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Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Appointed for Salvation {1 Thessalonians 5}

Image result for 1 thessalonians 5:9I like to plan.  I like to know who, what, where, when, 
why and how.   When there’s a detour, I can become anxious.  But we don’t know many things.  Much of life catches us off guard.  I bet if I asked you five years ago would there be 3 hurricanes and a massive earthquake all back to back, you’d say, ‘no way’.  Or if you’ve ever been broken into you’d tell me you never thought that would happen to you.  But that’s how Jesus tells us He will return (Matthew 24:32-44).  Only our Heavenly Father knows when He will send Jesus to return to earth.  And while we are here, there’s work to be done.  We are to keep on doing God’s work until we die or until we see the unmistakable return of our Savior.


I don’t know about you, but I haven’t gotten bored with reading my bible.  I don’t skim much anymore either.  No, I dig deeper because I want to know more.   There are probably very few books I’ve read more than once.  That’s what I think Paul is reminding us here in this final chapter of the book of 1 Thessalonians.  We need to encourage others to keep reading and studying their bibles.  We need to encourage them to keep on doing what is God's will. We need to 'live in peace with each other' (v. 13b). We need to thank our teachers for their hard work.  If you say nothing, then how will they know?  They deserve our love and support for all the work that they do teaching and encouraging us!

Paul reminds us yet again to pray continually.  It’s not our natural inclination to be joyful, to pray continually and to give thanks.  But we are to obey the Lord in these commands and they should not fluctuate based on our circumstances.  When we make a conscious decision to do what God says, we begin to see people in a whole new perspective.  And when we do God’s will, we will find it easier to be joyful and thankful. 

When I begin my day by reading scripture, praying, studying and journaling, I find myself in prayer throughout the day.  Sometimes it’s like an ongoing conversation because someone is in surgery, or I know one of my kids has to take a difficult test.  Other times it’s spontaneous due to a sudden change in the course of my day.  Or because something wonderful has occurred.  I believe this is having a prayerful attitude all day long.  

I recently decided to spend more time praying about something I used to complain about.  And I’m here to say, I’m much happier!  My perspective looks so much different.  I’ve even suggested to other people to pray for something they just never considered praying about.

Related imageI think we often forget that we are to thank God IN everything, not FOR everything.  After all, evil does not come from God, but we can be thankful FOR God’s presence and for the good He will accomplish through this distress.

Just as we refer to God as three-in-one, our entire being, body, soul and spirit are our entire being.  Paul was trying to tell us that God must be involved in every aspect of our life.  It’s wrong for us to think that we can separate the spiritual life from everything else.  We can’t just live for God one day a week.  Christ is in control all day, every day, not just the religious day.