1 Thessalonians 2: 9-13 NLT Athletes are amazing! They are gifted but they are also disciplined at what they do. Raw talent is never enough to get people ahead in what they are gifted to do. They choose what they will and what they will not do. They have others come alongside them to train, encourage, and challenge them. Christians should be no different. We see in Paul and his companions that same discipline. But what was their motivation?
We can never say enough- God will saved people through the Gospel and will make us holy through the same gospel. Paul needed this Good News, the church in Thessalonica needed it, and we need it as well. We didn't just need it before, we need it everyday. Paul worked humbly because of it. The Good News reminded Paul to be devout, honest and faultless among them. It didn't mean he was perfect, it wasn't even about him. It was all in God's service as he served the people of Thessalonica, even those who would not believe. He pleaded, encouraged, and urged them to live the same way. How Paul and his companions lived gave weight to the very words that came out of their mouth. As Paul preached the Good News the people believed that he truly believed what he was saying, so much so that it motivated his life in the direction to please God. They received his words as God's word, and, as Paul said, they should because they are. Not everything that comes out of my mouth is God's word but it is my desire to be disciplined that you to would believe even as the church in Thessalonica did. Ask Yourself:
0 Comments
1Thessalonians 2:1-8 NLT What a blessing to read a passage like this and know that there are people who love you in this way. There are those who shared the Good News with me expecting nothing in return and to this day I remember them and thank God for them. My desire is to car efor you all the same way. That you would know me as someone who loves you with the very love God has poured out on me.
Paul mentions God five times ( at least in the New Living Translation. He says they have the courage given by God to preach the Good News of God. That they are approved and entrusted by God. Their purpose comes from God. That God is their witness and that they shared not only God's Good News but also their lives. Just today, I read about a man who was going to preach his first sermon and in his mind he was going to God's lawyer defending the truth of His word. He ended up getting so scared that he couldn't finish his sermon. As he stepped away from the platform Gos told him- "Just be my witness." He went back up and id just that. Afterwards a young man came up to him and wanted to know how he could have what he did. He shared the Good News with him and the young man asked Jesus to save him that same day. After that he realized he didn't have to be God's lawyer but simply share what God had done for him through Jesus on the cross. This is true us Paul and his companions as well as it is true of you and me. God simply wants us to be His witnesses. We don't have to know it all, we just need to know what He has done for us. Whether you are like the young man who wants what God has given through Jesus or the scared young man who realized that he only needed to be God's witness, we are here for you and expect nothing in returm. We love you very much! Have great day, Loved Ones, and God bless you real good! 1 Thessalonians 1: 4-7 NLT They say imitation is the greatest compliment. This church in Thessalonica imitated Paul and Silas and the Lord. How so? Paul and Silas came to the people and didn't expect them to go to them like Jesus who came that He would save through His life and sacrifice those who believe in Him. Paul starts verse four by reminding them that God loved them and chosen to be His own. God did not choose them, or anyone for that matter, because of something we have done but purely by His grace- His choice to love us knowing what it would cost Him. Paul says it was made clear God chose them because they were the ones that received the Good News of God's love in Jesus as the Holy Spirit made it clear that what they said was true. I pray that the Holy Spirit would do that for all who are part of our Student ministry. I can only share with you what God has said and made clear, but God- the Holy Spirit is the one who will convince you of this truth. In this verse (and the three before them), I love that Paul talks about all three persons of the Tinity= God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. :) All are working together as one to save. Not only did the church in Thessalonica believe, but they believed under the pressure of persecution. Not many of us will know pressure like that, but we all pay a cost to living out what we believe. It may mean missing out on what others feel free to do or being made fun of because of what we believe, but when the Holy Spirit assures you that what God says is true, it changes everything. For some, the change is a lot in a short time, like the Thessalonian church. For others, it's a little over a long time, but either way, we are never the same. Paul says, as a result, they are examples for all believers in Greece- both upper Greece= Macedonia and Lower Greece= Achaia. To think we can do the same in our schools, at home, and anywhere God has us as we surrender wholly to Him. Maybe God has yet to show you an example for you to follow. Perhaps He wants you to be the first to follow Him in your family, school, or neighborhood. You could be the example of following Jesus with both your lips= what you say and your body= what you do. My call is to proclaim what God had made clear. So then, as the Holy Spirit assures you of what He has said, it is our call to live it out. May God move our mouths and feet as He gives us this assurance. We are here to serve you. Have a great day, Loved Ones, and God bless you real good! |
Archives
August 2023
Categories
All
|