Can you imagine having a Paul in our lives who consistently encourage us, with nothing of himself held back, wanting nothing in return, only thankful praise to God for us? This is Paul! Paul thanks God often for believers he knows are going through rough times of persecution and harassment for their determined faith in Jesus. He knows what they are feeling because he is sitting in jail cell for preaching Jesus himself! Paul’s living forward thinking is contagious to believers as well as encouraging.
Paul’s letters remind us that God indeed gives us everything we need while growing us to be all He created us to be. God held nothing back of His love for us. Because of His love, He gave His Son, Jesus, freely so we can be free from all our sin. I thank God for Paul! I thank God for all of you reading this right now because you want to know more and live more closely to Jesus!
Jesus told us there would be hard times with rejection for following Him. Paul, led by God’s Holy Spirit, encourages believers in Jesus that suffering through hard times is only temporary, justice is on the way! This is yet another level of forward thinking—looking forward to the Day when Jesus returns for His own while bring justice as only He can. Judgement belongs to the Lord. Revenge is mine, says God. HE is God, we are not.
We live for Christ with Christ living in us. Our prayer is Paul’s loving prayer for all believers, “Because we know that this extraordinary day is just ahead, we pray for you all the time—pray that our God will make you fit for what he’s called you to be, pray that he’ll fill your good ideas and acts of faith with his own energy so that it all amounts to something. If your life honors the name of Jesus, he will honor you.Grace is behind and through all of this, our God giving himself freely, the Master, Jesus Christ, giving himself freely.”
In Jesus Name, For His Glory, Amen!
Celebrate the coming of the Lord, even now!
THESSALONIANS—LIVING FORWARD!
2 Thessalonians 1, the Message
1-2 I, Paul, together with Silas and Timothy, greet the church of the Thessalonian Christians in the name of God our Father and our Master, Jesus Christ. Our God gives you everything you need, makes you everything you’re to be.
Justice Is on the Way
3-4 You need to know, friends, that thanking God over and over for you is not only a pleasure; it’s a must. We have to do it. Your faith is growing phenomenally; your love for each other is developing wonderfully. Why, it’s only right that we give thanks. We’re so proud of you; you’re so steady and determined in your faith despite all the hard times that have broadsided you. We tell everyone we meet in the churches all about you.
5-10 All this trouble is a clear sign that God has decided to make you fit for the kingdom. You’re suffering now, but justice is on the way. When the Master Jesus appears out of heaven in a blaze of fire with his strong angels, he’ll even up the score by settling accounts with those who gave you such a bad time. His coming will be the break we’ve been waiting for. Those who refuse to know God and refuse to obey the Message will pay for what they’ve done. Eternal exile from the presence of the Master and his splendid power is their sentence. But on that very same day when he comes, he will be exalted by his followers and celebrated by all who believe—and all because you believed what we told you.
11-12 Because we know that this extraordinary day is just ahead, we pray for you all the time—pray that our God will make you fit for what he’s called you to be, pray that he’ll fill your good ideas and acts of faith with his own energy so that it all amounts to something. If your life honors the name of Jesus, he will honor you.Grace is behind and through all of this, our God giving himself freely, the Master, Jesus Christ, giving himself freely.
Sometimes when I’m stuck in a holding pattern, not yet landing on a decision to be made with troubles that need solutions; I feel like a jet plane hovering over the airport waiting for orders to land. There are also times I may have landed but still stuck sitting on the tarmac until all checks have been made and the gate finally opens so I can get on my way with the agenda of my life.
If you’ve ever traveled by plane from one place to another, you soon realize that flying is a lot of hurry and wait. You hurry to get to the gate of departure; you hurry to double check your flight because schedules change in an instant; you struggle with baggage you pray meets the requirements; and you are anxious because you are at the mercy of all who have a part in your travel. The reason those boards that list arrivals and departures are spaced throughout the airport is because your travel life can change in minutes. The gate of departure or arrival can change while you are walking or running to your gate! So, you must check while enroute to the gate often! When changes are made, then you wait for the next available plane to take—sometimes waiting overnight—in a chair surrounded with your luggage. You look and feel like a hunter in the wilderness protecting his possessions in the night ready to fend off intruders.
Okay, we digress. You probably realize by now I have traveled quite a bit by air with many experiences of hurry and wait. Here’s what I have learned. Stuck times can be frustrating but these pauses in life can also be important for learning and growing. In the quiet pauses between life’s activities, I sometimes wonder if Jesus is thinking about when He will come back to solve all problems on earth, not just mine. But then I remember, only God knows that and scriptures tells us NOONE else knows the time, either. So, stop guessing.
I then wonder how ready am I for Jesus’ return? In the hovering stuck times of life, I pause and think about my current priorities and wonder if it is my unreadiness that I am in a holding pattern? Maybe there are some checks and balances that need to be made, some adjustments to my way of living or maybe God, who is always at work for us, not against us, is clearing the runway for a safer landing? Do I trust him as much as I trust people in the flight industry? If so, then my hope, faith and trust needs some much needed work!!
Paul helps us with all these thoughts. In his letter to the church, He reminds us WHO we are in Christ, WHO we need to believe, trust and follow, with HOW we need to live. Simple. Truth with landing instructions! Let’s go, our flight is ready to depart!
THESSALONIANS—LIVING FORWARD!
1 Thessalonians 5, The Message
1-3 I don’t think, friends, that I need to deal with the question of when all this is going to happen. You know as well as I that the day of the Master’s coming can’t be posted on our calendars. He won’t call ahead and make an appointment any more than a burglar would. About the time everybody’s walking around complacently, congratulating each other—“We’ve sure got it made! Now we can take it easy!”—suddenly everything will fall apart. It’s going to come as suddenly and inescapably as birth pangs to a pregnant woman.
4-8 But friends, you’re not in the dark, so how could you be taken off guard by any of this? You’re sons of Light, daughters of Day. We live under wide open skies and know where we stand. So let’s not sleepwalk through life like those others. Let’s keep our eyes open and be smart. People sleep at night and get drunk at night. But not us! Since we’re creatures of Day, let’s act like it. Walk out into the daylight sober, dressed up in faith, love, and the hope of salvation.
9-11 God didn’t set us up for an angry rejection but for salvation by our Master, Jesus Christ. He died for us, a death that triggered life. Whether we’re awake with the living or asleep with the dead, we’re alive with him! So speak encouraging words to one another. Build up hope so you’ll all be together in this, no one left out, no one left behind. I know you’re already doing this; just keep on doing it.
The Way He Wants You to Live
12-13 And now, friends, we ask you to honor those leaders who work so hard for you, who have been given the responsibility of urging and guiding you along in your obedience. Overwhelm them with appreciation and love!
13-15 Get along among yourselves, each of you doing your part. Our counsel is that you warn the freeloaders to get a move on. Gently encourage the stragglers, and reach out for the exhausted, pulling them to their feet. Be patient with each person, attentive to individual needs. And be careful that when you get on each other’s nerves you don’t snap at each other. Look for the best in each other, and always do your best to bring it out.
16-18 Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.
19-22 Don’t suppress the Spirit, and don’t stifle those who have a word from the Master. On the other hand, don’t be gullible. Check out everything, and keep only what’s good. Throw out anything tainted with evil.
23-24 May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he’ll do it!
25-27 Friends, keep up your prayers for us. Greet all the followers of Jesus there with a holy embrace. And make sure this letter gets read to all the brothers and sisters. Don’t leave anyone out.
28 The amazing grace of Jesus Christ be with you!
Lord,
We have taken note of all your flight instructions! We realize again how awesome and loving you are. We realize that the answers for life are always all about you and our relationship with you. So, make me whole and holy, keeping me fit for your coming!
In Jesus Name, For Your Glory, Amen! Yes! I believe!
“As if” is a catch phrase that most times express skepticism. When someone tells you something a bit too hard to believe, we sarcastically respond, “Yeah, right, as if—” “As if” is usually followed by, “like THAT’S going to happen.”
Apparently, the Thessalonians needed reassurance in their “living forward” lives. As we read this passage this morning, I think we all need reminding and reassuring that Jesus is indeed coming back some day “at the sound of the trumpet blast”, bursting into our mundane, routine lives with his glorious return to claim his own! How will we know? Oh, Friends, we’re going to KNOW it. ALL will know when Jesus arrives! Jesus assures us in the gospel writings. Whoa, now I’m really getting excited to imagine this happening—even today! I was going to pay bills but if Jesus is coming back today …
Instead of living sarcastic lives, thinking “as if—, yeah, right, like that’s going to happen”; what if we lived our lives ready for him, AS IF Jesus was coming today—like in the next few hours!
Seriously, what was your first thought when you read that last sentence? Let’s pause and think for a bit…as if He were right beside you. (Because He is.)
Paul reminds believers and followers of Jesus that we are God-taught, knowing how we should live with generous help from the Holy Spirit to live forward in His ways, because of God’s love, mercy and grace. I love that Paul calls each believer a gift of the God’s Holy Spirit! So, being a gift, we must live it in celebration of being one of His own. Paul tells us to “… keep on … please God, not in a dogged religious plod, but in a living, spirited dance!”
Live AS IF Jesus was walking beside us, ahead of us, and behind us as well as in us. Live as if He was your Guide, Protector, Healer, Provider. Live with FORWARD thinking, being fully aware and assured that He is coming back! It is not our concern when. Our focus is to live as if He was coming in the next few hours. Start the music, begin the spirited dance! Jesus is coming! And Jesus is here now in Spirit!
How does knowing and really believing this change our agenda, our approach to this day, our thoughts for what concerns us right now?
THESSALONIANS—LIVING FORWARD!
1 Thessalonians 4, The Message
You’re God-Taught
1-3 One final word, friends. We ask you—urge is more like it—that you keep on doing what we told you to do to please God, not in a dogged religious plod, but in a living, spirited dance. You know the guidelines we laid out for you from the Master Jesus. God wants you to live a pure life.
Keep yourselves from sexual promiscuity.
4-5 Learn to appreciate and give dignity to your body, not abusing it, as is so common among those who know nothing of God.
6-7 Don’t run roughshod over the concerns of your brothers and sisters. Their concerns are God’s concerns, and he will take care of them. We’ve warned you about this before. God hasn’t invited us into a disorderly, grungy life but into something holy and beautiful—as beautiful on the inside as the outside.
8 If you disregard this advice, you’re not offending your neighbors; you’re rejecting God, who is making you a gift of his Holy Spirit.
9-10 Regarding life together and getting along with each other, you don’t need me to tell you what to do. You’re God-taught in these matters. Just love one another! You’re already good at it; your friends all over the province of Macedonia are the evidence. Keep it up; get better and better at it.
11-12 Stay calm; mind your own business; do your own job. You’ve heard all this from us before, but a reminder never hurts. We want you living in a way that will command the respect of outsiders, not lying around sponging off your friends.
The Master’s Coming
13-14 And regarding the question, friends, that has come up about what happens to those already dead and buried, we don’t want you in the dark any longer. First off, you must not carry on over them like people who have nothing to look forward to, as if the grave were the last word. Since Jesus died and broke loose from the grave, God will most certainly bring back to life those who died in Jesus.
15-18 And then this: We can tell you with complete confidence—we have the Master’s word on it—that when the Master comes again to get us, those of us who are still alive will not get a jump on the dead and leave them behind. In actual fact, they’ll be ahead of us. The Master himself will give the command. Archangel thunder! God’s trumpet blast! He’ll come down from heaven and the dead in Christ will rise—they’ll go first. Then the rest of us who are still alive at the time will be caught up with them into the clouds to meet the Master. Oh, we’ll be walking on air! And then there will be one huge family reunion with the Master. So reassure one another with these words.
ONE LAST “AS IF” THOUGHT—
As if the grave had the final say! No! All because of Jesus!
“you must not carry on over them like people who have nothing to look forward to, as if the grave were the last word. Since Jesus died and broke loose from the grave, God will most certainly bring back to life those who died in Jesus.”
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
Can I get a hallelujah and amen?!
Lord,
Help me to live forward, love more, love better, walk more closely, listen more, talk less, and live redeemed and assured. There’s no turning back now! Help me to live as if you’re arrival is in the next few minutes!
It’s St Patrick’s Day today! March 17, the day we wear green so we won’t be pinched, (or wear orange if you’re Protestant, but few know that!). There are many traditions and “blessings” that are associated with this observance of this patron Irish saint. The most traditional and well known of all the Irish blessings is “May the road rise up”. It was written a very long time ago, and is often recited at wedding and special ceremonies and sometimes said as a prayer. It goes as follows:
May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of His hand.
This is a translation, as this Irish blessing was originally written in the Irish language, but this is the form most commonly spoken today. There are additional verses in the full version, and another version adapted specifically as a travel blessing, but these are the most well-known words.
But what does it mean?
There are three main images in “May the road rise up”. These are the wind, the sun and the rain. Many believe this symbolizes two very important elements of the Irish culture: a love and appreciation for nature and the environment, and also a representation of their religion.
The mention of the wind is often considered to mean the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit came as a “mighty wind” at Pentecost.
The reference to the warmth of the sun suggests God’s Mercy, as in the New Testament it reads “by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven,” speaking of God’s Son, Jesus who died for our sins and rose again to defeat death.
And as nothing can grow without the rain, the line about the rain falling softly in this Irish blessing is believed to be symbolic of God’s ongoing provision for the people.
But what about the patron saint, himself? Here is a snippet from the famous Irish blessing known as St Patrick’s Blessing. I only included a snippet as the full version has an additional 7 verses!
St Patrick’s Irish Blessing
Christ with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right,
Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down,
Christ when I sit down,
Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
It is believed that once upon a time, the patron saint of Ireland had this long Irish Blessing carved upon his breastplate. Whether this is true (as realistically it would have taken up a lot of room to display the whole blessing!) or whether it is simply a symbolic statement of the idea of St Patrick having these words close to his heart, we don’t know for sure. Either way this is a very sweet and very popular Irish blessing. The extract we have included above is the second to last verse as it is probably the most quoted section.
Why the history lesson? I’m a teacher and I love to learn! For this day, March 17, 2022, to be on the day we read about Paul giving a blessing to the believers in Thessalonica is not coincidental. God reminds us once more the importance of the ministry of encouragement—blessing, if you will—that keeps us all growing and going in the ways of the Lord. We need each other’s words of blessed assurances about our Savior and Lord with encouraging words that keep us focused on our faith!
These later saints who became legends have stories of their goodness but we cannot miss the foundation of their goodness and faith—Jesus Christ! Anyone who has encountered the living Christ is never the same again. Encouragement comes from a life transformed by the Three-In-One; Father, Son and Holy Spirit!
Be Encouraged—
Dear Friends, I pray Paul’s blessing for you this day;
“May God our Father himself and our Master Jesus clear the road to you!And may the Master pour on the love so it fills your lives and splashes over on everyone around you, just as it does from us to you. May you be infused with strength and purity, filled with confidence in the presence of God our Father when our Master Jesus arrives with all his followers.”
In Jesus Name, For His Glory, Amen! I believe!
THESSALONIANS—LIVING FORWARD!
1 Thessalonians 3, The Message
1-2 So when we couldn’t stand being separated from you any longer and could find no way to visit you ourselves, we stayed in Athens and sent Timothy to get you up and about, cheering you on so you wouldn’t be discouraged by these hard times. He’s a brother and companion in the faith, God’s man in spreading the Message, preaching Christ.
3-5 Not that the troubles should come as any surprise to you. You’ve always known that we’re in for this kind of thing. It’s part of our calling. When we were with you, we made it quite clear that there was trouble ahead. And now that it’s happened, you know what it’s like. That’s why I couldn’t quit worrying; I had to know for myself how you were doing in the faith. I didn’t want the Tempter getting to you and tearing down everything we had built up together.
6-8 But now that Timothy is back, bringing this terrific report on your faith and love, we feel a lot better. It’s especially gratifying to know that you continue to think well of us, and that you want to see us as much as we want to see you! In the middle of our trouble and hard times here, just knowing how you’re doing keeps us going. Knowing that your faith is alive keeps us alive.
9-10 What would be an adequate thanksgiving to offer God for all the joy we experience before him because of you? We do what we can, praying away, night and day, asking for the bonus of seeing your faces again and doing what we can to help when your faith falters.
11-13 May God our Father himself and our Master Jesus clear the road to you!And may the Master pour on the love so it fills your lives and splashes over on everyone around you, just as it does from us to you. May you be infused with strength and purity, filled with confidence in the presence of God our Father when our Master Jesus arrives with all his followers.
“Bait and switch” is an old phrase used as a sales technique from the old days. Bait the customer inside your establishment with media ads, telling them what great deals you have on something you know they want. However, when you come to look, feel and decide if the product is indeed what is advertised, the salesman will persuade you to check out the higher priced model that will “be a much better deal with more gadgets to make our lives easier”. And besides that, the one advertised is suddenly “out of stock” and will take weeks or months to get. Car, appliance and other types of salespeople are trained to do this still today. Why? Because it works. We want the most for our money. True. So, the old “bait and switch” manipulation cause us to spend more than we expected. Later, we are disappointed that we fell for it.
PERSUASION VS. MANIPULATION—WE NEED TO TALK …
Paul is a passionate persuader of telling the Good News of Jesus saving grace to all who comes within earshot of the Message. But he doesn’t do this for his own gain like a salesperson. That’s not where his heart is. We need to talk about the difference between a persuader and a manipulator. You will find both in the believing world! A persuader wants nothing for themselves. They lay Truth on the table, out in the open, for all to see, hear, feel and understand. Their greatest desire is for you to know what you are getting into with encouragement and information to help you. A persuader does not use “bait and switch”, no hidden agendas to get what THEY want. A persuader knows and is assured they have what is needed for you best. They have Jesus and want you to have Jesus. Simple. Nothing more. Nothing less than Jesus. Jesus is not a product to be sold, but a Life to be lived forward!
A manipulator does have hidden agendas which are about power—to have and to hold over the one that are manipulating with words that draw attention to themselves. They tell you what you want hear so you will like them. They will tell you what they can do for you, with promises they cannot possibly keep, motivated by self—what it will do for them. They want to be liked by people and will say anything to get them to come on “their side” of life. Once there, they move on to manipulate others who fall for their agendas of self-promotion. “But God is fed up, ready to put an end to it.”, writes Paul.
Where your heart is, so is your behavior, says Jesus. Be a persuader of HIS salvation news to those in desperate need of a Savior. Allow His Holy Spirit to guide our thoughts, words and actions. Manipulation is a game. Persuasion is a work of the heart.
THESSALONIANS—LIVING FORWARD!
1 Thessalonians 2, The Message
1-2 So, friends, it’s obvious that our visit to you was no waste of time. We had just been given rough treatment in Philippi, as you know, but that didn’t slow us down. We were sure of ourselves in God, and went right ahead and said our piece, presenting God’s Message to you, defiant of the opposition.
No Hidden Agendas
3-5 God tested us thoroughly to make sure we were qualified to be trusted with this Message. Be assured that when we speak to you we’re not after crowd approval—only God approval. Since we’ve been put through that battery of tests, you’re guaranteed that both we and the Message are free of error, mixed motives, or hidden agendas. We never used words to butter you up. No one knows that better than you. And God knows we never used words as a smoke screen to take advantage of you.
6-8 Even though we had some standing as Christ’s apostles, we never threw our weight around or tried to come across as important, with you or anyone else. We weren’t standoffish with you. We took you just as you were. We were never patronizing, never condescending, but we cared for you the way a mother cares for her children. We loved you dearly. Not content to just pass on the Message, we wanted to give you our hearts. And we did.
9-12 You remember us in those days, friends, working our fingers to the bone, up half the night, moonlighting so you wouldn’t have the burden of supporting us while we proclaimed God’s Message to you. You saw with your own eyes how discreet and courteous we were among you, with keen sensitivity to you as fellow believers. And God knows we weren’t freeloaders! You experienced it all firsthand. With each of you we were like a father with his child, holding your hand, whispering encouragement, showing you step-by-step how to live well before God, who called us into his own kingdom, into this delightful life.
13 And now we look back on all this and thank God, a geyser of thanks! When you got the Message of God we preached, you didn’t pass it off as just one more human opinion, but you took it to heart as God’s true word to you, which it is, God himself at work in you believers!
14-16 Friends, do you realize that you followed in the exact footsteps of the churches of God in Judea, those who were the first to follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ? You got the same bad treatment from your countrymen as they did from theirs, the Jews who killed the Master Jesus (to say nothing of the prophets) and followed it up by running us out of town. They make themselves offensive to God and everyone elseby trying to keep us from telling people who’ve never heard of our God how to be saved. They’ve made a career of opposing God, and have gotten mighty good at it. But God is fed up, ready to put an end to it.
* * *
17-20 Do you have any idea how very homesick we became for you, dear friends? Even though it hadn’t been that long and it was only our bodies that were separated from you, not our hearts, we tried our very best to get back to see you. You can’t imagine how much we missed you! I, Paul, tried over and over to get back, but Satan thwarted us each time. Who do you think we’re going to be proud of when our Master Jesus appears if it’s not you? You’re our pride and joy!
PAUSE, REFLECT, PRAY
When we talk to people about Jesus, what is our motivation? Is it to build attendance for our particular church organization or to help people find Jesus and follow Him along with other imperfect people?
Consider this: Do we invite people to church, telling them coming to church will solve all their problems? Let’s rethink this after reading Paul’s words. Inviting people to church is a manipulation tactic that we have all used if we admit it. We add words like, “Our preacher is a really great speaker”, “our band it the greatest”, or “we are the friendliest church in town, you’re going to love going there”! We’ve all said these words because these are easy words to say.
However, we are a bit misleading by only inviting people in this way. Wait, what!? Yes, friends, if we only invite people to church as a way to solve their problems we are not telling the whole story. Church is full of imperfect people who will disappoint people who think they are perfect and will solve their issues in life. Church does not solve all your problems. Only Jesus. Only Jesus saves us from sin. Only Jesus knows us inside out and outside in. Church does not. Church is a place to learn to learn and grow with other very imperfect people.
Consider this option of persuasion: Invite people to Jesus, the One and Only who IS perfect and will not disappoint! Tell them what Jesus has done for you in words they will understand. Tell the Truth of Jesus’ saving grace with how you now live for Him because of what He has done in your life. This is an initiation with no hidden agendas. THIS is what Paul was talking about when he told the church in Thessalonica, “When you got the Message of God we preached, you didn’t pass it off as just one more human opinion, but you took it to heart as God’s true word to you, which it is, God himself at work in you believers!”
Be a persuader, not a manipulator! Be reconciled to Christ!
Lord,
You alone saved me from my sins. You convict me and teach me how to walk in your ways with what to say, in your Name, for your glory so others will find and follow you, too. Continue to teach me for I have not arrived at perfection and won’t until I see you face to face in all your glory. Continue to transform me, day by day, hour by hour. Help me to persuade others so they can be saved and begin living forward in Hope which is all You!
“The way we conceive the future sculpts the present, gives contour and tone to nearly every action and thought through the day. If our sense of future is weak, we live listlessly. Much emotional and mental illness and most suicides occur among men and women who feel that they ‘have no future.’
The Christian faith has always been characterized by a strong and focused sense of future, with belief in the Second Coming of Jesus as the most distinctive detail. From the day Jesus ascended into heaven, his followers lived in expectancy of his return. He told them he was coming back. They believed he was coming back. They continued to believe it. For Christians it is the most important thing to know and believe about the future.
The practical effect of this belief is to charge each moment of the present with hope. For if the future is dominated by the coming again of Jesus, there is little room left on the screen for projecting our anxieties and fantasies. It takes the clutter out of our lives. We’re far more free to respond spontaneously to the freedom of God.
All the same, the belief can be misconceived so that it results in paralyzing fear for some, shiftless indolence in others. Paul’s two letter to the Christians in Thessalonica, among much else, correct such debilitating misconceptions, prodding us to continue to live forward in taut and joyful expectancy for what God will do next in Jesus.”
–An Introduction to Paul’s letters to the churches in Thessalonica by Eugene Peterson
Are we ready to learn to live forward with convictions of steel upon Jesus, our Hope? Let’s begin…
1 Thessalonians 1, The Message
Convictions of Steel
I, Paul, together here with Silas and Timothy, send greetings to the church at Thessalonica, Christians assembled by God the Father and by the Master, Jesus Christ. God’s amazing grace be with you! God’s robust peace!
Convictions of Steel
2-5 Every time we think of you, we thank God for you. Day and night you’re in our prayers as we call to mind your work of faith, your labor of love, and your patience of hope in following our Master, Jesus Christ, before God our Father. It is clear to us, friends, that God not only loves you very much but also has put his hand on you for something special. When the Message we preached came to you, it wasn’t just words. Something happened in you. The Holy Spirit put steel in your convictions.
5-6 You paid careful attention to the way we lived among you, and determined to live that way yourselves. In imitating us, you imitated the Master. Although great trouble accompanied the Word, you were able to take great joy from the Holy Spirit!—taking the trouble with the joy, the joy with the trouble.
7-10 Do you know that all over the provinces of both Macedonia and Achaia believers look up to you? The word has gotten around. Your lives are echoing the Master’s Word, not only in the provinces but all over the place. The news of your faith in God is out. We don’t even have to say anything anymore—you’re the message! People come up and tell us how you received us with open arms, how you deserted the dead idols of your old life so you could embrace and serve God, the true God. They marvel at how expectantly you await the arrival of his Son, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescued us from certain doom.
PAUSE, REFLECT, PRAY
How convicted am I? Right now, at this minute.
How much life clutter is in my way of living forward?
Who really knows who I believe and who I follow with conviction?
Lord,
You get right to the point, right to the heart of our believing and behaviors. Your Holy Spirit convicts us to think more clearly, evaluating who we say we are, while reflecting over our recent behaviors. Your perfection forgiveness of our imperfective behavior, dear Jesus, allows us to start fresh each morning, with joyful expectations with the Hope of your return. We DO have a future. “All have sinned and fall short of your glory” in our walk, but you love and forgive all who believe. YOU are Life. YOU are my Hope now and forever.
We pray in thanks for the food, for our family, and rejoice for another day. All prayers are heard but how are they received by God who knows our hearts? Sometimes, like now, I wonder what God thinks when he hears our prayers said in the same way, with the same words, with a less than stellar attitude of expecting God to answer. Are our words becoming routine and careless; words said “in vain with repetition”? Jesus warned us about praying the same thing over and over without a lot of thought behind the words, not really expecting great revelations or responses from God, only words to say from memory and tradition. Sometimes we pray and check Him off the list of to do’s for the day. Yikes.
I’m reminded of the little girl who was asked to prayer at the table. The room was in silence. Everyone with heads bowed was wondering when the little girl would speak. Finally, her father whispered to her, “we can’t hear you”, to which she replied, “I’m not talking to you.” We laugh, but what if we really realized Who we are talking to?
Jesus told his curious disciples about praying when they asked Him. Of course, this super teachable moment by the Master Teacher did not go unnoticed—as usual. Jesus said;
“Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.
“The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They’re full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don’t fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply. Like this:
Our Father in heaven, Reveal who you are. Set the world right; Do what’s best— as above, so below. Keep us alive with three square meals. Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others. Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil. You’re in charge! You can do anything you want! You’re ablaze in beauty! Yes. Yes. Yes.
In prayer there is a connection between what God does and what you do.”–Jesus
Matthew 6:6-15, The Message
I am reminded of this passage in Matthew as we read Paul’s last words in his letter to the Colossian church. He prays like Jesus taught. He asks for others to join him in prayer in a very focused way. Notice this prayer is not a litany of requests for physical wellness but a focused prayer for souls to be saved by Jesus!
Focused prayer takes the attention from self to asking God for opportunities to tell His Story of Jesus who saves us from sins. He prays specifically for help in three ways. (Paul does this in all his letters, see Ephesians specifically). If you want to get into a lost person’s life pray like Paul. Lord, open the door, open their heart, and open my mouth. It is a prayer that God loves to answer!
COLOSSIANS—ONLY JESUS
Colossians 4, The Message
And masters, treat your servants considerately. Be fair with them. Don’t forget for a minute that you, too, serve a Master—God in heaven.
Pray for Open Doors
2-4 Pray diligently. Stay alert, with your eyes wide open in gratitude. Don’t forget to pray for us, that God will open doors for telling the mystery of Christ, even while I’m locked up in this jail. Pray that every time I open my mouth, I’ll be able to make Christ plain as day to them.
5-6 Use your heads as you live and work among outsiders. Don’t miss a trick. Make the most of every opportunity.Be gracious in your speech. The goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation, not put them down, not cut them out.
7-9 My good friend Tychicus will tell you all about me. He’s a trusted minister and companion in the service of the Master. I’ve sent him to you so that you would know how things are with us, and so he could encourage you in your faith. And I’ve sent Onesimus with him. Onesimus is one of you, and has become such a trusted and dear brother! Together they’ll bring you up-to-date on everything that has been going on here.
10-11 Aristarchus, who is in jail here with me, sends greetings; also Mark, cousin of Barnabas (you received a letter regarding him; if he shows up, welcome him); and also Jesus, the one they call Justus. These are the only ones left from the old crowd who have stuck with me in working for God’s kingdom. Don’t think they haven’t been a big help!
12-13 Epaphras, who is one of you, says hello. What a trooper he has been! He’s been tireless in his prayers for you, praying that you’ll stand firm, mature and confident in everything God wants you to do. I’ve watched him closely, and can report on how hard he has worked for you and for those in Laodicea and Hierapolis.
14 Luke, good friend and physician, and Demas both send greetings.
15 Say hello to our friends in Laodicea; also to Nympha and the church that meets in her house.
16 After this letter has been read to you, make sure it gets read also in Laodicea. And get the letter that went to Laodicea and have it read to you.
17 And, oh, yes, tell Archippus, “Do your best in the job you received from the Master. Do your very best.”
18 I’m signing off in my own handwriting—Paul. Remember to pray for me in this jail. Grace be with you.
Lord,
I pray for open doors of opportunities to show your love and tell your story. I pray for open hearts to hear your Truth. I pray that you open my mouth and speak your works of love, mercy and grace. Help me to encourage today, not tear down another person who is seeking life to full. Help me to do my best for you. I trust you, dear Jesus, to help us.
It was a long time ago, deep in the woods, away from the world that we directed a youth camp for teens. The guest speaker who delivered a message each evening was led by the Holy Spirit, followed His Word truthfully and delivered it in understandable ways. But most of all, during the day, he displayed his love of Jesus in his behaviors while relating with the kids. They loved him and were drawn to him because of his love for Jesus. Because of the love he had for them, he earned their attention to be heard. That’s why I still remember this particular, blessed week.
I also remember a specific illustration he gave about pie! Yes, PIE! Do I have your attention now? Who doesn’t love some kind of pie? Pie is generally cut into enough pieces to be eaten and shared with others. Moving on, the speaker talked about how each one of us is a pie. He then took the students on a journey about how their pie is cut into many slices, given the daily activities of their existence. He even used a chart to illustrate.
One slice is waking up, hopefully cleaning up and eating breakfast. One slice is going to school, then homework. One slice might be an after-school job. One slice is the relationship you might be building with someone that has your full attention at the moment. One slice is what your parents give you to do. One slice is church. Some slices include extracurricular activities such as band, sports, music, etc. Our lives are cut into many pieces, but we are only one pie. So which piece of the pie do we give to Jesus?
Ah, the kids at camp thought they knew this answer and responded quickly with shouts of all kinds of answers such as, “when I wake up”, “the church piece—definitely the church piece.” You’re all wrong, the speaker replied after they had exhausted all answers. Jesus is your whole pie. No matter what, Jesus gets the whole pie of our existence. We serve Him ALL the slices of our pie for His pleasure. He gets all of us, the best we can be, because HE lives in us who believe. We please and delight Jesus when we do what He says, in His Name, for His glory, honor and praise. Silence, then repentance followed.
Paul sums up what he said earlier in this chapter of Colossians to what the speaker told the students. No matter who you are, what stage of life you are in, or what you do for a living, do ALL to honor the Master, Jesus Christ who died for our sins and rose again to give us life eternal. Ultimately, we are serving Jesus Christ, who is our Savior AND The Lord of our lives. Jesus is the whole pie of our existence!
COLOSSIANS—ONLY JESUS!
Colossians 3:18-25, The Message
18 Wives, understand and support your husbands by submitting to them in ways that honor the Master.
19 Husbands, go all out in love for your wives. Don’t take advantage of them.
20 Children, do what your parents tell you. This delights the Master no end.
21 Parents, don’t come down too hard on your children or you’ll crush their spirits.
22-25 Servants, do what you’re told by your earthly masters. And don’t just do the minimum that will get you by. Do your best. Work from the heart for your real Master, for God, confident that you’ll get paid in full when you come into your inheritance. Keep in mind always that the ultimate Master you’re serving is Christ. The sullen servant who does shoddy work will be held responsible. Being a follower of Jesus doesn’t cover up bad work.
Lord,
You remind us once more that you live in us to guide us in ALL the areas of our existence. We have the opportunity and responsibility to respond by giving all our focus and attention to you. Period. You are my all in all. You saved me and gave me life forever. You desire your best in me as I give you all the pieces of my life. Some of the pieces are broken, Lord, but you even take those and make something beautiful from them. I’m grateful and humbled by all you are to me. You alone deserve my whole pie. Help me to please you in all I do every day of my life.
You have need of a painter. What if you hired someone who advertised to be an expert painter because he told you he knew all there is to know about painting? So, he comes to do exactly that—paint your house. First of all, he doesn’t arrive at the time he says he will. He pulls out what looks to be the right tools to do the work but he casts the tools aside and just grabs the first brush he sees and begins the work of painting your house. You notice he is not painting with the color you ask for but he says not to worry because this will dry to the color you want. Huh?
As he continues, you quickly realize that he seriously knows nothing about painting. He didn’t clean the surface before painting, lay out drop cloths to protect other surfaces, or clean up spills. Walking in the spilled paint, he tracks his footprints on your flooring. You ask questions but he only responds with more lies about how he is the best you can find and how you won’t find anyone better than him. He even begins to blame you for his mistakes saying your house was not meant to be painted in this way with this color. What?
You soon realize that he is not who he says he is. He is not serious about doing the work and doesn’t care about who hired him. He just wants to live and let live, eat his sandwiches and chips, cursing and grumbling about the work before him, while he slops paint all over your house, making your house look like a tornado of paint swept through and left a collage of gross colors in its path.
He was not a serious painter. Question is, would you seriously hire him to come into your home and do a makeover? Would you take any advice from him? Probably not. His “cred” was destroyed because of his behavior.
Ooh, friends, Paul talks about our own “cred” and compels believers to seriously live this new resurrected life in Christ with Christ-like, approved behaviors. He even tells us how to dress the part! “…dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.”
SO, if we are serious—our behaviors (what we do) match our belief (who we are)! As Jesus believers, our “cred”, who we say we are and belong to, is in Jesus alone. “Your new life, which is your real life—even though invisible to spectators—is with Christ in God. He is your life.”
Ah, I think I seriously get it!
COLOSSIANS—ONLY JESUS!
Colossians 3: The Message
He Is Your Life
3 1-2 So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the action is.See things from hisperspective.
3-4 Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life—even though invisible to spectators—is with Christ in God. He is your life. When Christ (your real life, remember) shows up again on this earth, you’ll show up, too—the real you, the glorious you. Meanwhile, be content with obscurity, like Christ.
5-8 And that means killing off everything connected with that way of death: sexual promiscuity, impurity, lust, doing whatever you feel like whenever you feel like it, and grabbing whatever attracts your fancy. That’s a life shaped by things and feelings instead of by God. It’s because of this kind of thing that God is about to explode in anger. It wasn’t long ago that you were doing all that stuff and not knowing any better. But you know better now, so make sure it’s all gone for good: bad temper, irritability, meanness, profanity, dirty talk.
9-11 Don’t lie to one another. You’re done with that old life. It’s like a filthy set of ill-fitting clothes you’ve stripped off and put in the fire. Now you’re dressed in a new wardrobe. Every item of your new way of life is custom-made by the Creator, with his label on it. All the old fashions are now obsolete. Words like Jewish and non-Jewish, religious and irreligious, insider and outsider, uncivilized and uncouth, slave and free, mean nothing. From now on everyone is defined by Christ, everyone is included in Christ.
12-14 So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.
15-17 Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.
Seriously friends, let’s pause and give thanks to the One and Only who saved our souls, redeeming us from the punishment we deserve for our own sins.
Now, let’s live it!
Lord,
Thank you. Help us not to return to the old life but to stay free from its grip on us. Help us to live this Christ-in-us life, this new, slate clean, redeemed life with joy and peace! God, grow us from the inside out and outside in so our behaviors, although not perfect, but perfectly forgiven, will be more and more in every way like Jesus who saved us. We all still have a long way to go but you promised to be with us, helping us and for that we are grateful. We live to please you. We live to know you more. May the depth of your love for us be our motivation to love others like you love us. Love leads us. You are Life. You are Love.
“I just love a good diet that restricts what I can eat and when I should eat it!”, said no one. Ever. We don’t like to be told what to do; but we catch ourselves listening and browsing social media with our easily distracted minds that tells us exactly what to do, what to be, when is best to do it, with where to do it. Click bait news is consistently influencing us with what is best for us with opinions by the celebrity “experts”. We are told we should do something about ourselves before someone finds out about all our imperfections and it’s too late to live life so others will be impressed and pleased. At the same time, we are bombarded with the mixed messages of, “have it your own way”, “be in charge of your own life”. Wait, what? STOP these thoughts! Get a grip!
It’s no wonder the world is confused with no point of reference from which to evaluate life with no guidance to what is real, relevant, and restorative for each of us. Many fail, flounder and throw fits with no thought of healing. We cry out for a way out but we have been miserable so long it becomes our way of life. Dear friends, this is exactly where the evil one wants us to be for, he can do his best work of destruction in us when we don’t know or live the Source of Life.
Paul is our counsel for today…read and be filled with the true Source of Life. Then, Live Jesus!
COLOSSIANS—ONLY JESUS!
Colossians 2:6-23, The Message
From the Shadows to the Substance
6-7 My counsel for you is simple and straightforward: Just go ahead with what you’ve been given. You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live him. You’re deeply rooted in him. You’re well constructed upon him. You know your way around the faith. Now do what you’ve been taught. School’s out; quit studying the subject and start living it! And let your living spill over into thanksgiving.
8-10 Watch out for people who try to dazzle you with big words and intellectual double-talk. They want to drag you off into endless arguments that never amount to anything. They spread their ideas through the empty traditions of human beings and the empty superstitions of spirit beings. But that’s not the way of Christ. Everything of God gets expressed in him, so you can see and hear him clearly. You don’t need a telescope, a microscope, or a horoscope to realize the fullness of Christ, and the emptiness of the universe without him. When you come to him, that fullness comes together for you, too. His power extends over everything.
11-15 Entering into this fullness is not something you figure out or achieve. It’s not a matter of being circumcised or keeping a long list of laws. No, you’re already in—insiders—not through some secretive initiation rite but rather through what Christ has already gone through for you, destroying the power of sin. If it’s an initiation ritual you’re after, you’ve already been through it by submitting to baptism. Going under the water was a burial of your old life; coming up out of it was a resurrection,God raising you from the dead as he did Christ. When you were stuck in your old sin-dead life, you were incapable of responding to God. God brought you alive—right along with Christ! Think of it! All sins forgiven, the slate wiped clean, that old arrest warrant canceled and nailed to Christ’s cross. He stripped all the spiritual tyrants in the universe of their sham authority at the Cross and marched them naked through the streets.
16-17 So don’t put up with anyone pressuring you in details of diet, worship services, or holy days. All those things are mere shadows cast before what was to come; the substance is Christ.
18-19 Don’t tolerate people who try to run your life, ordering you to bow and scrape, insisting that you join their obsession with angels and that you seek out visions. They’re a lot of hot air, that’s all they are. They’re completely out of touch with the source of life, Christ, who puts us together in one piece, whose very breath and blood flow through us. He is the Head and we are the body. We can grow up healthy in God only as he nourishes us.
20-23 So, then, if with Christ you’ve put all that puffed-up and childish religion behind you, why do you let yourselves be bullied by it? “Don’t touch this! Don’t taste that! Don’t go near this!” Do you think things that are here today and gone tomorrow are worth that kind of attention? Such things sound impressive if said in a deep enough voice. They even give the illusion of being pious and humble and austere. But they’re just another way of showing off, making yourselves look important.
WHAT DID WE JUST LEARN?
Jesus is THE Source of Life. “… the source of life, Christ, who puts us together in one piece, whose very breath and blood flow through us. He is the Head and we are the body. We can grow up healthy in God only as he nourishes us.
Jesus is The Way, Truth and Life forever. (John 14:6) Our faith is rooted in His Truth. LIVE like the redeemed in Christ—with joy, assurance, peace, abounding with His love in us—that NO ONE can take away from us! No matter what is happening around us, live Jesus!
Jesus has redeemed us and there is no turning back. We are saved forever with the hope of His return. And he is coming back, you know! “Think of it! All sins forgiven, the slate wiped clean, that old arrest warrant canceled and nailed to Christ’s cross.”
“School’s out; quit studying the subject and start living it! Live Jesus!”
Lord,
Paul has given us good counsel, led by Your Holy Spirit in him. The words are indeed simple and straightforward, not confusing like the world. We know you, so we live in your ways. We are saved by you so we now live with you in us. Lord, help me to live you today in ways that bring others to your salvation.
Daily Manna (Coffee with Jesus) 