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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

Today’s Reading:  I Thessalonians 2 

When reading Paul’s letters, I love to reference the first visit or introduction to the  now established church. When you understand the first introduction of the church, you can understand better, Paul’s  writings and teachings to the church later on . We are first introduced to Thessalonica in Acts, Chapter 17.

“They took the road south through Amphipolis and Apollonia to Thessalonica, where there was a community of Jews. Paul went to their meeting place, as he usually did when he came to a town, and for three Sabbaths running he preached to them from the Scriptures. He opened up the texts so they understood what they’d been reading all their lives: that the Messiah absolutely had to be put to death and raised from the dead—there were no other options—and that “this Jesus I’m introducing you to is that Messiah.” Some of them were won over and joined ranks with Paul and Silas, among them a great many God-fearing Greeks and a considerable number of women from the aristocracy. But the hard-line Jews became furious over the conversions. Mad with jealousy, they rounded up a bunch of brawlers off the streets and soon had an ugly mob terrorizing the city as they hunted down Paul and Silas. They broke into Jason’s house, thinking that Paul and Silas were there. When they couldn’t find them, they collared Jason and his friends instead and dragged them before the city fathers, yelling hysterically, “These people are out to destroy the world, and now they’ve shown up on our doorstep, attacking everything we hold dear! And Jason is hiding them, these traitors and turncoats who say Jesus is king and Caesar is nothing!” That night, under cover of darkness, their friends got Paul and Silas out of town as fast as they could. They sent them to Berea, where they again met with the Jewish community. They were treated a lot better there than in Thessalonica. The Jews received Paul’s message with enthusiasm and met with him daily, examining the Scriptures to see if they supported what he said. A lot of them became believers, including many Greeks who were prominent in the community, women and men of influence.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭17‬:‭1‬-‭5‬, ‭10‬-‭12‬ ‭MSG‬‬

Some of the citizens of Thessalonica were frustrated and upset at Paul and his friends for their proclamation of the gospel. The individuals were so upset that they created a mob and were willing to kill Paul and Silas for their teachings. 

In today’s reading, we are in the first book to the Thessalonians in chapter 2.  Throughout this chapter, Paul is not remembering the harshness and the hurt and the trauma from their experience. In this passage, Paul remembers their friendship. He uses the word friend several times in this small passage. 

“So, friends, it’s obvious that our visit to you was no waste of time. We had just been given rough treatment in Philippi, as you know, but that didn’t slow us down. We were sure of ourselves in God, and went right ahead and said our piece, presenting God’s Message to you, defiant of the opposition. 

You remember us in those days, friends, working our fingers to the bone, up half the night, moonlighting so you wouldn’t have the burden of supporting us while we proclaimed God’s Message to you. You saw with your own eyes how discreet and courteous we were among you, with keen sensitivity to you as fellow believers. And God knows we weren’t freeloaders! You experienced it all firsthand. With each of you we were like a father with his child, holding your hand, whispering encouragement, showing you step-by-step how to live well before God, who called us into his own kingdom, into this delightful life. 

Friends, do you realize that you followed in the exact footsteps of the churches of God in Judea, those who were the first to follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ? You got the same bad treatment from your countrymen as they did from theirs, the Jews who killed the Master Jesus (to say nothing of the prophets) and followed it up by running us out of town. They make themselves offensive to God and everyone else by trying to keep us from telling people who’ve never heard of our God how to be saved. They’ve made a career of opposing God, and have gotten mighty good at it. But God is fed up, ready to put an end to it. * * *”

‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬-‭2‬, ‭9‬-‭12‬, ‭14‬-‭16‬ ‭MSG‬‬

This friendship was made in the churches in Thessalonica and the response that they received. Paul’s maturity to see the good and encourage people in spite of his trauma is witnessed in this letter. Paul has found how to allow God to use him through these difficult circumstances that he’s going through to be an encouragement to others.

This past week at my job, I learned a new set of skills. One of the set of skills was to be able to comfort people in their trauma and in their places of hurt. So many people are going through so much trauma which can be hidden or it could be obvious, but they are attempting to manage this trauma. They will reach out to you and one thing that you have to do is just to listen. 

As we listen to our people and comfort them in their trauma, sometimes we get over burdened by all of their trauma. We have to find a place to Refresh ourselves. Jesus has given us the ability to connect with him to refresh ourselves from comforting others who are going through trauma.

Throughout trauma, we hurt. 

Throughout trauma, we cry. 

Throughout trauma, we may become paralyzed.

 But through Christ, he has given us the ability to comfort and encourage others from our past traumas and our current traumas and our future traumas. We have to begin to allow Christ to take these traumas from us and the ones we have absorbed and then allow Christ to heal us as well. 

As we walk through our journeys, may God allow us to allow Christ to comfort us and allow the Holy Spirit to be present to comfort others as we comfort them.

 

Be Blessed

1 Thessalonians 1

“When you think of me, what comes to mind?”

Maybe you’ve seen that question floating around social media. Believe it or not, it’s often used in sales training. It serves two purposes: discovery—realizing the impact you’ve had—and encouragement—being reminded that your life matters and inspires others. Most people are surprised by the responses, discovering they’ve made a bigger difference than they realized.

Now imagine asking that as a Christian. What would people say?

The believers in Thessalonica didn’t ask that question, but Paul offered his answer freely in 1 Thessalonians 1:3: “We always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly. As we pray to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and the enduring hope you have because of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Despite persecution, their faith had become an example throughout Macedonia and Achaia (v.7).

So what about you?
– Are you allowing the Holy Spirit to work through you faithfully?
– Is He empowering you with loving deeds and enduring hope?

The evidence lives in your fruit. And one more thing: Who do you know that is faithfully living this way and might appreciate your encouragement today?

Psalm 80

This is another Psalm written by Asaph that can be described as a prayer to God to help those who felt oppressed or that God has turned his back on them.

If you think about it, verses 1-7 are probably what many of us ask or think about in our prayers quite often.  This small, simple prayer might sum it up a bit:

‘Father, please help me.  Shine Your light on me and keep me safe through the trials that I am going through.  I know there are things that I do that don’t always make You happy, but please don’t ignore me and leave me all alone.  Life can be so difficult. Help me to not embarrass myself by my actions in front of my loved ones so that those with ill intentions can use it against me.  Please restore me and bring me closer to You.’

The rest of the Psalm is Asaph describing how previously God cleared the promise land, drove out the evil nations, and planted a vine.  This vine did very well while it was in the protection of God. But then to the fault of its own, the vine became no longer healthy.  The wall that was there before had been torn down.  Anyone or thing that wanted to do harm to this vine was allowed to do so.

This vine was a depiction of Israel.  God cleared the way for Israel to be safe, to thrive and to be protected.  Once the people of Israel rebelled, God took the walls down.  He let all nations that wanted to oppress Israel go ahead and crush them.

Asaph’s prayer was simple.  ‘God, please come back.  You’ve seen what has happened.  Your people are devastated as if a fire has burnt everything to the ground.  Please restore the vine and make it strong once more.  If you do this, we promise we won’t turn away from you again.’

Now how many times have we prayed in similar ways like this?  “God, if you do this, then I promise to do that.” We know that our intentions are good and just, He knows our intentions are good and just, but how often do we actually hold up our end of the bargain?  I certainly can’t tell you the exact date this Psalm was written by Asaph but Google says it was at least 586 B.C to 722 B.C.  And yet, here in 2025, some of us make promises to God just like they did back then.

Don’t get me wrong, as I said earlier, our intentions are good!  We just need to do a better job of not forgetting who cleared the way for us.  Who planted the vine for us.  And who keeps the walls up and protects us.  At those times when our walls start to break and the outside world starts to bust through, it is only our Creator that can truly help restore us, save us and make us shine again!

Psalm 78 is a solemn reminder that God’s people must never forget His mighty works or take His mercy for granted. Asaph urges Israel to hear God’s Word and pass it on to future generations so that their children will “set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments” (v.7, NKJV). The psalm recounts how God miraculously delivered His people from Egypt, provided food and water in the wilderness, and guided them with His presence. Yet despite His goodness, they sinned repeatedly, tested Him with their rebellion, and provoked His anger.

Still, God showed compassion, restraining His wrath and remembering they were but flesh. However, persistent disobedience brought judgment: Ephraim was rejected, Shiloh was abandoned, and God raised up Judah and David to shepherd His people with integrity.

For today’s Christians, the warning is unmistakable. We too are in danger when we grow comfortable with God’s blessings yet continue in sin. To test God by presuming upon His grace is to invite His discipline. The Lord calls His people to genuine repentance, not half-hearted obedience. Just as Israel’s unfaithfulness brought loss and sorrow, so unrepented sin in our lives can grieve the Spirit and hinder our witness.

Psalm 78 urges us to repent quickly, to remember God’s faithfulness, and to walk in holiness before Him. By doing so, we not only honor the Lord but also leave a testimony of faithfulness for the next generation to follow.

Heavenly Father,

I thank You for Your mighty works and for the mercy You have shown me through Christ. Forgive me, Lord, for the times I have taken Your blessings for granted, tested Your patience, or walked in disobedience. Cleanse me from hidden sins and give me a heart that is quick to repent and eager to obey.

Lord, keep me humble, keep me faithful, and let me be a vessel through which the next generation learns to trust You. I place my hope fully in You and commit to living for Your glory.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Written with the assistance of ChatGPT

Psalm 75

The title of this psalm in the NKJV is Thanksgiving for God’s Righteous Judgment. In the subtitle we see it’s a song written by Asaph. This is a psalm where not only are Asaph’s words dictated, but the Father’s words are dictated as well in verses 2-5 and 10.

The psalm starts with the people thanking God for His nearness to them. That is so important for us to realize that God is always near to His people. Sometimes we feel like He is far from us and there are two main reasons for this. The first is that He wants your faith to be in Him and His Word, not in your feelings or experiences. The second reason is because you have unrepentant sin in your life that is breaking your fellowship with God, and therefore you don’t feel His presence. Always remember that God is near and is drawing you closer to Him with chords of kindness (Hosea 11:4).

Then immediately in verse 2 God starts to speak. If you want to hear God audibly, read this verse out loud and boom you have heard him audibly. But His message is more important. His message is about his impending judgment of the proud and the wicked. God always chooses the “proper time” for his upright and fair judgment. Sometimes in our minds we think God takes too long to bring justice. Other times we think He is too quick. But God is sovereign, and He always picks the proper time for His judgment. The danger for us humans is we don’t know His timetable. It is dangerous because we often think, “I’m still young, I will deal with my sin later because it’s still fun right now. I will get right with God when I need to raise kids.”  Don’t delay. Humble yourself before God casts His judgment on you.

When God says in verse 5, “Do not lift up your horn on high; Do not speak with a stiff neck”, He is using the imagery of a stubborn ox who doesn’t want to be yoked. God is saying don’t be stubborn with me and resist me. Humble yourself and take my yoke upon you because it is easy and light. The reason Jesus’ yoke is easy is because He is the one on the other side! I love you enough to tell you that there is a final judgment on those who don’t put their faith and trust in Jesus. The result of the Great White Throne Judgment is that all unbelievers are thrown into the lake of fire for eternal judgment which includes separation from God’s goodness (Revelation 20:11-15).

The beauty of verse 10, in this psalm, is that there is hope in the midst of impending judgment. It reads, “All the horns of the wicked I will also cut off, But the horns of the righteous shall be exalted.” God exalts those who are righteous. How can we be righteous? By accepting the gift of salvation. When you repent of your sins and put your trust in Jesus (Eph. 2:8-9; Rom. 10:9-10, 13), Christ’s righteousness is accounted to you. You are then exalted as a Child of God with a future reward waiting for you in heaven (2 Cor. 5: 9-11). The first step is humility. You need to humble yourself and recognize your sinfulness, and therefore your need for a savior. Jesus is near. Repent of your sins and turn to Him and He will wash you as white as snow.

Today’s Reading Colossians 4 

² Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.

A steadfast prayer involves a constant and unwavering engagement with God.  He’s always engaged, am I?   Praying with thankfulness and attentiveness even amidst difficulties. He gives it all and can take it away.  Either way, it’s always His plan. Am I praying or complaining?   This mindset needs to be my daily rhythm, doesn’t shift due to what the world says and gives.

⁵ Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. ⁶ Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

Walking in wisdom includes knowing His Word and applying it to every aspect of how I spend my life.  Am I making the best use of my time? 

Dear Heavenly Father,

You know the answers to these questions.  I pray for Your strength in all my weakness to draw closer to You in each aspect of our lives.  We thank you, Lord, for this life and the opportunity to build Your Kingdom.

With much Grattitude! 

 

 

Today’s Reading: Colossians 3

In this letter from Paul to the Colossians, Paul is writing to a church that is going through a transition. The church has been established by one of Paul’s friend and disciple.  In this established church,  there is division.  As is the case with the church and family there is going to be some high and low points.    There will be celebrations and confrontations.   There will be unity and division, but with communication and understanding all of the differences can be seen and acknowledged. 

“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”

‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭ESV‬‬

The strain in the church of the Colossians is due to two leaders coming from different backgrounds and attempting to share the gospel of Christ with the church.  Both have the common goal, but different ways of communicating.  One of the leaders comes from the traditional Jewish background and wants to make sure that the new Christians adapt all of the previous Jewish customs, including circumcision. The other leader comes from the polytheism of multiple guides and trying to establish the one God from the poly gods. The end goal for both of them is to show them Christ love. 

In the letter, Paul is showing how they are not only two families coming together, but are currently one family in Christ. Paul extends this family metaphor to take account the Roman family structure. In the traditional Roman family there were very stringent and complex laws and roles.  Paul is laying the foundation of a gentle and loving family structure which is the reflection of Christ. 

“Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 

Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. 

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”

‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭5‬, ‭7‬-‭8‬, ‭11‬-‭14‬ ‭ESV‬‬

In this passage, Paul is also showing us how to step outside of our wants and be more in-tuned to our contentment. The more that we want things that creates division between us and others. 

sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

But when we find contentment, we are able to celebrate others successes and others joys.ss, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other.

Paul is showing us that the easy route is to have division among us. 

 This is what the world wants and this is what the enemy uses to divide us. The enemy chooses to create chaos where there is peace. The enemy chooses division where there is unity. The enemy chooses apathy or love.

 But God has given us the ability to have references such as this gospel to lead on and into study daily to form unity through this division. This is not an easy step, but it is a necessary step for us to grow and to heal each other.