How to live as a Christian, II Thessalonians 1 Saturday, Jan 31 2009

Written circa 51 or 52 A.D.

Purpose:

     encourage

     exhort to be steadfast and work for a living

     correct a misunderstanding about the Lord’s return

Theme:  eschatology

1:1  Paul, Silas, and Timothy,

        to the church of the Thessalonians

       in God the Father

       and the Lord Jesus Christ.

1:2  Grace and peace to you

         from God the Father

        and the Lord Jesus Christ.

1:3  We ought to thank God for you,

        because your faith is growing more and more,

       and the love you have for each other is increasing.

1:4  Among God’s churches

        we boast about your perseverance

        and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.

1:5  All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right,

        and as a result,

        you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering.

1:6  God is just:

        He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you

1:7  and give relief to you who are troubled,

        and to us as well.

        This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire

        with his powerful angels.

1:8  He will punish those who do not know God

        and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

1:9  They will be punished with everlasting destruction

        and shut out from the presence of the Lord

       and from the majesty of his power

1:10  on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people.

          and to be marveled at

         among all those who have believed.

         This includes you,

         because you believed our testimony to you.

1:11  With this in mind,

          we constantly pray for you,

          that God may count you worthy of his calling,

         and by his power

         he may fulfill every good purpose of yours

         and every act prompted by your faith.

1:12  We pray this so the name of our Lord Jesus

           may be glorified in you,

           and you in him,

          according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

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How to live as a Christian, I Thessalonians 5 Friday, Jan 30 2009

5:1  About times and dates we do not need to write,

5:2  for you know the day of the Lord

        will come like a thief in the night.

5:3  While people are saying, “Peace and safety,”

        destruction will come suddenly

        and they will not escape.

5:4  But you are not in darkness

        so this day should surprise you.

5:5  You are sons of the light and sons of the day.

         We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.

5:6  So let us be alert

        and self-controlled.

5:7  Those who sleep, sleep at night

         and those who get drunk, get drunk at night.

5:8  Since we belong to the day,

        let us be self-controlled,

       putting on faith and love as a breastplate,

       and the hope of salvation as a helmet.

5:9  For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath

        but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus.

5:10  He died for us so,

           whether we are awake or asleep,

           we may live together with him.

5:11  Encourage one another

          and build each other up,

         just as you are doing.

5:12  Respect those who work hard among you,

           who are over you in the Lord

           and who admonish you.

5:13  Hold them in the highest regard in love

          because of their work.

          Live in peace with each other.

5:14  Warn those who are idle,

           encourage the timid,

          help the weak,

          be patient with everyone.

5:15  Make sure nobody pays back wrong for wrong,

           but always try to be kind to each other

           and to everyone else.

5:16  Be joyful always,

5:17  pray continually,

5:18  give thanks in all circumstances,

          for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

5:19  Do not put out the Spirit’s fire;

5:20  do not treat prophecies with contempt.

5:21  Test everything.

           Hold on to the good.

5:22  Avoid every kind of evil.

5:23  May God himself, the God of peace,

           sanctify you through and through.

          May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless

         at the coming of our Lord Jesus.

5:24  The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.

5:25  Brothers, pray for us.

5:26  Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss.

5:27  I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers.

5:28  The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Two things particularly get my attention:  “Make sure nobody pays back wrong for wrong.”  That idea kept going through my mind at the onset of the war with Iraq.  It felt so opposite of all the Bible teaches.  It is the world’s way of living, not the Christians.

The other idea:  “Test everything.”  I need to be more diligent in doing this in regard to everything that happens around me, to test it with the Word being the benchmark, not what I or anyone else thinks.

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How to live as a Christian, I Thessalonians 4 Thursday, Jan 29 2009

4:1  We instructed you how to live

        in order to please God.

       Now we ask and urge you

       in the Lord Jesus Christ

      to do this more and more.

4:2  You know what instructions we gave you

         by the authority of the Lord Jesus.

4:3  It is God’s will that you should be sanctified:

         that you should avoid sexual immorality;

         that each of you

4:4  should learn to control his own body

        in a way that is holy and honorable,

4:5  not in passionate lust like the heathen,

        who do not know God;

4:6  and that in this matter

        no one should wrong his brother

        or take advantage of him.

        The Lord will punish men for all such sins,

        as we have already told you and warned you.

4:7  For God did not call us to be impure,

         but to live a holy life.

4:8  Therefore, he who rejects this instruction

         does not reject man but God,

         who gives you his Holy Spirit.

4:9  Now about brotherly love,

        you yourselves have been taught by God

        to love each other.

4:10  In fact, you do love all the brothers throughout Macedonia.

           We urge you to do so more and more.

4:11  Lead a quiet life,

          mind your own business

         and work with your hands,

4:12  so your daily life

          may win the respect of others

         so you will not be dependent on anybody.

4:13  We do not want you to be ignorant

           about those who fall asleep,

           or to grieve like men who have no hope.

4:14  We believe Jesus died and rose again,

           so we believe that God will bring with Jesus

           those who have fallen asleep in him.

4:15  According to the Lord’s own word,

          we tell you

          that those who are still alive,

          who are left till the coming of the Lord,

          will not precede those

           who have fallen asleep.

4:16  For the Lord will come down from heaven,

           with a loud command,

           with the voice of the archangel

           and with the trumpet call of God,

          and the dead in Christ will rise first.

4:17  After that,

           we who are still alive

           will be caught up

           together

          with them in the clouds

         to meet the Lord in the air.

         And we will be with the Lord forever.

4:18  Encourage each other with these words.

This is an encouraging chapter.  It dispels the dread of dying and gives hope.  The admonition to “life quietly, mind your own business, and work with your hands” makes me smile, but there is a lot of truth in it.  Since I’ve retired, I’ve wanted to do just that.  I’m not making a living by piecing/quilting by hand, but I am minding my own business!

It’s not always as easy to love the “brothers,” but I, with God’s help, want to do that more, as I live a holy life for God.

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How to live as a Christian, I Thessalonians 3 Wednesday, Jan 28 2009

3:1  When we thought we could stand it no longer,

        we thought it best to be left by ourselves in Athens.

3:2  We sent Timothy to strengthen and encourage you

         in your faith,

3:3  so no one would be unsettled by these trials.

        You know we were destined for them.

3:4  When we were with you,

         we kept telling you we should be persecuted.

         And it turned out that way.

3:5  When I could stand it no longer,

        I sent to find out about your faith.

        I was afraid the tempter may have tempted you

        and our efforts might have been useless.

3:6  But Timothy has just now come to us from you

        and has brought good news about your faith and love.

       He has told us that you have pleasant memories of us

       and that you long to see us,

       just as we long to see you.

3:7  Therefore, in all our distress and persecution

         we were encouraged about you

         because of your faith.

3:8  Now we really live,

         since you are standing firm in the Lord.

3:9  How can we thank God enough for you

        in return for all the joy

        we have in the presence of our God because of you.

3:10  Night and day we pray more earnestly

           that we may see you again

           and supply what is lacking in your faith.

3:11  May our God and Father himself

           and our Lord Jesus

          clear the way for us to come to you.

3:12  May the Lord make your love increase

           and overflow for each other

           and for everyone else,

           just as ours does for you.

3:13  May he strengthen your hearts

           so you will be blameless and holy

          in the presence of our God and Father

          when our Lord Jesus comes

          with all his holy ones.

I want my faith and love for others to increase and to live a holy life.  I need the wisdom that comes from God through the Spirit.  Daily and in every situation I want to live this way.

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How to live as a Christian, I Thessalonians 2 Tuesday, Jan 27 2009

2:1  You know our visit to you was not a failure.

2:2  We had previously suffered and been insulted in Philippi,

         as you know,

         but with the help of God,

         we dared to tell you his gospel

         in spite of strong opposition.

2:3  the appeal we make

         does not spring from error

         or impure motives,

         nor are we trying to trick you.

2:4  On the contrary,

        we speak as men approved by God

        to be entrusted with the gospel.

        We are not trying to please men but God,

         who tests our hearts.

2:5  You know we never used flattery,

         nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed

        —God is our witness.

2:6  We were not looking for praise from men

        not from you or anyone else.

        As apostles of Christ

        we could have been a burden to you,

2:7  but we were gentle among you,

        like a mother caring for her little children.

2:8  We loved you so much

         that we were delighted to share with you

         not only the gospel of God

         but our lives as well,

         because you had become dear to us.

2:9  Surely you remember

         our toil and hardship;

        we worked night and day

        in order not to be a burden to anyone

       while we preached the gospel of God to you.

2:10  You are witnesses,

           and so is God,

          of how holy, righteous and blameless we were

          among you who believed.

2:11  You know we dealt with each of you

           as a father deals with his own children,

           encouraging,

          comforting

          and urging you to live lives worthy of God,

         who calls you into his kingdom and glory.

2:13  We also thank God continually because,

            when you received the word of God,

            which you heard from us,

             you accepted it

             not as the word of men,

             but as it actually is,

            the word of God,

            which is at work in you who believe.

2:14  You became imitators of God’s churches in Judea,

            which are in Christ Jesus.

            You suffered from your own countrymen the same things

            those churches suffered from the Jews,

2:15  who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets

           and also drove us out.

          They displease God and are hostile to all men

2:16  in their effort to keep us from speaking to the Gentiles

          so that they might be saved.

         In this way they always heap up their sins to the limit.

         The wrath of God has come upon them at last.

2:17  When we were torn away from you for a short time,

           we made every effort to see you.

2:18  We wanted to come to you,

           but Satan stopped us.

2:19  What is our hope,

           our joy,

           or the crown in which we will glory

           in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes?

           Is it not you?

2:20  Indeed you are our glory and joy.

Motive matters.  I want to be obedient to saying and doing the things Jesus would have me say and do and not worry about what “they” think.  Living quietly and humbly before my God as a redeemed child and seeing others through God’s eyes, loving them as God loves me, is what matters.  There are things I don’t know or don’t understand, but although the love of God manifested in Jesus, his Son, and dwelling in us as Spirit is a mystery in the world’s eyes, I put my faith and trust in that mystery.

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How to live as a Christian, I Thessalonians 1 Monday, Jan 26 2009

Movement of Paul, Silas, and Timothy:

Paul (*)                                                 Philippi ^4, #2

Silas (^)                                               *1 Thessalonica ^1, #1, #5

Timothy (#)                                        *2 Berea ^2, #3

                                                                 *3 Athens ^3, #4

                                                                 *4 Corinth ^5, #6

Paul wrote I and II Thessalonians while in Corinth, circa 51 A.D.

I Thessalonians is probably Paul’s earliest letter.

Thessalonica was a seaport, the largest and capitol city of Macedonia.  The church was mostly Gentile but since Paul began his ministry in the Jewish synagogue, there were also some Jews in the membership.

The church was made of recent converts from paganism.  When Paul left after a short stay, they had little external support.

Paul wrote to encourage new converts,

                       to give instruction about godly living,

                       to urge some not to neglect daily work,

                      and to give assurance to believers who die before Christ returns.

The subject of eschatology (doctrine of last things) is predominant.

1:1  Paul, Silas and Timothy,

        to the church of the Thessalonians

       in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

1:2  We always thank God for all of you,

        mentioning you in our prayers.

1:3  We remember before God

        your work produced by faith,

        your labor prompted by love,

        and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

1:4  We know he has chosen you,

1:5  because our gospel came to you with words and power,

        with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction.

        You know how we lived among you.

1:6  You became imitators of us and the Lord;

        in spite of suffering,

       you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.

1:7  You became a model to the believers in Macedonia and Achaia.

1:8  your faith in God has become known everywhere.

        we do not need to say anything about it.

1:9  They tell how you turned to God from idols

        to serve the living and true God,

1:10  and to wait for his Son from heaven,

          whom he raised from the dead

          —Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.

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How to live as a Christian, Colossians 4 Saturday, Jan 24 2009

4:1  Masters,

       provide your slaves with what is right and fair,

       because you know you have a master in heaven.

4:2  Devote yourselves to prayer,

         being watchful and thankful.

4:3  pray for us, too,

        that God may open a door for our message,

        so we may proclaim the mystery of Christ,

        for which I am in chains.

4:4  Pray that I might proclaim it clearly.

4:5  Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders;

        make the most of every opportunity.

4:6  Let your conversation be always full of grace,

        seasoned with salt,

        so you may know how to answer everyone.

4:7  Tychicus will tell you all the news about me.

         He is a dear brother,

         a faithful minister

         and faithful servant in the Lord.

4:8  I am sending him to you

        that you may know about our circumstances

        and that he may encourage your hearts.

4:9  He is coming with Onesimus, [slave to Philemon]

        our faithful and dear brother,

        who is one of you.

        They will tell you everything that is happening here.

4:10  My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you his greetings,

           as does Mark, cousin of Barnabas.

          (You have received instructions about him;

          if he comes, welcome him.)

4:11  Justus sends greetings.

          These are the only Jews among my fellow workers

          for the kingdom of God,

          and they have proved a comfort to me.

4:12  Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus,

           sends greetings.

          He is always in prayer for you

          that you may stand firm in all the will of God,

          mature,

           and fully assured.

4:13  I vouch for him that he is working hard for you

           and for those at Laodicea and Hierapolis.

4:14  Our dear friend, Luke, the doctor,

           and Demas send greetings.  [Demas deserted Paul later.]

4:15  Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea

           and to Nympha and the church at her house.

4:16  After this letter has been read to you,

           see that it is also read in the church of the Laodiceans

           and that you read the letter from Laodicea.

4:17  Tell Archippus:

           See that you complete the work you have received in the Lord.

4:18  I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand.

           Remember my chains.

           Grace be with you.

I’m struck by the realization that these small house churches had only the preaching and the letters to guide them.  And the letters were read then passed on.  Compare this to the Bibles most of us have in our homes.  We have so much, yet we, I, still struggle to remain faithful and consistent.

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How to live as a Christian, Colossians 3 Friday, Jan 23 2009

3:1  Since you have been raised with Christ,

        set your hearts on things above,

        where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.

3:2  Set your minds on things above,

        not on earthly things.

3:3  For you died,

        and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

3:4  When Christ, who is your life, appears,

         then you will also appear with him in glory.

3:5  Put to death whatever belongs to your earthly nature:

        sexual immorality,

        impurity,

        lust,

        evil desires

        and greed,

        which is idolatry.

3:16  Because of these,

          the wrath of God is coming.

3:17  You used to walk in these ways,

           in the life you once lived.

3:8  But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these:

         anger,

        rage,

        malice,

        slander,

        and filthy language from your lips.

3:9  Do not lie to each other,

         since you have taken off your old self, with its practices,

3:10  and have put on the new self,

           which is being renewed

           in knowledge of its Creator.

3:11  Here there is no Greek or Jew,

          circumcised or uncircumcised,

          barbarian,

          Scythian,

          slave or free,

          but Christ is all,

          and is in all.

3:12  Therefore, as God’s chosen people,

           holy and dearly loved,

           clothe yourselves with

           compassion,

           kindness,

          humility,

          gentleness,

         and patience.

3:13  Bear with each other

           and forgive whatever grievances

           you may have against one another.

           Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

3:14  And over all these virtues

          put on love,

         which binds them all together

         in perfect unity.

3:15  Let the peace of Christ

           rule in your hearts,

          since as members of one body

          you were called to peace.

         And be thankful.

3:16  Let the word of Christ

           dwell in you richly

          as you teach and admonish one another

          with all wisdom,

          and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs

          with gratitude in your hearts to God.

3:17  Whatever you do,

           whether in word or deed,

           do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus,

           giving thanks to God the Father through him.

3:18  Wives,

           submit to your husbands,

          as is fitting in the Lord.

3:19  Husbands,

          love your wives

         and do not be harsh with them.

3:20  Children,

            obey your parents in everything,

           for this pleases the Lord.

3:21  Fathers,

          do not embitter your children,

         or they will become discouraged.

3:22  Slaves,

           obey your earthly masters in everything;

          do it with sincerity of heart

         and reverence for the Lord.

3:23  Whatever you do,

           work at it with all your heart,

           as working for the Lord,

          not men,

3:24  since you know you will receive an inheritance from the Lord

           as a reward.

          It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

3:25  Anyone who does wrong

           will be repaid for his wrong,

           and there is no favoritism.

In our country we have abolished slavery; however, does that make the rest of what Paul writes antiquated and only for his time?  I wonder if we could replace master with “boss” in the workplace. Perhaps as long as what we are asked to do does not conflict with what the Bible directs, we should be obedient.  Since I am divorced, it is too late for me to obey what is said about wives; in reading the admonition to husbands, though, it is admirable when I see husbands who love their wives.

For me, today is what matters.  Today I would like to be so filled with Christ’s love that any encounter I have will allow me to see that person as Jesus would have seen them, to view them with a deep, forgiving love, no matter how they look, how they behave, or who they are.  I need to keep in mind that whatever I do or say reflects on my walk with Jesus; if I do hateful, unforgiving things, I bring shame to the name of Christian.

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How to live as a Christian, Colossians 2 Thursday, Jan 22 2009

2:1  I want you to know how much I am struggling for you

        and those at Laodicea,

        and for all who have not met me personally.

2:2  My purpose is that they may be

         encouraged in heart

        and united in love,

        so they may have the full riches of complete understanding,

       in order that they may know the mystery of God,

       namely, Christ,

2:3  in whom are hidden all the treasures of

        wisdom and knowledge.

2:4  I tell you this so no one may deceive you

        by fine sounding arguments.

2:5  though I am absent from you in body,

        I am present with you in spirit

        and delight to see how orderly you are

       and how firm your faith in Christ is.

2:6  So, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord,

        continue to live in him,

2:7  rooted and built up in him,

         strengthened in faith as you were taught,

        and overflowing with thankfulness.

2:8  So that no one takes you captive

         through hollow and deceptive tradition

         and the principles of this world

         rather than on Christ.

2:9  in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form,

2:10  and you have been given fullness in Christ,

          who is the head over every power and authority.

2:11  In him you were also circumcised,

          in the putting off of the sinful nature,

         not with a circumcision done by men

         but with the circumcision done by Christ,

2:12  having been buried with him in baptism

          and raised with him

          through your faith in the power of God,

         who raised him from the dead.

2:13  When you were dead in your sins

           and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature,

          God made you alive with Christ.

          He forgave us all our sins,

2:14  having canceled the written code,

          with its regulations,

          that was against us

          and that stood opposed to us;

          he took it away,

         nailing it to the cross.

2:15  having disarmed the powers and authorities,

          he made a public spectacle of them,

          triumphing over them by the cross.

2:16  Do not let anyone judge you

           by what you eat or drink,

          or with regard to a religious festival,

         a New Moon celebration

         or a Sabbath day.

2:17  These are a shadow of things that were to come;

           the reality is found in Christ.

2:18  Do not let anyone who delights in false humility

          and the worship of angels

          disqualify you for the prize.

          Such a person goes into great detail

          about what he has seen,

          and his unspiritual mind

           puffs him up with idle notions.

2:19  He has lost connection with the Head,

           from whom the whole body

          grows as God causes it to grow.

2:20  Since you died with Christ

           to the basic principles of this world,

          why do you submit to its rules:

          Do not handle!

          Do not taste!

           Do not touch!

2:22  These are all destined to perish with use,

           because they are based on human commands

           and teachings.

2:23  Such regulations have an appearance of wisdom,

           with their self-imposed worship,

           their false humility

           and their harsh treatment of the body,

          but they lack any value in

          restraining sensual indulgences.

It is easy for me to be confused and misled by surrounding philosophies, but how simple is the gospel of Christ.  It is not meant to confound or confuse but to clarify what Jesus’ life, death and resurrection meant to each one who believes and is living a life in him.  I need to keep that simple clarity in my mind and not be drawn away or into arguments about it.

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President Barack Obama Wednesday, Jan 21 2009

Hands of Michelle Obama, holding Lincoln’s Bible, and of Barack Obama, taking the oath of office of the President of the United States.

Supreme Court Justice John Roberts leading, awkwardly phrasing the oath, Barak Obama, Michelle Obama, Malia Obama, Sasha Obama.

Yesterday was a beautiful day for our country.  This man brings hope, intelligence, compassion, clear thinking, a keen mind, energy; he has an enormous task ahead of him.  He and the other leaders will need a lot of prayer, support, and wisdom as they begin to effect change on our era of globalization.

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