Encourage one another and build up one another.

  Good morning. And now a hodgepodge of admonitions: encourage one another and build up one another. Too many churches have people who do just the opposite – tearing down and discouraging one another. Appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction, and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. It should be unnecessary for Paul to have to say that. It should be something that we naturally do. Live in peace with one another. Again, this is something that should be unnecessary to say. So this means that we should let everyone do exactly what they want to do, right? The next thing he does is to urge them to admonish the unruly (undisciplined). [My Bible says that they were loafers. It seems that some Thessalonians were so sure that the second coming was close that they had given up their jobs in order to prepare for it, but Paul says that they should work.] Father we lift up those who have charge over us in the Lord. Help us to work with them to better our lives and the life of Your church.

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