1 Thessalonians 5:14-15

Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.

Personal Challenge

Jesus and His apostles knew that there would be challenges within the church. These challenges would come from both without and within the body. Paul exhorts the Christians in Thessalonica, as well as us today, to take care of the body of Christ, the church. We are to warn those who are unruly and trying to disrupt the church. We are to comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, and be patient with all. We do not put up with any one rendering evil to another and focus on pursuing what is good for our brothers and sisters. This can be a challenge in the church of today, which may be as divided as the world around them. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy./

1 Thessalonians 4:13-14

But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.

Personal Challenge

Throughout the history of mankind we have perverted the understanding of life and death in so many ways. There is no such place as purgatory. There is no such thing as us being divided into two different natures, one spiritual and one physical, where the spiritual floats around after death looking aimlessly for a place to rest. The hope that we have in our Lord Jesus Christ and the work that He did to destroy death is the only hope that we should hold on to and proclaim. There is no sorrow in this hope. We are one nature, the human nature that God created us to be. We have a body, soul, and spirit. We have the breath of life from God within us. And when we die, we fall asleep in our Lord. We leave our bodies behind until that day that Jesus returns and we are with Him in spirit. This is why He proclaimed to the thief on the cross beside Him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” Glory be to God!

1 Thessalonians 3:12-13

And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.

Encouraging Words

Paul’s prayer for us is that the Lord might make our love for each other abound in our lives. He desires this for us because he knows that through this love applied toward others, our hearts might be blameless before our God. Glory be to God!

1 Thessalonians 2:3-4

For our exhortation did not come from error or uncleanness, nor was it in deceit.

But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts.

Personal Challenge

I have run into so many people who claim to be followers of Christ who have very questionable exhortations about Christianity and their faith practice. Some are zealots for what they believe and have no problem biting those who disagree as a viper bites its prey. We must remember that only God knows the true nature of everyone’s heart and will judge accordingly in that day of final judgment. We must all, at least those of us who claim to be followers of Christ, watch our hearts and make sure that they remain filled with Jesus and His love, mercy, and grace. If we are truly His followers then our lives will be different than the rest of the world. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Colossians 4:2

Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving;

Personal Challenge

It is so easy to get caught up in the busyness of life and let payer time slip out of our daily practice. Payer is our pipeline to God, which supplies us the fuel that we need to glorify Him. We need to keep that pipeline open and flowing through earnestness, vigilance, and a spirit of Thanksgiving. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Colossians 3:23-24

And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.

Personal Challenge

Living the life of a Christian, a follower of Christ, does not give us the permission to be lazy and negligent. We are called to do everything that we do heartily and is if it is something that the Lord specifically asked us to do for Him. This means everything. We serve, and represent our Lord so we must serve in a way that glorifies Him and not ourselves or others. Glory be to God!

Colossians 3:12-17

Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Personal Challenge

All have been called by God to believe in His Son and to receive Jesus as their Lord, but not all have responded to that call. Those who have are His elect, His holy and beloved children. And with that response comes a responsibility to live His way. What is that way? Putting on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, and longsuffering with those that God brings into our lives. We are to bear with one another, forgiving them, letting go of our complaints against each other in that forgiveness. In all that we do, we are to put on love. We are to live our lives with the peace of God ruling our hearts being thankful. We have the word of Christ dwelling in us, giving us His riches. In His wisdom, not ours, we are to be teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with grace in our hearts. And finally, whatever we do in word or deed, we are doing it in the name of our Lord, giving thanks to God the Father through Christ. If this is not happening in our lives, then maybe it is time to do a heart check to see if we really did respond to His call or have we been just playing at being His follower. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Deuteronomy 31:23

Then Moses commanded Joshua the son of Nun and said, “Be valiant and strong; for you shall bring the sons of Israel into the land the Lord swore to them; and He shall be with you.”

The early church fathers taught that Joshua, the son of Nun, was a foreshadow of Jesus, the Son of God. Joshua was chosen by God to lead His people out of the desert of Sinai into the promised land. Jesus was chosen by God to lead His people, the followers of Jesus, into the eternal promised land, heaven. This promised land is here and now and those of us who follow Jesus, the Messiah, can experience it as heaven on earth. Jesus was valiant and strong as He fought the evils that had infiltrated the chosen people and were bolstered by the pharisees and zealots. Jesus stood up to the enemy of God and broke down the gates of his Kingdom of hell to set us of free from death and the bondage of sin. Glory be to God!