Good morning. Paul tells the Thessalonians to appreciate those that diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord, and give you instruction - to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Then a surprising statement – live in peace with one another. Why would you have to tell Christians to live in peace? You would think that would be normal. Sadly it's not true. I'm sure you know of some that need to heed that. Admonish the unruly - churchgoers? Yes. Encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with all men. We have all needed encouragement and help, not to mention patience with us. And then reminiscent of the golden rule – see that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all men. Rejoice always. He didn't really say that did he? Yes he did. He didn't say to rejoice that it happened, but in spite of it happening. Pray without ceasing. Of course that does not mean pray 24/7. It means to never give up praying. Even when you don't see results, keep praying. Remember in Daniel that the angel told him "I was sent the moment you started praying, but I was hindered". It's like the story about someone digging for gold but stopping just short of reaching the mother lode. You never know when you're almost there. Father thank You that the reader rejoices always and prays without ceasing. He/she is an encouragement to all.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me

  Good morning. Paul then gives a list of a lot of things that he has gone through as an apostle. I do not write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For if you were to have countless tutors in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. There could be many people that you listen to either in church or through the Internet or other means; but there was only one person (as a general rule it was a person) that lead you to Christ. Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me. He was saying that just like a child imitates his or her father, they were to imitate him. He says that again seven chapters later. Since it is easy to forget some things about people we have not seen in a while, Paul says that he sent Timothy to them to remind them of his ways which are in Christ, just as he taught everywhere in every church. Some have become arrogant, as though I were not coming to you. I shall find ou...
Read more

Merry Christmas!

   Good morning, and Merry Christmas! We are going to digress and look at the first Christmas. This was something that had been foretold centuries before; and yet people still did not understand what was going to happen. They were thinking that the Messiah was going to come as an adult and was going to re-establish the nation of Israel above all other nations. They were not expecting Him to come as a baby, supposedly born to a carpenter and placed in a manger. Many things had to happen at precisely the right time. You had to have the right person to be His mother and the right person to be His supposed father. You had to have a reason for them to be in Bethlehem on the night He was born – the census. It had to be when shepherds would be in the field near Bethlehem watching their flocks. And just at the right time – an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before the shepherds, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. And the angel said to them...
Read more
  Good morning. So Peter just told them that basically they were responsible for the death of Christ. Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, brethren, what shall we do? Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. As we will see much later, it seems that at this point in time they believed that you could not receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit without first being baptized in water. It appears that that idea did not change until chapter 10 after God baptized Cornelius and his family in the Holy Spirit before they were water baptized. Now lest someone think that this was just for the people in the first century Peter then says, for the promise (of the Father - baptism in the Holy Spirit) is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself. That means us! And...
Read more