Category: Uncategorized

2^nd Thess. 1

Both Paul’s first letter and his second letter deal heavily with eschatology, or the study of end times. Paul is trying to clarify some misunderstandings that the believers in Thessalonica had about the rapture and Jesus’ second coming to the earth. The emphasis of this first chapter of Paul’s second letter is to provide some comfort and hope for this church which is suffering some intense persecution. Despite the hardship, persecution, and suffering this church was facing, Paul commends them for their growing faith and love for one another. A common theme throughout the church in history is that when persecution runs rampant, faith grows. When persecution is nonexistent, faith is weakened. It is because persecution refines the faith of the church the same way that fire refines and purifies gold. It makes you worthy of the kingdom of God in the sense of sanctification, not justification (v.6).

Sometimes it is hard to trust that God is just when you are suffering persecution and you don’t see immediate vengeance. Passages like this help us to cling to the truth that God will make every wrong right when He returns. Sin requires a punishment. Either you pay that punishment or you let Jesus pay that punishment on the cross by surrendering your life to Him. God promises that those who do evil and don’t obey the gospel will suffer a painful punishment from Jesus’ presence and from the glory of His power. What does this passage encourage the believer who is suffering persecution to do?

1. Cling to the hope of eventual rest (v.7)
2. Consider your persecutions an opportunity to witness (v.4)
3. Count your persecutions as a purifier of your faith (v.5)

God will take vengeance. He is a just God. Be patient in your tribulation. He has overcome the world (John 16:33).

Today’s Reading: Psalm 88

From the beginning of time, darkness has always held a mystery. But that mystery was revealed and solved by God’s light.

“The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness.”

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭1‬:‭2‬-‭4‬ ‭ESV‬‬

We have been conditioned to be afraid of the dark. There are many things that happen in the dark when you’re not able to see your surroundings. The uncertainty of your environment creates a sense of unnerving and suspense. These thoughts have been used over the millennium to create distractions and anxiety . In today’s psalm, there’s nothing but fear and isolation and a cry out to God.

“For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near to Sheol. I am counted among those who go down to the pit; I am a man who has no strength, like one set loose among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, like those whom you remember no more, for they are cut off from your hand. You have put me in the depths of the pit, in the regions dark and deep. Your wrath lies heavy upon me, and you overwhelm me with all your waves. Selah You have caused my beloved and my friend to shun me; my companions have become darkness.”

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭88‬:‭3‬-‭7‬, ‭18‬ ‭ESV‬‬

But if we look at darkness through a different lens, darkness has some positive aspects.

In darkness … there is shelter.

In darkness … there is peace.

In darkness … there is rest. 

When you have a relationship with God, the darkness is not as scary as it could be. But the darkness does give you a chance to reset and reflect upon your situation or your circumstance.

Darkness can be a place of shelter.  Many times when David was fleeing his enemies, he would go into a cave and he will get shelter. He was in darkness, but he was safe. 

“And he came to the sheepfolds by the way, where there was a cave, and Saul went in to relieve himself. Now David and his men were sitting in the innermost parts of the cave. And the men of David said to him, “Here is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold, I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you.’” Then David arose and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.”

‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭24‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭ESV‬‬

In this story, David is in the cave and Saul is right in front of him. David is so close to him that he was able to get a piece of his garment. David was safe in the darkness. David has shelter in the darkness.  Darkness can give us peace from the chaos and hustle of the day. In darkness, we are able to disconnect and be in unison with God. 

Darkness can give us peace.  Jesus advises us to go into our closet and pray to God. This is where you are isolated in the darkness and you are able to communicate and focus on God. In the darkness, you are able to receive peace.

“But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭6‬ ‭KJV‬‬

In darkness, you can get rest. At the end of the day when you are tired or frustrated and you find a dark place to rest. Your body becomes rejuvenated and your spirit becomes refreshed.

“He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭23‬:‭2‬, ‭4‬ ‭KJV‬‬

In many aspects of our life, we can see the situation through many perspectives. But when we allow God to open our vision in our perspective, we can see things differently. Things that we used to fear and become distraught, now we can see God‘s work in them and allow his work to be with us. 

May you be able to best restful, at peace, and comforted and safe in the darkness and allow God’s presence be your strength and comfort. 

Be blessed 

Psalm 87

When I hear the word Zion, I shudder. Internally, I translate it to Zionists and Zionism. Those words, in the context of modern world affairs, stir images of rage, hate, bigotry, and nationalism. That’s part of what’s broken in our culture. We take good and pure things and turn them rotten. I think that’s exactly how Satan works. He trades truth for lies (Romans 1:25) and light for darkness (Isaiah 5:20).

This becomes clear to me when I read Psalm 87.

On the holy mount stands the city he founded;
the Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwelling places of Jacob.
Glorious things of you are spoken, O city of God. — Psalm 87:1–3 (ESV)

I don’t get past verse 2 without feeling it. That word Zion catches in my throat. Is this how it all started?

The answer is both no and yes. No, because the Zion I hear about on the news is not the Zion of Scripture. But yes, because the original Zion, the place where God chose to dwell, is where the story begins. To understand it, we need a full picture of what Zion truly is.

Zion is a hill in Jerusalem, not just any hill, but the one where God established His dwelling. There, His people gathered to worship. Yet Psalm 87 reveals something remarkable. The city’s register includes names from far beyond Israel: Rahab (Egypt), Babylon, Philistia, Tyre, and Cush (v. 4). Nations once known for slavery, pride, and sin are written as if they were born there. Even Babylon, later described in Revelation 17:5 as “the mother of prostitutes and of the abominations of the earth,” is named among those who belong.

How can that be? Because Zion isn’t about who controls the ground; it’s about who is welcomed home. It isn’t about who has sinned and who has not. We all have. Zion points higher to God’s presence among His people and His desire to gather the nations to Himself.

Zion is a picture of Jesus. Through Him, we are purified and made worthy to live in God’s presence. He writes our names in His book, making us citizens of His eternal city, permanent residents in His household, together on that holy hill where God dwells with His people.

Psalm 85

As you read through Psalm 85, it shows two sides of God.  First, God’s anger against sin then secondly, God’s salvation that restores sinners and fills them with righteousness.  This psalm follows up after God’s people had been disciplined from what I can tell in earlier psalms, the people of Israel.  God’s anger had been directed to his people but now things seemed to be cooling off, and everyone was repenting and asking God for forgiveness.

The psalmist voices how things are getting hard again.  They are praying for God to not turn his back on them and instead show them mercy and help them once more.  Basically saying, the people that love and honor you are here for you to rescue them again.

Verses 10 thru 13 paraphrased: “Steadfast love and faithfulness meet; righteousness and peace kiss each other.  Faithfulness springs up from the ground, and righteousness looks down from the sky.  The Lord will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase.  Righteousness will go before Him and make His footsteps a way.”

I have heard a prime example of when righteousness and peace kiss each other is when Jesus died on the cross for our sins.  When Jesus died for our sins, we are able to be declared righteous and that brings us into a relationship of peace with God.  Here, we see the reunion with righteousness and peace.  The righteousness bestowed on us and the peace that comes with that need never be separated or estranged again if our trust remains in Jesus.

Psalm 85 is a perfect prayer for anyone hoping for renewal, whether in their family, community, business, or nation.  It is about remembering God’s past faithfulness, owning our need for change, and asking Him to revive hope and blessing in our lives again.

“Do not be silent, O God!” (Psalm 83:1)

In Psalm 83, Asaph cries out in desperation as Israel is beset by enemies who conspire for its annihilation. He prays not for self-glory, but for God’s name to be vindicated—and for deliverance from an overwhelming threat. Toward the end he says: “that they may seek Your name, O Lord … that they may know that You alone, whose name is the Lord, are the Most High over all the earth.” (vv. 16,18) 

Today, as many await the freeing of Israeli hostages held by Hamas, this psalm takes on fresh emotional and spiritual resonance. The hostages represent innocent lives caught in the crossfire of forces far greater than themselves. Their families have prayed, pleaded, and waited, sometimes in utter silence. The expectation of their release brings hope that God may yet act dramatically in the realm of nations and suffering.

From Psalm 83 we learn:

• Cry boldly to God: Don’t hesitate to bring anguish, injustice, and longing before Him. “Do not be silent” is a sacred permission to pour out our hearts.
• Trust in God’s justice: The psalmist calls on God to thwart conspiracies and to scatter foes as chaff. When political and military power seem overwhelming, divine intervention remains possible.
• Aim for transformation, not just rescue: The ultimate end in Psalm 83 is that the nations would come to know God. So in praying for the hostages, we pray not only for their safe return, but for hearts to turn, for darkness to give way.

Let us pray:

Sovereign Lord, hear our cry and break the chains that bind these precious lives. Do not hide Your face. Grant deliverance that glorifies You. May those released know afresh Your mercy. Let this moment draw many to seek Your name and to acknowledge You as Most High. Amen.

1 Thessalonians 4

Today we are reading and studying the fourth chapter of Paul’s first letter to the church at Thessalonica. This is where the theme of this letter shifts to the topic of eschatology, or the study of end times. I would be remiss to not talk about the first 8 verses because I think it sets a context that we all can learn from.

In the first eight verses Paul is calling the Thessalonians to purity. Jesus has made us pure by washing, cleansing, justifying, and sanctifying us. We ought to walk in that truth to honor and glorify our father in heaven. We live sexually pure lives not by striving, trying, and attempting, but by dying to ourselves and putting on Christ. God is not keeping you from something by demanding your sexual purity, rather He is giving you more freedom by calling you to live in the parameters He has created for you. God is more concerned about your sanctification than your satisfaction. He did not call you to passions of lust and uncleanness, but to holiness. You are to be set apart. This is important to remember as we move to the next topic in this chapter: the rapture of the Church.

The rapture is the removal of the Church from this earth, before the 7-year tribulation, which will occur in the end-times. Jesus’ return comes in two phases: the first phase is to collect His Church in the air (1 Thess. 4:15-17, 1 Cor. 15:51-54, 2 Thess. 2:6-7) and the second is to wage war at the battle of Armageddon (Rev. 19:17-21). There are three different approaches to when the rapture will occur. The three stances are pre-tribulation, mid-tribulation, and post-tribulation. God does not appoint us to wrath (1^st Thess. 5:9), therefore I see it hard to imagine any other time for the rapture instead of a pretribulation stance. Additionally, we have OT examples of God sparing the righteous out of the unrighteous like in the story of Lot in Sodom & Gomorrah and Noah with his family on the ark. Additionally, the church is not spoken of from Revelation 4 until chapter 19 when Jesus comes back with the saints (the NT Church). Lastly, God uses other means to spread the Gospel during the tribulation (the two witnesses; 144,000 Jewish people; and an angel in the air). If the church were still around, why would God need these other people/beings to spread His word when He has used the church for over 2,000 years? End times prophecy is all about God waking up Israel along with the rest of the world. The time is near. Get right with God so you are ready for His return. Be wise.

It is His grace that He is still waiting for the fullness of the gentiles to come. There will be a final person who gets saved and then God will rapture His church. Come to Jesus. Be soberminded. Be alert. Be ready for the return.

I love the encouragement found in 1 Thessalonians 3.  It’s something we can all search for, no matter where you are in your walk.  Timothy was sent with encouragement to the Thessalonians to strengthen and encourage.  Our days vary with circumstances that can put your attitude, hope, and trust in His eternal plan to the test.  When expectations for our plans don’t go as expected, we can start to lose hope.

Our Father knows when we are being tempted.  He sees and hears these struggles.  Perhaps it’s in a song played at the right moment, a sermon that resonates perfectly with life at this particular moment, or a friend like Timothy who comes along to encourage us through life’s trials.

The enemy doesn’t want those connections.  He will employ Jedi mind tricks to convince you that it’s hopeless or that you can do it yourself.  It’s a lie.  The older I get, the less in control I’m reminded. Are things in life going perfectly…. no… but if I keep my eternal perspective, it helps build my trust in Him and nothing in this world.

¹¹ Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you. ¹² May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. ¹³ May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.

Lord,

We ask that you clear a way for us to always draw closer to You.  Every day presents more distractions that draw us away.  Strengthen our hearts so we can draw close to You. Amen