conversation, Paul spoke about idleness and how to correct people who aren’t living in a godly manner.  This is not a difficult lesson to hear, but it is certainly a difficult lesson to put into practice.  In the light of all of this, we can understand why Paul closes with the peace of God.  To walk in the faith means that we will experience hardship, we will worry, and we will make difficult decisions.  We will need God’s peace.

Where in your life do you need God’s peace the most?  Where are you experiencing difficulty that God’s peace can be a blessing into you?

Second Thought:

Then Paul says a phrase that is easy to overlook because we have a habit of saying it so often.  The Lord be with you all.  Sometimes it seems like that is just a greeting.  Sometimes that phrase is used simply to signify that we are transitioning from one place to another in our worship.  But it is one of the most important phrases that we can hear.  The Lord is with us.  He walks with us.  He battles with us.  He journeys through life with us.  We are not alone in this world.

Does the thought of God being with you inspire you?  Does it give you hope?  How else does it impact your life?

Third Thought:

Finally, after giving his own name in his own handwriting, Paul leaves the Thessalonians in God’s grace.  There is no better place to be left in life.  When all things come to an end, we will simply reside in the grace of God.  May the grace of God always be with us.

Do you remember daily that you live in the grace of God?  How do you see God’s grace in your life on a daily basis?  How do you proclaim this grace to the world around you?

Passage for Tomorrow: Jude 1-2