Day 14 - 2 Thessalonians 3:11-18

11 Yet we hear that some of you are living idle lives, refusing to work and meddling in other people’s business. 12 We command such people and urge them in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and work to earn their own living. 13 As for the rest of you, dear brothers and sisters, never get tired of doing good.

14 Take note of those who refuse to obey what we say in this letter. Stay away from them so they will be ashamed. 15 Don’t think of them as enemies, but warn them as you would a brother or sister.

16 Now may the Lord of peace himself give you his peace at all times and in every situation. The Lord be with you all.

17 HERE IS MY GREETING IN MY OWN HANDWRITING—PAUL. I DO THIS IN ALL MY LETTERS TO PROVE THEY ARE FROM ME.

18 May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.

Terrie's Comments:

Settle down and work to earn your own living... never get tired of doing good... don't think of those who aren't doing what is right as enemies, but help them get back on track by warning them as you would a brother or sister.  

It is probably best to not think of anyone as our enemies so we continue in Love for everyone.  It is true that there are some that oppose the gospel that we preach, but they are still humans that will spend eternity somewhere. At the very least we should have compassion on them because Jesus died for everyone and his desire is to see lives changed.  Speak the truth in love... if you don't speak the truth then you are hating them because the truth is what sets people free and gives eternal life.  I am sure that Paul, who at one point was an enemy to Christians, would agree that Jesus wants everyone to come to a knowledge of the saving grace of Himself!

Tori's Comments:

"never get tired of doing good" This includes that work we do for the glory of God. I have noticed as my work days have gotten longer, in order to keep up with the heavy load of schoolwork, that there is a peace that comes after a long day's work. And I try to remember God's peace and joy as I begin to feel overwhelmed, as that's definitely something God's been convicting me about of late.


We are finished "Thinking Through Thessalonians"  Tomorrow we begin "Seeing Through the Dim with Tim!"



Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!

Day 13 - 2 Thessalonians 3:1-10

Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we ask you to pray for us. Pray that the Lord’s message will spread rapidly and be honored wherever it goes, just as when it came to you. 2 Pray, too, that we will be rescued from wicked and evil people, for not everyone is a believer. 3 But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one. 4 And we are confident in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we commanded you. 5 May the Lord lead your hearts into a full understanding and expression of the love of God and the patient endurance that comes from Christ.

6 And now, dear brothers and sisters, we give you this command in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ: Stay away from all believers who live idle lives and don’t follow the tradition they received from us. 7 For you know that you ought to imitate us. We were not idle when we were with you. 8 We never accepted food from anyone without paying for it. We worked hard day and night so we would not be a burden to any of you. 9 We certainly had the right to ask you to feed us, but we wanted to give you an example to follow. 10 Even while we were with you, we gave you this command: “Those unwilling to work will not get to eat.”

Tori's Comments:

Verse 5 is a beautiful hope to have for others...and myself. To fully understand God's love is something I'm not completely sure is possible. I forget so easily, and I myself put limits on how much I think He could love me, and I do this without realizing just how wrong it is, just how evil it is to do it. 

"idle lives" I think we should be constantly thinking that if Jesus came back at that moment, is our current situation what we would want God to find us in?

Terrie's Comments:

" Pray that the Lord’s message will spread rapidly and be honored wherever it goes, just as when it came to you.  Pray, too, that we will be rescued from wicked and evil people, for not everyone is a believer."

Paul addresses something that is very real ... his desire is that the Lord's message will spread rapidly and be honored but at the same time he knows that not everyone believes.  Our God is able to give us favor with man and rescue us from wicked and evil people who want to destroy the message of Jesus Christ.  Are we bold enough in our prayers to pray both... that the message will be honored and that we will be rescued from evil, knowing that not everyone will believe.

5 May the Lord lead your hearts into a full understanding and expression of the love of God and the patient endurance that comes from Christ.

Once our hearts have a full understanding of the love of God... and are overflowing in expressing the love of God, and we experience the patient endurance that comes from Christ... we will be able to serve others and spread the gospel message without hesitation because it will flow out of a place of perfect love that comes from God alone.

Finally he ends this passage by talking about not being idle.  Christians are called to be people of action.  We are to be doers of the word not hearers only.  Our actions show what we really believe.  Just as our words are an out pouring of what is in our hearts already.  You can study the Bible your whole life but if you never do what it says you will never see fruit and if you don't have any fruit then I would question if you really did believe what you had been studying.  We are not saved through our words and actions but our words and actions will be transformed as we renew our minds in God's word.  


Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!

Day 12 - 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17

13 As for us, we can’t help but thank God for you, dear brothers and sisters loved by the Lord. We are always thankful that God chose you to be among the first to experience salvation—a salvation that came through the Spirit who makes you holy and through your belief in the truth. 14 He called you to salvation when we told you the Good News; now you can share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

15 With all these things in mind, dear brothers and sisters, stand firm and keep a strong grip on the teaching we passed on to you both in person and by letter.

16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope, 17 comfort you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say.

Tori's Comments:

Cling to the truth and stay strong. Even when the devil is throwing everything he has at you. Cling to what you know is true. Cling to God's promises.

Terrie's Comments:

I would love to have been there to hear what they had passed on in person.  I am hoping that there is an instant re-play button when we get to heaven so that we can go back and see what actually unfolded and the messages that were preached.  

In this passage we can glean more ways to pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ.

"I thank can't help but thank God for all all you who are loved by God and chose to experience salvation through the Holy Spirit, who makes you all holy through your belief in the truth."

"I pray that my dear brothers and sisters will stand firm and keep a strong grip on what they have learned through the Holy Spirit and the servants of Jesus Christ who are preaching to them"

"May the Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope, comfort them and strengthen them in every good thing they do and say."  

AMEN

Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!

Day 11 - 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12

1 Now, dear brothers and sisters, let us clarify some things about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we will be gathered to meet him. 2 Don’t be so easily shaken or alarmed by those who say that the day of the Lord has already begun. Don’t believe them, even if they claim to have had a spiritual vision, a revelation, or a letter supposedly from us. 3 Don’t be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed—the one who brings destruction. 4 He will exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God.

5 Don’t you remember that I told you about all this when I was with you? 6 And you know what is holding him back, for he can be revealed only when his time comes. 7 For this lawlessness is already at work secretly, and it will remain secret until the one who is holding it back steps out of the way. 8 Then the man of lawlessness will be revealed, but the Lord Jesus will slay him with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by the splendor of his coming.

9 This man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles. 10 He will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on their way to destruction, because they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them. 11 So God will cause them to be greatly deceived, and they will believe these lies. 12 Then they will be condemned for enjoying evil rather than believing the truth.

Terrie's Comments:

This seems like a dooms day message.  Dig a little and you will find hope however.  Just as the world was created by the words that proceeded from the mouth of God the end will come and evil will be destroyed the same way.  With the breath of his mouth and the splendor of the coming of Jesus Christ.  

In order for someone to refuse to love and accept truth it must first be presented to them.  I always want to ere on the side of God and the truth rather than defending the world and it's logic no matter how much "sense" it makes to everyone around me.  

I am glad that I am an ambassador for Jesus Christ and choose to believe the truth.  May God in his mercy and grace keep me from "enjoying evil" rather than believing the truth He gives us.

Tori's Comments:

I think, with "the end is nigh" constantly making an appearance on my Facebook feed currently, that we should remember first and foremost that we are citizens of heaven. That we need not worry, that if we are faithful and do not fall asleep while we're supposed to be on guard, that we will be under that eternal blessing.



Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!

Day 10 - 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12

This letter is from Paul, Silas, and Timothy.

We are writing to the church in Thessalonica, to you who belong to God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

2 May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

3 Dear brothers and sisters, we can’t help but thank God for you, because your faith is flourishing and your love for one another is growing. 4 We proudly tell God’s other churches about your endurance and faithfulness in all the persecutions and hardships you are suffering. 5 And God will use this persecution to show his justice and to make you worthy of his Kingdom, for which you are suffering. 6 In his justice he will pay back those who persecute you.

7 And God will provide rest for you who are being persecuted and also for us when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven. He will come with his mighty angels, 8 in flaming fire, bringing judgment on those who don’t know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will be punished with eternal destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from his glorious power. 10 When he comes on that day, he will receive glory from his holy people—praise from all who believe. And this includes you, for you believed what we told you about him.

11 So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do. 12 Then the name of our Lord Jesus will be honored because of the way you live, and you will be honored along with him. This is all made possible because of the grace of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ.


Tori's Comments:

The same church, the same strengths.

He repeats about what will happen when Jesus returns, interesting.

The way we live should honor God. In everything I do today, I need to think to myself, 'does this honor God?". And if not, should I be doing it?


If this is a view of such a successfully growing church, do I see the same themes in my own life? The same growths happening exponentially?

"your faith is flourishing" Is my faith at a standstill or growing? I often use my lack of faith YET as an excuse to why I don't trust God in certain areas of my life, but how will my faith grow if I never take a step out onto the water? Peter's faith definitely must've grown by walking on the water, but he didn't do that because he was finally ready, but because he was so focused on who Jesus was and wanted to believe so much he went for it.


"your love for one another is growing" This almost seems like a challenge. I think we get to a point where we draw our boundaries, saying we will love others this much, but any farther would be too much of a sacrifice. But Jesus loved us so much He sacrificed His life, and we're supposed to follow His lead. Take this as a dare. Always try to love harder, love more, with each day. If this were are goal, to love more today than we did yesterday, how different would the reputation of the church be?

Terrie's Comments:

"May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do"  

When God gives us the power to accomplish his will in our lives then Jesus Christ is honored even more by our lives.  When we live lives of faith and honor to God then in turn it bring honor back to God.  It is all made possible through God's Grace... God's unmerited favor towards us because of what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross.  

When we decide to honor God with our lives he empowers us to do that through His Holy Spirit that lives within us as believers.  



Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!

Day 8 - 1 Thessalonians 5: 12-22

12 Dear brothers and sisters, honor those who are your leaders in the Lord’s work. They work hard among you and give you spiritual guidance. 13 Show them great respect and wholehearted love because of their work. And live peacefully with each other.

14 Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone.

15 See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people.

16 Always be joyful. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

19 Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. 20 Do not scoff at prophecies, 21 but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. 22 Stay away from every kind of evil.

Tori's Comments:

"live peacefully with each other" This is something we see several times in the New Testament and yet rarely seem to put to action. Yes, I realize my opinion is important, but not more important than God's church. To be divisive in the church because of a trifling disagreement is a bigger deal than we seem to make it. We need to be humble, not in the sense of having low self-esteem, but in the sense of ONLY ever thinking of others, rarely spending a thought for ourselves and our opinions. 

Terrie's Comments:
As usual Paul packs a lot of good stuff into just a few lines.  Where do I begin to unpack the wisdom in this passage?

Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!

Day 7 - 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

Now concerning how and when all this will happen, dear brothers and sisters, we don’t really need to write you. 2 For you know quite well that the day of the Lord’s return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night. 3 When people are saying, “Everything is peaceful and secure,” then disaster will fall on them as suddenly as a pregnant woman’s labor pains begin. And there will be no escape.

4 But you aren’t in the dark about these things, dear brothers and sisters, and you won’t be surprised when the day of the Lord comes like a thief. 5 For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night. 6 So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be clearheaded. 7 Night is the time when people sleep and drinkers get drunk. 8 But let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation.

9 For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on us. 10 Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when he returns, we can live with him forever. 11 So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.


Terrie's Comments:
It will be at an unexpected time when Jesus returns... but we don't need to be alarmed by it.  We walk in the light.  We can choose to be protected by the armor of faith and love, wearing as a helmet the confidence of our salvation.  

Since God chose to save us through Jesus Christ, who we have made our Lord we will live with Him forever.  God chose not to pour out his anger on us for breaking his law but instead chose to give us grace (unmerited favour) through His son Jesus Christ!

Are we building each other up in this confidence?  When we are together with our brothers and sisters are we speaking faith or speaking like children who still belong to the things of this world?

Tori's Comments:

"come unexpectedly"

When washing the dishes, are you ready?

When eating supper, are you ready?

Getting cut off in traffic, are you ready?

Losing a friend, are you ready?

Doing that secret sin, are you ready?

Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!

Day 5 - 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12

Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you in the name of the Lord Jesus to live in a way that pleases God, as we have taught you. You live this way already, and we encourage you to do so even more. 2 For you remember what we taught you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.

3 God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin. 4 Then each of you will control his own body and live in holiness and honor— 5 not in lustful passion like the pagans who do not know God and his ways. 6 Never harm or cheat a fellow believer in this matter by violating his wife, for the Lord avenges all such sins, as we have solemnly warned you before. 7 God has called us to live holy lives, not impure lives. 8 Therefore, anyone who refuses to live by these rules is not disobeying human teaching but is rejecting God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.

9 But we don’t need to write to you about the importance of loving each other, for God himself has taught you to love one another. 10 Indeed, you already show your love for all the believers throughout Macedonia. Even so, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you to love them even more.

11 Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before. 12 Then people who are not believers will respect the way you live, and you will not need to depend on others.

Terrie's Comments:

Living by God's Holy Spirit, which He has given to us and not by our own flesh anymore.... that can be a challenge in a world where we are surrounded by ultra sexual messages.  God does not just tell us to remain holy and stay away from sexual lust but he gave us his Holy Spirit so that it would become possible for us to live in a way that pleases Him.

God Himself still teaches His people to love one another through the Holy Spirit who is within each one of us.  

I LOVE verse 11 - "make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands"  This means that for those of us who aren't on "the front lines" of mission work or doing something "big" for God ... we are still doing God's will and that is what matters to God.  God saved us through His son Jesus Christ so we could have a relationship with Him.  This is His desire... to be in an intimate relationship with you... just the way He made you!  He made you to be unique and no one else can have the same relationship with the Lord that you can.  No one can replace you in God's family.  You were created to be one of a kind and no matter who you are God wants relationship with you.   Then he wants to use you to help reconcile others back into a relationship with Him too.  That is amazing!

Tori's Comments:

Live for God. Not for man.
Something God has been prompting in me this year is monitoring what I put into my body, a resolution He's already been bringing difficult circumstances to strengthen. I've been able to definitely see the difference in my life that it makes, in how I act, speak, and even think. And all the while, I need to remember my goal isn't to reject everything worldly but to grow close to God instead. 

Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!

Day 4 - 1 Thessalonians 3: 1-13

Finally, when we could stand it no longer, we decided to stay alone in Athens, 2 and we sent Timothy to visit you. He is our brother and God’s co-worker in proclaiming the Good News of Christ. We sent him to strengthen you, to encourage you in your faith, 3 and to keep you from being shaken by the troubles you were going through. But you know that we are destined for such troubles. 4 Even while we were with you, we warned you that troubles would soon come—and they did, as you well know. 5 That is why, when I could bear it no longer, I sent Timothy to find out whether your faith was still strong. I was afraid that the tempter had gotten the best of you and that our work had been useless.

6 But now Timothy has just returned, bringing us good news about your faith and love. He reports that you always remember our visit with joy and that you want to see us as much as we want to see you. 7 So we have been greatly encouraged in the midst of our troubles and suffering, dear brothers and sisters, because you have remained strong in your faith. 8 It gives us new life to know that you are standing firm in the Lord.

9 How we thank God for you! Because of you we have great joy as we enter God’s presence. 10 Night and day we pray earnestly for you, asking God to let us see you again to fill the gaps in your faith.

11 May God our Father and our Lord Jesus bring us to you very soon. 12 And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows. 13 May he, as a result, make your hearts strong, blameless, and holy as you stand before God our Father when our Lord Jesus comes again with all his holy people. Amen.

Tori's Comments:

"we are destined for such troubles"

Verse 10:
-"Night and day" I can't say I've ever prayed so intensely.
-"asking God to let us see you again" Just noting the substance of their prayers.
-"to fill the gaps in your faith." These people didn't even know all the answers, and yet stood firm and were praised for it!


Terrie's Comments:

verses 2-5 seems to me could be one of those passages that could be read quickly and taken way out of context... context is key.  "shaken by troubles" "we are destined for such troubles" "we warned you that troubles would soon come - and they did" 

These statements could easily be explained as any and all kinds of troubles.  If you are not careful you will miss the explanation about these troubles and how to avoid them (yes avoid them).  Paul writes "I sent Timothy to find out whether your faith was still strong.  I was afraid that the tempter had gotten the best of you..."  Did you catch it??  the troubles that are talked about in this passage are temptations from the tempter (our enemy the devil).  So how do we avoid these troubles?  Remain in the word... Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God... stay strong in the Faith!  In Romans 8:1 it says we are to walk according to the Spirit and not walking in the flesh anymore.  

"There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit."

Paul was concerned that the Thessalonians would remain strong in the faith.  When Timothy returned there was rejoicing!  It is encouraging to see the fruit of your labor in any job.  It is also affirming to hear that someone that you invested in appreciates it and is looking forward to seeing you again.  There are many positive and encouraging reports here:
"bringing us good news about your faith and love.", "you always remember our visit with joy "you want to see us as much as we want to see you." 

As a result Paul and Timothy benefited as well:
 "we have been greatly encouraged in the midst of our troubles and suffering", "because you have remained strong in your faith." "It gives us new life to know that you are standing firm in the Lord."

As a result of being encouraged by the response of the Thessalonians it is turned into praise to God and continued prayer for the Thessalonian believers:

"How we thank God for you! Because of you we have great joy as we enter God’s presence.  Night and day we pray earnestly for you, asking God to let us see you again to fill the gaps in your faith.
 May God our Father and our Lord Jesus bring us to you very soon. And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows. 13 May he, as a result, make your hearts strong, blameless, and holy as you stand before God our Father when our Lord Jesus comes again with all his holy people. Amen."

What would happen if we would encourage those who encourage us and pray for those who we are called to mentor using Paul's example??  The church would be filled with happy, content, faith filled, encouraged, joy filled believers.  It would be a place that those who aren't believers yet would be attracted to :-)  One of my current goals is to pay closer attention to how people prayed in the Bible and pray scripture more often.  


Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!

Day 3 - 1 Thessalonians 2:13-20

13 Therefore, we never stop thanking God that when you received his message from us, you didn’t think of our words as mere human ideas. You accepted what we said as the very word of God—which, of course, it is. And this word continues to work in you who believe.

14 And then, dear brothers and sisters, you suffered persecution from your own countrymen. In this way, you imitated the believers in God’s churches in Judea who, because of their belief in Christ Jesus, suffered from their own people, the Jews. 15 For some of the Jews killed the prophets, and some even killed the Lord Jesus. Now they have persecuted us, too. They fail to please God and work against all humanity 16 as they try to keep us from preaching the Good News of salvation to the Gentiles. By doing this, they continue to pile up their sins. But the anger of God has caught up with them at last.

17 Dear brothers and sisters, after we were separated from you for a little while (though our hearts never left you), we tried very hard to come back because of our intense longing to see you again. 18 We wanted very much to come to you, and I, Paul, tried again and again, but Satan prevented us. 19 After all, what gives us hope and joy, and what will be our proud reward and crown as we stand before our Lord Jesus when he returns? It is you! 20 Yes, you are our pride and joy.

Terrie's Comments:

I can relate to Paul when he is talking about being thankful that the Thessalonians accepted his message as if it was direct from God and not just mere human ideas.  I am thankful when I am given a word for someone from the Holy Spirit and it ministers to them.  Because it is from God that word is able to live on and continue to work in those who believe that it is from God.  I am humbled and so thankful that God chooses to use human vessels in this way.

Ok I am going to go personal here and a little sentimental!  I do have an intense longing to see Tori again!   Tori gives me hope and joy each time I see her.  It is an honor to work with Tori and to mentor her!  She my passionate sister in Jesus Christ and I can't wait to see her again soon :-) 

Tori's Comments:

How do the Thessalonians have such a prized spot in Paul's heart? Interesting.

Suffering in this world is temporary. Praising God is eternal.

Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!

Day 2 - 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12

You yourselves know, dear brothers and sisters, that our visit to you was not a failure. 2 You know how badly we had been treated at Philippi just before we came to you and how much we suffered there. Yet our God gave us the courage to declare his Good News to you boldly, in spite of great opposition. 3 So you can see we were not preaching with any deceit or impure motives or trickery.

4 For we speak as messengers approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News. Our purpose is to please God, not people. He alone examines the motives of our hearts. 5 Never once did we try to win you with flattery, as you well know. And God is our witness that we were not pretending to be your friends just to get your money! 6 As for human praise, we have never sought it from you or anyone else.

7 As apostles of Christ we certainly had a right to make some demands of you, but instead we were like children among you. Or we were like a mother feeding and caring for her own children. 8 We loved you so much that we shared with you not only God’s Good News but our own lives, too.

9 Don’t you remember, dear brothers and sisters, how hard we worked among you? Night and day we toiled to earn a living so that we would not be a burden to any of you as we preached God’s Good News to you. 10 You yourselves are our witnesses—and so is God—that we were devout and honest and faultless toward all of you believers. 11 And you know that we treated each of you as a father treats his own children. 12 We pleaded with you, encouraged you, and urged you to live your lives in a way that God would consider worthy. For he called you to share in his Kingdom and glory.

Tori's Comments:

"God gave us the courage" I need to trust He will provide for my needs.

"Our purpose is to please God and not people." This is so easy to forget.  Human praise? Who needs it? My Father, the creator of stars and fireflies, loves me. Me. That's enough.

We're supposed to share both the Good News AND our lives. I think sometimes this gets wonky. Just going to Sunday service isn't sharing your life. Celebrating our victory, encouraging each other in Christ, selflessly listening to each other.... that's sharing our life. It's not mine anymore, anyways. My life belongs to Christ now.

Terrie's Comments:

"God gave us courage"  I am noticing over and over again how much God provides for us.  We can have courage an boldness in the face of opposition while telling people about Jesus because God gives us courage to do so.

"Our purpose is to please God not people"  I LOVE this... that we know what our purpose is and it is not impossible because of what Jesus did it is almost impossible not to please God when we place our faith in Jesus Christ as our savior and Lord.  

When you love people you share the good news of Jesus Christ with them as well as your own lives with them.

When we are mentoring we plead, encourage and urge people to live their lives the way God would consider worthy.  Because God has called us to share in his Kingdom and His glory!

This is one day when I am glad that I discipline myself to write my comments on the passage before reading Tori's comments.  We both picked out the same parts of the passage to comment on... That is awesome :-) 





Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!

Thinking through Thessalonians! - Day 1 - 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

This letter is from Paul, Silas, and Timothy.

We are writing to the church in Thessalonica, to you who belong to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

May God give you grace and peace.

2 We always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly. 3 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.

4 We know, dear brothers and sisters, that God loves you and has chosen you to be his own people. 5 For when we brought you the Good News, it was not only with words but also with power, for the Holy Spirit gave you full assurance that what we said was true. And you know of our concern for you from the way we lived when we were with you. 6 So you received the message with joy from the Holy Spirit in spite of the severe suffering it brought you. In this way, you imitated both us and the Lord. 7 As a result, you have become an example to all the believers in Greece—throughout both Macedonia and Achaia.

8 And now the word of the Lord is ringing out from you to people everywhere, even beyond Macedonia and Achaia, for wherever we go we find people telling us about your faith in God. We don’t need to tell them about it, 9 for they keep talking about the wonderful welcome you gave us and how you turned away from idols to serve the living and true God. 10 And they speak of how you are looking forward to the coming of God’s Son from heaven—Jesus, whom God raised from the dead. He is the one who has rescued us from the terrors of the coming judgment.

Terrie's Comments:

After the Thessalonians heard the good news they took action.  They turned away from idols in their lives... they didn't just cut back or spend more time with God than with their idols, they turned away from them.  They realized that serving the one true God meant serving Him only.  They were living in the Hope of Jesus Christ coming back and to their heavenly home.  

They also couldn't stop talking about this hope.  They were excited about the good news of Jesus Christ who saved them from the "terrors" of the coming judgement.  They talked so much about it that Paul didn't have to say anything because people were telling him about the Thessalonians and the good news before Paul could open his mouth.  These people were changed... inside and outside... They were looking forward to the second coming of Jesus Christ and everyone around them knew it!

So what does my faith look like?  Am I so excited about the second coming of Christ and everything he has done for me that those around me hear about it?  Do people even notice that I am a follower of Jesus Christ?  Do I display that hope in my life?

This past Sunday in my Sunday school class I brought a box of chocolates to class.  We were talking about God caring about what you are like on the inside (your thoughts, feelings etc) just as much as what you are like on the outside (your actions).  A chocolate needs to taste good on the inside and the outside to be delicious.  If a chocolate doesn't taste good on the inside then it isn't enjoyable to eat... if a chocolate doesn't taste good on the outside then it isn't enjoyable to eat.  For a chocolate to be delicious and truly enjoyed it needs to be good on the inside and the outside.  God cares that our insides are transformed so our outsides are an overflow of what is going on in our hearts and minds.  God wants to refine us on the inside so we are delicious and attractive to the world around us inside and out.




Tori's Comments:

"We always thank God for you and pray for you constantly." Do I pray like this? 

"ringing out from you to people everywhere" The word of God is infectious. It should be spreading. Do I notice that in my own life? 

Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!