May 22, 2021 IN THE MEANTIME
1 Thessalonians 5:14-24 “And we urge you brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the faint hearted, help the weak, be patient with all men. See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all men. Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise prophetic utterances. But examine everything carefully, hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil. Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.” 1 Thessalonians chapters 4 and 5 is about the return of Jesus and how we as believers are to found living when He appears. Knowing, and remembering that He is coming again at any time should serve as a motivator to live in a way that is pleasing to Him. When we see Him appearing, as believers we will have one of two responses; if we are looking for His coming and we are living our lives as unto Him, we will be filled with indescribable joy and will welcome His long awaited return; however, if we are living in ways that are not pleasing in His sight, we will find ourselves embarrassed and regret that we were living contrary to His ways. In the verses above, Paul is giving ‘marching orders’ on practical ways to be ready for His return. We are to be about admonishing and encouraging, helping the weak, being patient, seeking after that which is good, rejoicing, praying, being thankful, not quenching the Spirit, and abstaining from what is evil. Is this not the life we want to live as believers? The good news is that we can live this life-do not believe the lie that says we cannot. Throughout the New Testament we find life-giving instructions from our loving Father on how to live our life-and His instructions are not burdensome. It is imperative that we keep the focus of our heart and mind on Him, and out of our love for Him, obey what He says, knowing that His ways lead to life without regret. It should be a red flag for us if we find that we resist His word or that we have no lasting desire to learn of Him through His word. Let us not make the mistake of thinking that we know His word and that there is not much more to learn; His word is living and powerful and we can spend our lifetime learning new truths and gaining better understanding of what we do know. Most importantly, whether or not we are “without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,” is up to us. Let us go about our daily lives and do the things we must do with a deep, abiding awareness that He is coming back for His sons and daughters-any day now.
Titus 2:12 “Instructing us, to the intent that, denying ungodliness and worldly lust, we should live soberly and righteously and godly in this present world; looking for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ.”
1 John 2:28 “And now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears we may have confidence and not shrink from Him in shame at His coming.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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