2nd Week I Thessalonians

Monday:  I Thessalonians, Chapter One

I Thessalonians 1

Verse 7

Bart Strayer

Verse 7: And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia.

THOUGHT

I must admit, I was having writer’s block on this first chapter of Thessalonians. I got some help from Mindy on this one.

We had been talking about lifestyles lately. For example, if you could afford it should a lavish lifestyle be sought after?  For example, what house is too big?  What car is too nice?  Etc?  We both had interesting things to say about the topic.  Mindy’s comments had everything to do with Verse 7.  Live an average life even if you have much.  The objective is to become a benchmark of fiduciary duty to the church by living an average life even if you have much.  Not only will the church be a benefactor, but your brother and sisters’ lusts after your materialism will be at a minimum because you will have an average lifestyle. I thought that was a good point to make. My concern was mainly with children. If you raise kids with much, most likely their 20’s will be a wicked wake-up call unless you establish a trust fund.

Anyway, I just found this verse a good point to ponder as of late and so I thought I would share.

PRAYER

Lord, help us to model Christians in every avenue of life. Guide our hearts and minds to the places we would be the most use to You. Bring us back when we stray from Your will. AMEN

Tuesday:  I Thessalonians, Chapter 2

I Thessalonians 2

Verse 4

Bart Strayer

Verse 4:  We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts.

THOUGHT

Have you ever felt compelled to give advice to someone but instead of sharing your whole heart, you dumb down the truth to make it seem less offensive?  Then, later on you realize that God had orchestrated the entire thing, and your ‘dumbing down’ of the truth was a disservice to God’s work.

I can’t say that I am compelled to share thoughts like this often, but when I do, I seem to mess up my words because of my perception of what the other person might find more interesting.  Saints, we need to be pure vessels.  And the best way to do this is to be in the Word and prayer everyday so that we may be more in tune to what God wants to do with us.

As we can see in this chapter, the few believers in Thessalonica were not concerned with image, but more concerned about being vessels of God’s truths.

PRAYER

Lord, help us be vessels for Your Word.  Help give us the courage we need to not waiver from the truths You give us in Your Word.  Give us a sensitivity to others' needs to hear Your Word. Give us the words to say that you want said. In Jesus Name.  AMEN

Wednesday, I Thessalonians, Chapter 3

I Thessalonians 3 

Verse 7

Bart Strayer

Verse 7: “Therefore, brothers, in all our distress and persecution we were encouraged about you because of your faith.”

THOUGHT

When I read this verse, I immediately thought of the power of a person’s testimony. A person’s experience with God can be a very powerful encouragement when shared with the body of Christ. I guess it is one of those benefits to coming together as a Christian family. One person’s experiences with the living God can be another’s awakening to His power. 

I like the way this verse talks of encouragement in such a manner. We need more of this in the body of Christ. Sometimes I experience times of spiritual dryness. Like this verse, the reminder of faith in the body of Christ can help refuel your spiritual life.

PRAYER

Lord, we thank You for Your provision in our lives. Be with all those who suffer from disease or injury.  Offer comfort and peace during this season. Guide our words and our walk. In Jesus Name. AMEN

Thursday, I Thessalonians, Chapter 4

I Thessalonians 4

Verse 11

Mindy Strayer

Verse 11:  Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands.

THOUGHT

This chapter has lots of good stuff in it. This passage of scripture stuck out for me. The first part of chapter four is instructions on living to please God. Are we living our lives in such a way that strive to have God’s plans and purposes carried out through us, or do we live to have our plans and purposes carried out? 

We get from scripture that it is pleasing to God for us to live a quiet life, not inactive, but quiet, simple, not extravagant life styles.  Loud-mouths, people who always have to have themselves in the center of everything, people who talk too much and listen too little, people who have to have the best of everything, people who seem to live to tell you how to do this or that, people who have to be right all the time, complainers, gossipers, people who are lazy and don’t want to work are the opposite of those that please God.

A LOUD LIFE is not what God has called us to live. We as Christians are to be the example of Christ on earth. The LOUD LIFE gets noticed first by the world, but nothing more than envy, annoyance or disrespect come from it. If people try and live like that, they eventually spiral down.

The quiet life will get noticed and respected when the Holy Spirit begins to move in peoples’ lives and causes them to see TRUTH. What come from the quiet life are peace, joy, and thanksgiving in our hearts.

PRAYER

Thank You, Lord, for Your perfect instruction on how we can live to please You. Help us all to be committed to be in Your Word daily more and more, to meditate on it and to pray continually. Help us each to recognize the areas in our lives that right now are too LOUD and need to be quieted.  Reveal to us areas in our lives where perhaps our hands are idle and need to get to work. We trust You God to make us into who You want us to be.  We love You. AMEN

Friday, I Thessalonians, Chapter 5

I Thessalonians 5

Verse 19

Mindy Strayer

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

THOUGHT

This verse also has stuck with me. I tend to be the type of person who gets really encouraged and pumped up inside about God and just wanting to go full force for Him after an awesome experience in the presence of God during worship time at church, or at a prayer meeting, or after listening to a sermon that really spoke to my heart, only to then go home and back to my daily living routine and find that the Spirit’s fire, which was blazing during worship, is now nothing more than a small flame even a couple hours after. 

We have all gone through periods where we are just so on fire for God. We are so excited about God and what He is doing, so excited about how he is going to use us to help further the Kingdom of God. And then after a while without really understanding when it happened, our thoughts are far from the Lord. The fire is gone. What put it out? How do you put out a fire? You stop the fuel source or you pour water or dirt over it right? 

Same thing is with the Holy Spirit’s fire. If we stop the fuel, which I believe is the Word of God and prayer with God, the fire will go out. If we pour things over our life like bad attitudes, gossiping, laziness, greed, lusting, and allow earthy matters to flood our minds, the Spirit’s fire will burn out. 

For me, guarding my mind from letting it wander too deep and too long into earthly matters is a key. We need to learn to linger longer with the Lord. We can ask God to help us to focus more on Him.  He will be faithful!  I will close with the lyrics to a song that we sing in church on occasion.

PRAYER

“Holy Spirit, rain down. Rain down. Let Your power fall. Let Your voice be heard. Come and change our hearts as we stand on Your Word. Holy Spirit, rain down."  May the peace, comfort and love of the Lord be with those who are hurting right now.   AMEN