Daily Manna (Coffee with Jesus)

Capture the Flag was a popular night game at some the youth camps we directed years ago.  Two or more teams each have a flag and the objective is to capture the other team’s flag, located at the team’s “base” (or hidden or even buried somewhere in the territory), and bring it safely back to their own base. 

Enemy players can be “tagged” by players when out of their home territory and, depending on the rules, they may be out of the game, become members of the opposite team, be sent back to their own territory, be frozen in place, or be sent to “jail” until freed by a member of their own team.  As you can imagine, this was a game of strategy and cunningness.  Who would capture the flags of their opponents and be deemed the winners?  Only the tenacious, clever, and wise won.

I think of this camp activity, played in the darkness of night, as I read Paul’s commanding advice to Timothy, a young leader who is holding the “fort” at Ephesus.  In the final words of his first letter to Timothy, he tells Timothy what to avoid that will cause troubles in the ministry of helping others believe and follow Jesus.  Read as we learn how to guard the “flag” of the true message of salvation while avoiding the enemy’s tricks to “tag” us out in our efforts to do what God says in Jesus Name. 

1 Timothy 6, The Message

 ^1-2 Whoever is a slave must make the best of it, giving respect to his master so that outsiders don’t blame God and our teaching for his behavior. Slaves with Christian masters all the more so—their masters are really their beloved brothers!

The Lust for Money

^2-5 These are the things I want you to teach and preach. If you have leaders there who teach otherwise, who refuse the solid words of our Master Jesus and this godly instruction, tag them for what they are: ignorant windbags who infect the air with germs of envy, controversy, bad-mouthing, suspicious rumors. Eventually there’s an epidemic of backstabbing, and truth is but a distant memory. They think religion is a way to make a fast buck.

^6-8 A devout life does bring wealth, but it’s the rich simplicity of being yourself before God. Since we entered the world penniless and will leave it penniless, if we have bread on the table and shoes on our feet, that’s enough.

^9-10 But if it’s only money these leaders are after, they’ll self-destruct in no time. Lust for money brings trouble and nothing but trouble. Going down that path, some lose their footing in the faith completely and live to regret it bitterly ever after.

Running Hard

^11-12 But you, Timothy, man of God: Run for your life from all this. Pursue a righteous life—a life of wonder, faith, love, steadiness, courtesy. Run hard and fast in the faith. Seize the eternal life, the life you were called to, the life you so fervently embraced in the presence of so many witnesses.

^13-16 I’m charging you before the life-giving God and before Christ, who took his stand before Pontius Pilate and didn’t give an inch: Keep this command to the letter, and don’t slack off. Our Master, Jesus Christ, is on his way. He’ll show up right on time, his arrival guaranteed by the Blessed and Undisputed Ruler, High King, High God. He’s the only one death can’t touch, his light so bright no one can get close. He’s never been seen by human eyes—human eyes can’t take him in! Honor to him, and eternal rule! Oh, yes.

^17-19 Tell those rich in this world’s wealth to quit being so full of themselves and so obsessed with money, which is here today and gone tomorrow. Tell them to go after God, who piles on all the riches we could ever manage—to do good, to be rich in helping others, to be extravagantly generous. If they do that, they’ll build a treasury that will last, gaining life that is truly life.

^20-21 And oh, my dear Timothy, guard the treasure you were given! Guard it with your life. Avoid the talk-show religion and the practiced confusion of the so-called experts. People caught up in a lot of talk can miss the whole point of faith.

Overwhelming grace keep you!

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” –Jesus, Matthew 6:19-21, NIV

What do we think about most?  That becomes the treasure we seek to store.

Who do we listen to most often and are influenced so greatly that we begin to say the same words as we do what they say?  What treasures are they leading us to store?

I grew up in Oklahoma but now live in Indiana.  When I am around a person from Oklahoma, I catch myself falling back into the cadence and accented voice of my native language.  (“Y’all” for instance, is the first phrase that pops out!)  We naturally begin to be like the person we are with most often.  Who we hang with and listen to influences our treasure hunt.

You have heard it said by the world— “the heart wants what the heart wants.”  But Jesus says unto us, what is in our hearts will flow freely into what we do and how we relate to others. If we are storing up hate, greed, bitterness, envy, and jealousy as treasures to seek and to store in the center of our being—our hearts—then these same traits of darkness will spill out into our walk and talk and harm us as well as others in the process.  These “treasures” are exactly what the opposing enemy of God wants us to seek—and we fall it when dabbling in the darkness with the enemy who seeks to capture our flag of freedom in Christ! 

Avoid the behaviors of the Enemy, says Paul to his young ministry protégé, Timothy.  Instead guard the rich treasures of all God has given to us and wants to grow in us—beginning with your salvation through Jesus, His Son!  Store up all the riches of His unconditional love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; that becomes our response to who we are in Christ as we grow in our relationship with Him!  (See Galatians 5) Riches in God’s will can introduce a person to life that is real and ministry that is lasting.

The more we hang on the words of Jesus; the more we become like him in every way by God helping us by His Spirit living in us!  “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. –Jesus, Matthew 6:24, NIV We can’t have it both ways as these traits are in constant conflict with each other.  Why?  If wealth makes a person proud, then he understands neither himself nor his wealth. We are not owners; we are stewards. God is the owner.

The influencers in Timothy’s world—

It was customary in the Roman oppressed world to acknowledge regularly, “Caesar is Lord!” Of course, Christians would say “Jesus Christ is Lord!” Paul exclaims here that only God has “honor and everlasting power.” If Timothy was going to fight the good fight of faith, he had to decide that Jesus Christ alone was worthy of worship and complete devotion.  Today we must decide daily who we will worship.  We decide who will influence our lives—treasures of greed or treasures of grace.  We learn that grace wins every time.  May God’s overwhelming grace lead us throughout this day—even now.

Lord,

Thank you for bringing our minds to the importance of treasure seeking and treasure storing that enriches our lives depending on who we want to be like.  Lord, I want to know you more so I can become more like you and less like the world.  I believe in you. I trust you with my life for you are Life eternal.  I know whom I have believed and I know you are able to teach me.  Thank you for your love, mercy, and grace.

In Jesus Name, Amen 

To Tell the Truth is an American television panel show. Four celebrity panelists are presented with three contestants (the “team of challengers”, each an individual or pair) and must identify which is the “central character” whose unusual occupation or experience has been read aloud by the show’s host. When the panelists question the contestants, the two impostors may lie whereas the “central character” must tell the truth.

Playing “To Tell the Truth” is a dangerous game to play in God’s church built on Jesus Christ, the Rock of our Salvation, who is Truth!

False teachers who appear to tell the truth in God’s church are political in nature; telling you to your face what you want to hear to get what they really want—power and glory for themselves.  For centuries, ever since the church was formed, this sin trait develops a huge blemish that stains the Bride of Christ—the church. The false teachers in the Ephesian church did not believe Jesus was really human. They contradicted Scripture while appearing to be self-disciplined and morally righteous.  In other words, they knew enough truth to be dangerous!  This still appears in churches today.  Paul begins to offer ways to deal with the sin before it destroys the relationship between God and His believers and the relationships between each other, our brothers and sisters!

Christian leaders must be disciplined in their walk with God and belief in Jesus as His Son. Where God guides, God provides the help of His Holy Spirit to lead all believers to Truth.  Leaders are just as tempted to the sin of self as anyone else they lead.  They must guard their motives, be faithful to God and his Word, and live commendable lives. A Godly leader knows their weaknesses and knows to rely on God’s wisdom, power and strength, with God’s sufficient grace, as they follow what He says in humbled gratitude to God. 

How do we know who is false and who is of God?  A false teacher can easily be detected if the teacher’s message differs from the Bible’s truth.  All who believe must study God’s Word so that we are not led away by false teaching.  It’s okay to ask questions to see who is telling the Truth and living the Truth.  But know that we too, will be questioned when our behaviors are questionable.  All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, so we must, as Paul advises Timothy, “keep a close check on yourself.”

1 Timothy 5, The Message

The Family of Faith

^1-2 Don’t be harsh or impatient with an older man. Talk to him as you would your own father, and to the younger men as your brothers. Reverently honor an older woman as you would your mother, and the younger women as sisters.

^3-8 Take care of widows who are destitute. If a widow has family members to take care of her, let them learn that religion begins at their own doorstep and that they should pay back with gratitude some of what they have received. This pleases God immensely. You can tell a legitimate widow by the way she has put all her hope in God, praying to him constantly for the needs of others as well as her own. But a widow who exploits people’s emotions and pocketbooks—well, there’s nothing to her. Tell these things to the people so that they will do the right thing in their extended family. Anyone who neglects to care for family members in need repudiates the faith. That’s worse than refusing to believe in the first place.

^9-10 Sign some widows up for the special ministry of offering assistance. They will in turn receive support from the church. They must be over sixty, married only once, and have a reputation for helping out with children, strangers, tired Christians, the hurt and troubled.

^11-15 Don’t put young widows on this list. No sooner will they get on than they’ll want to get off, obsessed with wanting to get a husband rather than serving Christ in this way. By breaking their word, they’re liable to go from bad to worse, frittering away their days on empty talk, gossip, and trivialities. No, I’d rather the young widows go ahead and get married in the first place, have children, manage their homes, and not give critics any foothold for finding fault. Some of them have already left and gone after Satan.

¹⁶ Any Christian woman who has widows in her family is responsible for them. They shouldn’t be dumped on the church. The church has its hands full already with widows who need help.

* * *

^17-18 Give a bonus to leaders who do a good job, especially the ones who work hard at preaching and teaching. Scripture tells us, “Don’t muzzle a working ox” and “A worker deserves his pay.”

¹⁹ Don’t listen to a complaint against a leader that isn’t backed up by two or three responsible witnesses.

²⁰ If anyone falls into sin, call that person on the carpet. Those who are inclined that way will know right off they can’t get by with it.

^21-23 God and Jesus and angels all back me up in these instructions. Carry them out without favoritism, without taking sides. Don’t appoint people to church leadership positions too hastily. If a person is involved in some serious sins, you don’t want to become an unwitting accomplice. In any event, keep a close check on yourself. And don’t worry too much about what the critics will say. Go ahead and drink a little wine, for instance; it’s good for your digestion, good medicine for what ails you.

^24-25 The sins of some people are blatant and march them right into court. The sins of others don’t show up until much later. The same with good deeds. Some you see right off, but none are hidden forever.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Paul advises Timothy to minister to the various kinds of people in the church, and not to show favoritism. Since Timothy was a younger man, he might be tempted to ignore the older members, so Paul urged him to love and serve all the people, regardless of their ages. The church is a family: Treat the older members like your mother and father, and the younger members like your brothers and sisters.  This love comes from God.  To know God is to know love—the kind of love that serves.

The purpose of discipline is restoration, not revenge. Paul’s instruction to Timothy highlights that the purpose must be to save the offender, not to drive him away. Our attitude must be one of love and tenderness (Galatians 6:1–3). In fact, the verb “restore” that Paul used in Galatians 6:1 means “to set a broken bone.”  When a broken bone is set back into place, healing begins.

Apparently, Timothy was having some problems with the elders of the church at Ephesus. He was a young man and still had much to learn. Ephesus was not an easy place to minister. Furthermore, Timothy had followed Paul as overseer of the church, and Paul would not have been an easy man to follow!  So, as this part of the letter may seem general in nature, Paul is helping Timothy deal with some very specific problems in ways that will please and honor God and help His people in the best way.

The best way to “keep a close check” on ourselves is to do what our perfect example of servant leadership did when He walked this earth.  Jesus, got alone often to be with His Father who told Him exactly what to be and do.  “For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak.”  –Jesus, John 12:49, ESV 

“Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does.” John 5:19, NLT

Lord,

Guide us to all Truth by your Holy Spirit living in us.  Cleanse our hearts, renew our minds, refresh our souls with your new mercies. Restore the joy of your salvation at work within us.  Put the voices of the world in the distant while we listen for you still small voice that tells us all that is right and true with what to be and do.

In Jesus Name, For Your Glory, Amen

We all would like to be physically fit; but wanting it without doing something about it doesn’t make it so.  We might study fitness and talk often about what it takes to be fit; but only talking and studying it doesn’t lead to real action.  We are quick to teach others that they should be fit; but teaching won’t make us suddenly be fit.  We might buy all the latest exercise equipment to show others how to be fit; but if the equipment ends of being fancy clothes hangers, then we are probably not benefiting from these resources.  We remain flabby and soft.

Being fit takes time, sweat, pain, and courage to stay with it until the desired goal is met.  This “code of behavior” is called discipline!  (I’m preaching to myself and probably the choir!)  Friends, we know better.  To reach a desired goal is to buckle down, throw the biscuits and gravy in the trash, and get to work daily to be and stay fit, right?!  I am guilty of eating a salad and exercising for a rough 30 minutes expecting immediate results of lost pounds with a toned body right after this attempt of being fit for a day!  Friends, that ‘s just not going to happen.  I confess, I’ve tried.  It is a day by day, week by week, year by year of transforming our minds which changes our behaviors to reach our fitness goals.

Paul mentors Timothy that to be FIT will require faithful intentional training that is needed to show others who also desire to be fit.  His training goal is passing on the most important information on the planet—the Message of Truth!  Jesus is the Way, Truth, and Life!  Paul includes—Practice what you Preach! 

Timothy 4, The Message

Teach with Your Life

^1-5 The Spirit makes it clear that as time goes on, some are going to give up on the faith and chase after demonic illusions put forth by professional liars. These liars have lied so well and for so long that they’ve lost their capacity for truth. They will tell you not to get married. They’ll tell you not to eat this or that food—perfectly good food God created to be eaten heartily and with thanksgiving by believers who know better! Everything God created is good, and to be received with thanks. Nothing is to be sneered at and thrown out. God’s Word and our prayers make every item in creation holy.

^6-10 You’ve been raised on the Message of the faith and have followed sound teaching. Now pass on this counsel to the followers of Jesus there, and you’ll be a good servant of Jesus. Stay clear of silly stories that get dressed up as religion. Exercise daily in God—no spiritual flabbiness, please! Workouts in the gymnasium are useful, but a disciplined life in God is far more so, making you fit both today and forever. You can count on this. Take it to heart. This is why we’ve thrown ourselves into this venture so totally. We’re banking on the living God, Savior of all men and women, especially believers.

^11-14 Get the word out. Teach all these things. And don’t let anyone put you down because you’re young. Teach believers with your life: by word, by demeanor, by love, by faith, by integrity. Stay at your post reading Scripture, giving counsel, teaching. And that special gift of ministry you were given when the leaders of the church laid hands on you and prayed—keep that dusted off and in use.

^15-16 Cultivate these things. Immerse yourself in them. The people will all see you mature right before their eyes! Keep a firm grasp on both your character and your teaching. Don’t be diverted. Just keep at it. Both you and those who hear you will experience salvation.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

BE FIT—STAY FIT!

1. Daily seek God first and listen to Him.  There are professional liars who have lied so long they are believers of their own deceptive knowledge! —Avoid them!  Don’t listen to the lies!  What God says is always true and never changes.  God cannot not fail or tell lies.  It is not in His nature.  God is for us, not against us who believe what He says.  Stay on the Lit Path to stay FIT!
2. Exercise daily in and with God.  Daily study His simple Message of Truth.  Know God.  Know Truth who is Jesus the Way to God.  Pass on this Way of Truth so others will know and believe in Jesus, too, with the hope of eternal life!  This is not merely a one time show of support but a daily disciple that builds spiritual muscles of love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.   
3. Paul helps us understand how to daily develop the fitness we seek; “So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.” –Paul, Romans 12:1-2, MSG  God is our training coach who is with us always and gives us power to transform to fitness by His Spirit working in us!
4. Teach believers with your life:by word, by demeanor, by love, by faith, by integrity.  Others will know who you believe by how you live. Do our lives match what we say we believe about Jesus?
5. Cultivate and immerse ourselves in our Faithful Intentional Training of knowing and following Jesus.  When we do, we show the world a glimpse of what Jesus can do in a life disciplined to keeping a firm grasp on growing in Christ with a desire to be more like Him every day.  Salvation of the world through Jesus is our spiritual fitness goal.

Lord,

Thank you for your words of wisdom that spurs us on to reach our fitness goals, with you helping us! Thank you for your wisdom and strength to sustain us and prompt us keep at it daily.  May we quickly get back on track on those days when we falter.  And most of all, may others see the changes you are making in us with a desire to wonder who is making a difference in our lives!  Give us the words to say as we pass on your salvation truth.

In Jesus Name, Amen   

Who do we follow as leaders?  Who do we enjoy serving alongside?  What do we look for as we follow certain individuals?  What draws us to some people who seem destined to lead?  What characteristics do we look for in a leader?  Who can we trust to lead?  Why do some people force themselves on others who do it for all the wrong reasons?  What are the wrong reasons?  What are the right reasons to lead and to serve? Can we serve and lead at the same time?  Are we born leaders or are we called and equipped by God to lead?  Are we born helpers who love to serve?

All these questions arise in living our lives to please God in all we think, say, and do. Imagine all these wonderings with debates as new believers began to form groups called church who gathered to learn more about Jesus and find out how little they know about serving and growing together in His love, by His Spirit, for His glory.  Where do we start? How do we function together as individuals who are transforming to be more like Christ in every way, leaving our old cultural way of life behind to live for Jesus?  Some grow more quickly than others.  How do we deal with the stages and phases of maturity?

Paul, led by the Holy Spirit, transformed by Jesus, reformed from being a religious zealot who thought he knew it all but discovered only God knows; is called and equipped by God to lay out the principles of Godly leadership and servant living.  Paul will never stop preaching the way to salvation along with the principles of becoming more like Jeus in every way.  These principles of servant leadership began with Jesus.  Keep that in mind as we learn from this teaching.

1 Timothy 3, The Message

Leadership in the Church

^1-7 If anyone wants to provide leadership in the church, good! But there are preconditions: A leader must be well-thought-of, committed to his wife, cool and collected, accessible, and hospitable. He must know what he’s talking about, not be overfond of wine, not pushy but gentle, not thin-skinned, not money-hungry. He must handle his own affairs well, attentive to his own children and having their respect. For if someone is unable to handle his own affairs, how can he take care of God’s church? He must not be a new believer, lest the position go to his head and the Devil trip him up. Outsiders must think well of him, or else the Devil will figure out a way to lure him into his trap.

^8-13 The same goes for those who want to be servants in the church: serious, not deceitful, not too free with the bottle, not in it for what they can get out of it. They must be reverent before the mystery of the faith, not using their position to try to run things. Let them prove themselves first. If they show they can do it, take them on. No exceptions are to be made for women—same qualifications: serious, dependable, not sharp-tongued, not overfond of wine. Servants in the church are to be committed to their spouses, attentive to their own children, and diligent in looking after their own affairs. Those who do this servant work will come to be highly respected, a real credit to this Jesus-faith.

^14-16 I hope to visit you soon, but just in case I’m delayed, I’m writing this letter so you’ll know how things ought to go in God’s household, this God-alive church, bastion of truth. This Christian life is a great mystery, far exceeding our understanding, but some things are clear enough:

He appeared in a human body,
    was proved right by the invisible Spirit,
        was seen by angels.
He was proclaimed among all kinds of peoples,
    believed in all over the world,
        taken up into heavenly glory.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Church is group of people who believe in Jesus as Savior and Lord. Church does not save us but it is one of the places where God is worshiped and where salvation by Jesus can be found. Church is a group of messy, imperfect people seeking to be more like Christ in every way.  Most do not like to stay and stew in our mess but to be made new in Jesus! 

We come together for encouragement gained from each other because we “all been there done that” or as Paul writes, “all have sinned and fall short”.  Church is a place to confess our sins to God and trusted helpers of God, learn from our mistakes and then use what we know to help others.  Everybody who seeks finds God.  Everyone also receives the gift of help from God’s Holy Spirit who transforms our behaviors.  We celebrate this gift and act of God in our lives as His church.

How do we grow?  We sit under the care and leadership of those who are a bit farther in their faith journey than we are.  We learn from their faith journey and glean from the wisdom of God in them.  We recognize that they strive to follow Jesus by example.  Leaders are mentors who point us to Jesus, not themselves, as the pattern to copy.  We thank Jesus for being the perfect example who taught and lived as a servant leader for all to see and learn.  Therefore, Jesus is the Head of the Church and has shown us how to more forward toward the goal of growing in the character traits that please God and matures our faith. 

Jesus is the One and Only who saves us.  We cannot save ourselves.  God’s Holy Spirit was sent to guide us out of the mess and into a wonder relationship that matures our faith.     

Our repentance to Jesus with a commitment to follow Him as Lord puts us on a path of right living; only made right by Jesus.  We are not perfect but we are perfectly forgiven by our Lord when we ask.  Throughout our journey we fail or fall for what seemed right at the time but was not. Sometimes we come to know we were to blame for being the one who hurt others because of our arrogance of wanting our own way!

In Christ alone, we are perfectly and completely forgiven of repented sins—“as far as the east is from the west”.  Only God can make us holy.  And the only way to God is Jesus.   Believing in Jesus involves being with Jesus, calling out in the name of Jesus and then listening to the Holy Spirit who helps us daily. 

Growing in our belief is in the being.  “Be still and know that I am God,” Psalm 46:10  Believing is letting go of everything, including self, that distracts from God. This is a life-long process of growing an intimate, loving relationship with God.  We will never be perfect in this world, but we can count on Jesus’ perfect forgiveness for our sins.  Always!  When we forget, go back to the beginning, and remember—

“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 The “whosoevers” are all who believe Jesus is God’s Son sent to save us.  Bonus—the whosoevers are guaranteed eternal life! 

What comes after believing?  What happens as “whosoevers” come and gather to learn about God?  God created the whosoevers to live together in loving adoration for God while realizing the depth of love He has for his whosoevers.  The gathering is not a club but the conduit to Jesus who reconciles (reconnects) us to God!

Embracing God’s love; we learn to love like He loves us.  Deciding to follow Jesus; we are given His authority to fulfill His command.  The command is to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”—Jesus, Matthew 28:19-20

–A purpose with a promise!   

Lord,

As we gather, some of us are ordained as leaders, some are followers. Some of us in the church Jesus built are paid full time staff and some are volunteers.  Some teach your Truth with diligence; adhering to Your Word and Holy Spirit’s guidance. You have gifted us in various ways to give you all the glory and praise as we encourage others to find and follow you.  We are truly privileged to join you in your mission to save the world.

In Jesus Name, Amen                           

“So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” –Jesus, Matthew 6:31-33

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.
Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Come and see what the Lord has done, the desolations he has brought on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire.
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
    I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” Psalm 46

Seek God first—Be still and know that He is God.  As we come to God in an attitude of grateful praise with a humbled heart seeking to know God, we realize His Presence as been there all the time waiting for us to talk with Him.  He delights in our seeking and in our wanting to let go of everything else occupying our minds to know Him more.

We discover that the more we know about God, we more often fixed our gaze on Him.  We also learn that we know little and must learn more.  Once there was a young adult, the youngest in the family, who was given the work of a shepherd boy. (Much like telling the youngest in our families to take out the trash today!)  It was a stinky job but had to be done.  But God had other plans for this young man, a gifted song writer who was deemed “a man after God’s own heart” because of David’s life-long pursuit to know God.  David loved to worship Him with his psalms but he also learned hard lessons when his eyes were fixed on something or someone else other than God.  David suffered the consequences of his sins against God. 

All the songs David wrote to God were filled honor and praise for God with a repentant, humbled heart, seeking forgiveness from God.  Because he knew God well, studied his word, and listened to God’s Spirit, David also knew when he had failed. Sometimes David needed a mentor, as in Nathan the prophet, to confront him of his sins unrepented and guide him back to God. David always returned to God who loved him. David experienced God’s mercy and grace to him.

That same God, who never changes in His love for his created humans, forgives and loves us still.  He helps those who believe in Him for God is for us, not against us.  He provides for our needs.  He protects us and leads us through the “dark valleys” of our days on earth.  He restores our broken hearts and gives us new life in Christ Jesus who died to remove our sins from our being—God’s Plan to save us forever!  God also has a plan and purpose for each life lived on earth.

Paul, God’s mentor to Timothy, another young man who loves God, continues to remind Timothy of how God wants us to live—in simple faith as we learn His plan and follow Truth.  But, “the first thing I want you to do is pray,” says Paul. 

How will we know what God wants to do in and through us if we do not ask God first?

1 Timothy 2, The Message

Simple Faith and Plain Truth

^1-3 The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Savior God wants us to live.

^4-7 He wants not only us but everyone saved, you know, everyone to get to know the truth we’ve learned: that there’s one God and only one, and one Priest-Mediator between God and us—Jesus, who offered himself in exchange for everyone held captive by sin, to set them all free. Eventually the news is going to get out. This and this only has been my appointed work: getting this news to those who have never heard of God, and explaining how it works by simple faith and plain truth.

^8-10 Since prayer is at the bottom of all this, what I want mostly is for men to pray—not shaking angry fists at enemies but raising holy hands to God. And I want women to get in there with the men in humility before God, not primping before a mirror or chasing the latest fashions but doing something beautiful for God and becoming beautiful doing it.

^11-15 I don’t let women take over and tell the men what to do. They should study to be quiet and obedient along with everyone else. Adam was made first, then Eve; woman was deceived first—our pioneer in sin!—with Adam right on her heels. On the other hand, her childbearing brought about salvation, reversing Eve. But this salvation only comes to those who continue in faith, love, and holiness, gathering it all into maturity. You can depend on this.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Jesus got alone often to a quiet place to pray to God.  Jesus did this before doing anything of significance because it was God who sent Him and He knew God who would provide direction.  Jesus did what the Father told Him to say and do.  Jesus, His Son, knew God, the Father well.  Jesus knew as Son of Man, to be still and know God so He could fulfill the mission God sent him to be and do.

So, who are we to think we can be and then do what God wants in and through us without asking Him?  I shudder and tremble at the thought.

PAUSE TO PRAY

Paul reminds all of us to refrain from reacting to the unfair, rude, cruel world around us with fists of anger and instead respond with raising “holy hands to God in prayer.  Read that again, I did.  There is a distinct difference in reacting in haste and respond to the God who created all, knows all and is over all. 

Seek first God and His righteousness—the “right” response to be and do.

Lord,

Help me to avoid the natural temptation to react to injustice with anger by pausing to respond instead with seeking you first asking what you want from me.  Help us all to be in pursuit of you all day long, looking for you, listening to you, hiding your Word in our hearts—all for the purpose of being still, letting go of what we think, to know what you think as we know you more.  May your glory and beauty be seen in me.

In Jesus Name, Amen 

“Christians are quite serious in believing that when they gather together for worship and work, God is present and sovereign, really present and absolutely sovereign.  God creates and guides, God saves and heals, God corrects and blesses, God calls and judges.  With such comprehensive and personal leadership from God, what is the place human leadership?

Quite obviously, it has to be second place.  It must not elbow its way to the front, it must not bossily take over.  Ego-centered, ego-prominent leadership betrays the Master.  The best leadership in spiritual communities formed in the name of Jeus, the Messiah, is inconspicuous, not calling attention to itself but not sacrificing anything in the way of conviction and firmness either.

In his letters to two young associates, Timothy in Ephesus, and Titus in Crete—we see Paul encouraging and guiding the development of just such leadership.  What he had learned so thoroughly himself, he was ow passing on, and showing them, in turn, how to develop a similar leadership in local congregations. This is essential reading because ill-directed and badly formed spiritual leadership causes much damage in souls.  Paul in both his life and his letters shows us how to do it right.” –Eugene Peterson, Introduction to Timothy & Titus, The Message Bible

Leadership classes I took in college in the school of education stimulated my mind.  I enjoyed learning ways to lead others as a team in pursuit of a common goal.  In my mind, I was always translating what I was learning to God’s church.  I had professors who were believers who took time to discuss with me privately how developing these skills were essential to honor God with what He has given us to be and do.  It was not surprising that the greatest elements of a leader are found right here in the pages of our Bibles.  Leadership principles were first given by God to his created Adam and Eve, then lived and demonstrated later by His Son, Jesus.  Jesus spent three years developing servant leadership skills within his disciples who passed them on to others who passed them on to Paul. And now he is passing them on to the next generation. 

1 Timothy 1, The Message

^1-2 I, Paul, am an apostle on special assignment for Christ, our living hope. Under God our Savior’s command, I’m writing this to you, Timothy, my son in the faith. All the best from our God and Christ be yours!

Self-Appointed Experts on Life

^3-4 On my way to the province of Macedonia, I advised you to stay in Ephesus. Well, I haven’t changed my mind. Stay right there on top of things so that the teaching stays on track. Apparently some people have been introducing fantasy stories and fanciful family trees that digress into silliness instead of pulling the people back into the center, deepening faith and obedience.

^5-7 The whole point of what we’re urging is simply love—love uncontaminated by self-interest and counterfeit faith, a life open to God. Those who fail to keep to this point soon wander off into dead ends of gossip. They set themselves up as experts on religious issues, but haven’t the remotest idea of what they’re holding forth with such imposing eloquence.

^8-11 It’s true that moral guidance and counsel need to be given, but the way you say it and to whom you say it are as important as what you say. It’s obvious, isn’t it, that the law code isn’t primarily for people who live responsibly, but for the irresponsible, who defy all authority, riding roughshod over God, life, sex, truth, whatever! They are cynical toward this great Message I’ve been put in charge of by this great God.

* * *

^12-14 I’m so grateful to Christ Jesus for making me adequate to do this work. He went out on a limb, you know, in trusting me with this ministry. The only credentials I brought to it were violence and witch hunts and arrogance. But I was treated mercifully because I didn’t know what I was doing—didn’t know Who I was doing it against! Grace mixed with faith and love poured over me and into me. And all because of Jesus.

^15-19 Here’s a word you can take to heart and depend on: Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. I’m proof—Public Sinner Number One—of someone who could never have made it apart from sheer mercy. And now he shows me off—evidence of his endless patience—to those who are right on the edge of trusting him forever.

Deep honor and bright glory
    to the King of All Time—
One God, Immortal, Invisible,
    ever and always. Oh, yes!

I’m passing this work on to you, my son Timothy. The prophetic word that was directed to you prepared us for this. All those prayers are coming together now so you will do this well, fearless in your struggle, keeping a firm grip on your faith and on yourself. After all, this is a fight we’re in.

^19-20 There are some, you know, who by relaxing their grip and thinking anything goes have made a thorough mess of their faith. Hymenaeus and Alexander are two of them. I let them wander off to Satan to be taught a lesson or two about not blaspheming.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Encouraging growth toward maturity was a constant theme in Paul’s letters.  It is no wonder this is of great importance to Paul. Paul had to physically rely and spiritually depend on spiritual mentors to guide and transform his thinking after Jesus got his attention on the road to Damacus!  (See Acts 9) 

Paul suddenly needed an older, wiser believer to walk him through the first steps in his new life, and God assigned that task to Ananias. It’s difficult to decide who would have been more terrified in their first encounter—Paul or Ananias (Acts 9:10–19)! Paul was waiting in blindness and wondering, “What’s next?” while Ananias was making his way to Straight Street muttering the same question under his breath. Neither man could have known how history would be affected by their meeting. But God knew!

We learn that God works out His transforming work in our lives on His timetable, but the direction is always toward greater spiritual maturity. 

Our response:

Recognize mentors who God sends to us at just the “right time”.  Lean in to listen to their guidance and wisdom with thanksgiving—because “they’ve been there, done that” and have learned valuable lessons from the experiences! We all are Timothy’s at times, eager to learn. 

Be a mentor to whomever God sends as a privileged opportunity to serve God by helping others grow in their faith by what we have experienced.  Yes, other times we are Paul’s who pass on what we have learned to others.

Spiritual mentors are given Godly Traits: (What to look for in a mentor)

• They simply love and avoid gossip.
• They seek God first and avoid ego centered behaviors.
• They mentor and are mentored with a heart filled with God’s love.
• They keep a firm grip on their faith in God, our loving, merciful God who sent His Son to save us by grace.

“And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.” –Paul to Timothy, 2 Timothy 2:2, NIV

Lord,

I could spend all morning thinking of all the great mentors you provided for my growing faith.  Right now, I thank you for each one of them.  Some are now with you in glory, and some are still helping me.  I pray that what I have learned can be of help to others—in Your Name, by your leading.  Thank you for the way you work in our lives that connect us back to you and to each other—by your love that is maturing in us.  You are amazing!

In Jesus Name, Amen

Jesus taught his disciples how to commune with God, the Father.  Jesus did not teach prayer as a last resort, after all human efforts failed, He taught prayer as a way to seek God first before doing anything for God.  We must BE with God before we DO what God says.  If we do what we think is needed without consulting God and following is lead, we might be able to do good things for others and that work will make us feel good.  When we miss the point of prayer; We miss the greatness of God! When we attempt to “do good” on our own, we miss the joy of watching God work in and through us in incredible ways that go beyond our human abilities!  We fail to realize what an awesome privilege it is to join HIM in His greater work to bring all people to His saving grace. 

Jesus never prayed, “Father, bless my work.”  Instead, Jesus prayed—

“Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.
May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us today the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.  (Matthew 6:9-13, NLT)

Jesus tenaciously taught all who would believe, listen, and follow to seek God first. Only God is good. Jesus model of prayer to God Almighty provides followers words to begin their relationship with God who loves us dearly.  Jesus begins by honoring God for who He is before asking for God’s Kingdom and His Will to prevail over all the things of this earth.  God’s Kingdom is where believers in Jesus dwell.  It is a place where new hearts are given a fresh start, where minds are transformed to think more like Jesus, which leads to changes in our behaviors.  Kingdom thinking is not like what the world generally thinks.  Kingdom living is opposite of selfish living in a world out to get all we can for ourselves.  God first—always!

In this prayer, Jesus also teaches followers that God is the Source and Sustainer of all we need.  And …we need forgiveness most of all.  God provided us Jesus.  Jesus, the One without sin, nailed all our sins to the cross so that we are able now to come to the throne of God, the Holy One, and be forgiven.  Because we have been forgiven—we must forgive those who sin against us.  This is the complete work of salvation that sets us free!  Knowing that evil is still at work, Jesus teaches us rely on God to rescue us from the evil one who taunts us daily.  “This then is how you should pray…” –Jesus

Paul reminds his beloved friends who he can rely on and trust in the work to “pray for us.”  He concludes his letter to the believers in Jesus who live in Thessalonica not only with this request to pray but with how to pray for those who work hard to spread the message of Jesus’ redemption!  Listen and learn…  

2 Thessalonians 3, The Message

Those Who Are Lazy

^1-3 One more thing, friends: Pray for us. Pray that the Master’s Word will simply take off and race through the country to a groundswell of response, just as it did among you. And pray that we’ll be rescued from these troublemakers who are trying to do us in. I’m finding that not all “believers” are believers. But the Master never lets us down. He’ll stick by you and protect you from evil.

^4-5 Because of the Master, we have great confidence in you. We know you’re doing everything we told you and will continue doing it. May the Master take you by the hand and lead you along the path of God’s love and Christ’s endurance.

^6-9 Our orders—backed up by the Master, Jesus—are to refuse to have anything to do with those among you who are lazy and refuse to work the way we taught you. Don’t permit them to freeload on the rest. We showed you how to pull your weight when we were with you, so get on with it. We didn’t sit around on our hands expecting others to take care of us. In fact, we worked our fingers to the bone, up half the night moonlighting so you wouldn’t be burdened with taking care of us. And it wasn’t because we didn’t have a right to your support; we did. We simply wanted to provide an example of diligence, hoping it would prove contagious.

^10-13 Don’t you remember the rule we had when we lived with you? “If you don’t work, you don’t eat.” And now we’re getting reports that a bunch of lazy good-for-nothings are taking advantage of you. This must not be tolerated. We command them to get to work immediately—no excuses, no arguments—and earn their own keep. Friends, don’t slack off in doing your duty.

^14-15 If anyone refuses to obey our clear command written in this letter, don’t let him get by with it. Point out such a person and refuse to subsidize his freeloading. Maybe then he’ll think twice. But don’t treat him as an enemy. Sit him down and talk about the problem as someone who cares.

¹⁶ May the Master of Peace himself give you the gift of getting along with each other at all times, in all ways. May the Master be truly among you!

¹⁷ I, Paul, bid you good-bye in my own handwriting. I do this in all my letters, so examine my signature as proof that the letter is genuine.

¹⁸ The incredible grace of our Master, Jesus Christ, be with all of you!

There is no greater encouragement this side of heaven than to know people who believe in Jesus are holding us up to God in prayer for us!  Are we returning the favor by praying for others in the work to spread the message across the world?

PAUSE TO REFLECT

• How often do we pray for those who deliver messages from God’s Holy Spirit each Sunday—that place where we meet with others to learn to be more like Jesus?
• How often do we pray for those who hold our babies, teach Jesus to our children, and guide our youth in the ways of God, through Jesus as Savior and Lord while we bask in the word of God being laid out before us?
• How often do we pray for those called of God to go to another country to spread the news of Jesus’ salvation to those who have never heard the story? 
• How often do we pray for those who believe but are shunned and even persecuted by their families because of turning to Jesus?

PAUSE TO PRAY WITH PAUL’S HEART USING JESUS’ WORDS

Are we praying like Paul who goal is one thing—Jesus?  To pray like Paul means praying “that the Master’s Word will simply take off and race through the country to a groundswell of response.”

How long has it been since we prayed to God like that along with this? —

“May the Master take you by the hand and lead you along the path of God’s love and Christ’s endurance.”

We have learned how to pray and how to love.  We learn we not each other’s enemies. 

We have learned how to respond.  Seek God first in prayer.  Help each other. Talk to each other from the love of God who resides with us.

“May the Master of Peace himself give you the gift of getting along with each other at all times, in all ways. May the Master be truly among you!”

Lord, God of All,

May Your Kingdom come, Your will be done in all the details of our lives here as it is in heaven.  Forgive us as we forgive others.  Lead us. 

In Jesus Name, Amen

“Keep all arms and legs in the ride at all times.”  We’ve all heard it said many times while getting on a tram, roller coaster, and any ride at the local fair or theme park.  We get in line, wait, and look forward to the exhilaration of the ride to come.  When it is our turn, we get inside, listen to the instructions, and then grip on the handle in front of us and hang on for dear life.  Some rides take our breath away.  Some just send us around in circles.  Some jerk our bodies in ways that confuse us and make us wonder why we got on this ride in the first place.  But very soon, the brief ride is over.  We remember the final instruction was to remain seated until the “vehicle comes to a complete stop”—another rule of the ride.  We trust the ride built by humans and ridden thousands of times by other humans will get us from the beginning to end without harm.  That’s a lot of trust!

Paul gives the church(us) very important instructions for the ride of our lives!  This ride, the span of our lives on earth, is also brief and can be the wildest ride of our lives!  This wild ride of ups and downs can be full of joy in all circumstances or littered with bitterness and sadness.  It depends on who you choose and trust to sit next to you!

“Read carefully,” Paul advises, because the ride could get dicey and confusing if you allow the one who opposes God and wants to be God to ride with you. Whose hand are you gripping until you are safely home?   Who do you trust?

2 Thessalonians 2, The Message

The Anarchist

^1-3 Now, friends, read these next words carefully. Slow down and don’t go jumping to conclusions regarding the day when our Master, Jesus Christ, will come back and we assemble to welcome him. Don’t let anyone shake you up or get you excited over some breathless report or rumored letter from me that the day of the Master’s arrival has come and gone. Don’t fall for any line like that.

^3-5 Before that day comes, a couple of things have to happen. First, the Apostasy. Second, the debut of the Anarchist, a partner in crime with Satan. He’ll defy and then take over every so-called god or altar. Having cleared away the opposition, he’ll then set himself up in God’s Temple as “God Almighty.” Don’t you remember me going over all this in detail when I was with you? Are your memories that short?

^6-8 You’ll also remember that I told you the Anarchist is being held back until just the right time. That doesn’t mean that the spirit of anarchy is not now at work. It is, secretly and underground. But the time will come when the Anarchist will no longer be held back, but will be let loose. But don’t worry. The Master Jesus will be right on his heels and blow him away. The Master appears and—puff!—the Anarchist is out of there.

^9-12 The Anarchist’s coming is all Satan’s work. All his power and signs and miracles are fake, evil sleight of hand that plays to the gallery of those who hate the truth that could save them. And since they’re so obsessed with evil, God rubs their noses in it—gives them what they want. Since they refuse to trust truth, they’re banished to their chosen world of lies and illusions.

^13-14 Meanwhile, we’ve got our hands full continually thanking God for you, our good friends—so loved by God! God picked you out as his from the very start. Think of it: included in God’s original plan of salvation by the bond of faith in the living truth. This is the life of the Spirit he invited you to through the Message we delivered, in which you get in on the glory of our Master, Jesus Christ.

^15-17 So, friends, take a firm stand, feet on the ground and head high. Keep a tight grip on what you were taught, whether in personal conversation or by our letter. May Jesus himself and God our Father, who reached out in love and surprised you with gifts of unending help and confidence, put a fresh heart in you, invigorate your work, enliven your speech.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

We learn that the Deceiver will show his limited power in ways that will confuse us and make us wonder if really believe who God is and what Jesus, His Son has done for us.  Our trust in God will be put on the line many times throughout the ride of life.  What will our response be? 

Will we fall for the lies and behaviors that oppose God?  Or will we “get a grip” the Hand of Jesus and stand firm with God?

How will we know the difference between Truth and Deception?  Sometimes it is hard at first, so Paul helps us.  He reminds us that the one who sets himself up as God Almighty in God’s temple of His people on earth is the Deceiver whose only goal is to destroy our faith and trust in God.  God is the One and Only God to be worshiped and honored as God—the first “rule of the ride”!  (See Exodus 20 for the complete list)

Ask for God’s Holy Spirit of discernment in decisions; it’s a matter of life or death!  Look for behavioral signs that indicate the true heart of a person.  All the traits of Satan are manifested in the hearts of those against God and will soon be brought to the light of Day from a person who is the god of self—hate, arrogance, pride, envy, self-satisfaction—to name a few.  When we pause to seek Truth throughout the ride; we begin to see life from God’s perspective and view.  Then deception is easier to recognize with behaviors to avoid. 

With God/Jesus/Holy Spirit as our Father, Savior/Lord, and Helper, the ride is much more enjoyable—full of hope and unspeakable joy!

The promise of Jesus, Son of God;

“If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”—Jesus, John 14:15-21

“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”—Jesus, Matthew 28:20

So, “stay in your seats with Jesus until the ride on earth comes to a complete stop!  The ride to eternal life will continue!  Pray without ceasing for wisdom and discernment.

Lord,

Thank you for saving my soul and preparing my heart daily for the ride of life with you!  You are God and no one else.  I will trust in you.

In Jesus Name, Amen

… You are my strength and comfort
You are my steady hand
You are my firm foundation
The rock on which I stand
Your ways are always higher
Your plans are always good
There’s not a place where I’ll go
You’ve not already stood

… When You don’t move the mountains
I’m needing You to move
When You don’t part the waters
I wish I could walk through
When You don’t give the answers
As I cry out to You
I will trust, I will trust
I will trust in You
I will trust in You
I will trust in You
I will trust in You

(Songwriters: Lauren Daigle / Michael Farren / Paul Marbury; “Trust In You” lyrics © Capitol CMG Publishing, Essential Music Publishing, Integrity Music)

“Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.” Matthew 10:1

Jesus prepared and equipped the Twelve for a specific purpose. This sending out was a “practice run” for all who would be taught and then sent them out into the world in need of help in all kinds of ways.  The greater purpose of this “giving” of Himself to His disciples went beyond the ability to offer temporary relief with physical healing but so that the world may know God who so loved the world He sent His Son to save us from our sins—eternal and forever spiritual healing!  What the disciples did gave God glory as God was glorified in them!  This is the teaching of Jesus!

“These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.”  Matthew 10:5-8, NIV

God gives us life in Jesus’ name
he lives in us in Jesus’ name
And in Jesus’ name I come to you
To share his peace as he told me to.

He said ‘Freely, freely you have received; freely, freely give.
Go in my name, and because you believe others will know that I live.

(Copyright © 1972 Bud John Songs/ EMI Christian Music Publishing/ Adm. by CopyCare)

Paul was one of those lost sheep of Israel who now is a fully committed servant of Jesus Christ.  Paul, saved by grace, transformed by the Holy Spirit, now preaches Jesus—crucified for our sins and raised to life to give us our hope of eternal life!  Called and equipped by God; Paul is sent in Jesus Name to preach Jesus’ salvation to Gentiles and Jews—everyone in the world whom God loves—with the message of redemption by Jesus. 

Paul, who has freely received Christ now freely gives his life so the rest of the world may know the God who saved him through Jesus, His Son.

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.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Paul thanks God for those whose faith is so strong and tenacious that others come to know God because of the testimony of their very lives lived for Jesus!

“Our God gives you everything you need, makes you everything you’re to be.”  God provides where He guides and sends.  We respond with grateful hearts as we freely tell God’s Story of His Glorious Son!

REAL LIFE is all about His Grace!  “Grace is behind and through all of this, our God giving himself freely, the Master, Jesus Christ, giving himself freely.”  We don’t deserve to be set free.  We cannot earn this freedom from our sins.  God freely gives us the Way out of our sins.  Jesus is the Way, Truth, that leads to Life eternal!

Mercy is the act of withholding deserved punishment, while grace is the act of endowing unmerited favor. In His mercy, God does not give us punishment we deserve, namely hell; while in His grace, God gives us the gift we do not deserve, namely heaven—all because of His great love for us!

“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. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16-17

There was a cost to redeem us.  Jesus paid it in full.

“He said ‘Freely, freely you have received; freely, freely give.
Go in my name, and because you believe others will know that I live.”

Lord,

Thank you for your love, mercy, and grace.  Thank you for saving us and setting us free from the bondage of our own sins. Thank you for reconciling (reconnecting) us to you in a growing, intimate relationship with you—one that you have always desired with us.  Continue to cleanse our hearts, renew our minds, refresh our souls with our daily mercies, and restore the everlasting joy and peace of your salvation at work in us so that we can be all you created us to be as we freely give the message that has so freely been give to us.  To you be the glory!

In Jesus Name, Amen

When that day comes
And I find myself
Standing in the Son
I can only imagine
When all I will do
Is forever, forever worship You
I can only imagine, yeah
I can only imagine

Surrounded by Your glory
What will my heart feel?
Will I dance for you Jesus
Or in awe of You be still?
Will I stand in your presence
Or to my knees will I fall?
Will I sing hallelujah?
Will I be able to speak at all?
I can only imagine, yeah
I can only imagine…

(Written by Bart Millard, Sung by Mercy Me)

Paul is not only helping us to imagine when that Day comes, when Jesus returns, but led by God’s Holy Spirit, he teaches us who we are in Jesus with how to prepare for the coming of Christ—who we say we believe!

We are human creatures of order and habit formed by living in this world.  Even as believers, we often think we are in control of everything that surrounds our lives—until we are not and our world is turned upside down in circumstances beyond our control.  Instead of thinking, “What in the world just happened to me” we must turn our hearts to another world waiting to embrace us and teach us another way of thinking.  It is called Kingdom of God.

The Kingdom of God is a different world that can only be entered into by the invitation of the nail-scarred hands and feet of Jesus Christ.  Because of God’s great love, demonstrated through His Son, ALL are invited!  When we accept Jesus and Savior and Redeemer and Remover of our sins; we begin to live a new life of following Jesus as Lord.  In doing so, we enter a new world of thought, words, and actions.  We discover that Kingdom of God thinking is higher than our thinking and love goes deeper than we can imagine.  We soon see that this unlimited depth of love that God has for us begins to spill over into all our relationships.  We love greater with less judgment.  Yes, Kingdom of God ways of thinking and behaving bring out God’s best in us as we look for the best in others! 

As sons of Light and daughters of Day we seek God first as a new habit and revel in His ways as His perfect love is being formed in us, a love that saved us from darkness!  Because of this new love of God, we begin to love others in the same ways He loved us! Imagine it!  Live it! 

God’s Holy Spirit, our extreme Helper, works daily in our surrendered hearts to transform our thinking and behaving with Kingdom of God ways to respond to God and others.  To imagine what it would be like to stand before the Son as sons of Light and daughter of Day, it helps greatly to listen to God’s word and learn how to prepare for the Day Christ returns.  In this preparation, we come alive in Christ!  Bonus!

And He IS coming back…count on it!

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!

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Paul’s advice and teaching is very practical and clear. This is how to live and respond as sons of Light and daughters of Day;

• Keep eyes open and be smart.  Live as believers in Jesus!  Follow Truth.
• Walk out into the daylight sober, dressed up in faith, love, and the hope of salvation. Jesus’ death and resurrection triggered new life—and forever life—for us!  Live it!
• Speak encouraging words that build hope in Jesus!
• Honor leaders called of God with overwhelming love and appreciation.
• Get along with each other—it’s the healthiest way to live!  Here’s how: Encourage the stragglers, reach out to the exhausted, be patient with each other, see a need and do what you can to help, avoid snapping at each other when frustrated.  It makes God smile when His kids get along!
• Look for the best in each other—not the worst.
• “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.”

“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.”

Our prayer, Lord, for all who believe and call on your Name.

In Jesus Name, For Your Glory, Amen!