Paul writes the Thessalonian church. He tells them to continue to encourage one another, recognize and highly esteem those who labor among them and are over them in the Lord. He tells them to correct and strongly redirect those who are unruly, to comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, and be patient with all. He tells them to never render evil for evil but pursue good for themselves and all involved. (Reference 1 Thessalonians 5:11-15)
He then makes a checklist to follow... and if one isn't careful in their reading and mediating on such words - they won't be encouraged in such principles but only see it as a to do list or another chore and not a gift. I have a feeling this is the reason many get tired, give up, and compromise in the faith of Jesus Christ.
Always be joyful/ rejoice always.
"And Nehemiah continued, "God and celebrate with a feast of choice foods and sweet drinks, and share the gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don't be dejected and sad, for the joy of the LORD is your strength!" Nehemiah 8:10
How does anyone stay joyful and rejoice always? I asked the Lord. He replied, "Who is your GOD?!!!" How big is your God? Is he not the God who makes the impossible possible? Is he not the God who created you and knows you and cares for you? Is there not any encouragement of being one of God's children? What is your is your hope in God? Who is your GOD! Is He not powerful, capable, is he a God to be respected and highly regarded? Is he a God to be be positioned above all other things such as worries, anxieties, fears, circumstances and personalities? Is he the God who created the universe? Does he not give us the ability to come before him to receive forgiveness, goodness and godliness? Is he not the one who has the power to transform our hearts and minds. Is he not the God of justice, love, mercy, grace, peace and hope. God is the God of edification, exhortation and comfort. He is God to whom all praise and honor and glory needs to be directed and though he is so great he does not need our praise- he tells us to do so for our benefit because that is the type of unselfish God he is. He knows it is best for us to remember how great God is in our life so we will draw from him and live in and reflect his saving power to others. The power that continually sweeps the heart clean of impurities. Our God, who have us mercy and love when we didn't deserve it. This God who lifted us out of the pit of our own doing. The world would had kept us there but when we cried out to him he heard us, reached down and saved us. And he continues to help, direct and carry us through the path of life. That is why we should always be joyful.
Pray without ceasing.
"I said, "plant the good seeds of righteousness, and you will harvest a crop of love. Plow up the hard ground in your hearts, for now is the time to seek the LORD, that he may come and shower righteousness upon you." Hosea 10:12
You and I can only be righteous if we come before God. Prayer is powerful in the humble position before God. Prayer without ceasing is a continual conversation with the Lord. Continually seeking his face, his understanding, his will, his purpose, his guidance, his direction, and his power to overcome. Again this is not just for our benefit but the benefit for the edification, exhortation and comfort of others. It is the moment to moment maintenance.
In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
"Enter his gates with thanksgiving, go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name." Psalm 100:4
Enter his "will" with thanksgiving. Acknowledge the Lord. Just acknowledging the Lord changes our perspective on things in life.
"God blesses those who realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is given to them." Matthew 5:3
"God blesses those whose hearts are pure for they will see God." Matthew 5:8
Set your mind on things above in thanksgiving and see the Godly results. Colossians 3:1-17
Do not stifle the Holy Spirit
"And do not bring sorrow to God's Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption." Ephesians 4:30
Do not quench or suppress God's divine influence in your life. Are you living by your own accord and flesh which reaps destructiveness and death or the Holy Spirit which sanctifies/matures you and gives you eternal/ everlasting life.
"Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful desires will harvest the consequences of decay and death. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So don't get tired of doing what is good. Don't get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time." Galatians 6:8-9
Faith is the heart not just in the mind.
"Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the scriptures declare, rivers of living water will flow from his heart." John 7:38
Again fuel up with Jesus not with whatever else comes along for who will believe and live if you fuel up with whatever the world gives you. For you will spout out with what you fuel up with. You will live according to what you fuel up with.
Do not scoff at prophecies
"This is my second letter to you, dear friends, and in both of them I have tried to stimulate your wholesome thinking and refresh your memory. I want you to remember and understand what the holy prophets said long ago and what our Lord and Savior commanded through your apostles. First I want to remind you that in the last days there will be scoffers who will laugh at the truth and do every evil thing they desire. This will be your argument: 'Jesus promised to come back, did he? Then where is he? Why, as far back as anyone can remember, everything has remained exactly the same since the world was first created.' They deliberately forget that God made the heaven by the word (Jesus) of his command, and he brought the earth up from the water and surround it with water. Then he used the water to destroy the world with a mighty flood. And God has also commanded that the heavens and the earth will be consumed by fire on the day of judgment when ungodly people will perish. You must not forget, dear friends, that a day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord isn't really being slow about his promise to return, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake He does not want anyone to perish, so he is giving more time for everyone to repent." 2 Peter 3:1-9
Test everything that is said.
"Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world. This is the way to find out if they have the Spirit of God: If a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ became a human being, that person has the Spirit of God. If a prophet does not acknowledge Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist. You have heard that he is going to come into the world, and he is already here. But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won your fight with these false prophets, because the Spirit who lives in you is great than the spirit who lives in the world. These people belong to this world, so they speak from the world's viewpoint, and the world listens to them. But we belong to God; that is why those who know God listen to us. If they do not belong to God, they do not listen to us. That is how we know if someone has the Spirit of truth or the spirit of deception." 1 John 4:1-6
Are they saying Jesus is God, is he eternal, could he lay down his life and pick it up again which is true or they saying Jesus isn't eternal, wasn't filled with the Holy Spirit and had to earn eternal life which is false. That person who speaks such thing has the spirit of deception and not the spirit of truth. (Remember my testimony I shared with you of false teacher/prophet individual on the beach.)
1 Corinthians 14:3 says "But he who prophesies speaks edification, exhortation and comfort to men."
In the world, your church body, your family -test everything that is said. Is it of the Holy Spirit or the flesh. What is the root? Is what is being said true, honorable, and right? Is it pure, lovely and admirable? It is excellent and worthy of praise or are they based on human thinking, reasoning, and empty philosophy and come from the evil powers of this world. Do they build up or tear down? The things that come from the world only feed compromise and no conviction to do right. They lead to all kinds of sin from lies, to sexual sin, impure thoughts, self-ambition, division, jealousy, hostility. greed, quarreling, and so on.....
Hold on to what is good.
"And now, dear brothers and sisters, let me say one more thing as I close this letter. Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Think of about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned from me and heard from me and saw me doing, and the God of peace will be with you." Philippians 4:8-9
"A final word: Be strong with the Lord's mighty power. Put on all of God's armor so you will be able to stand firm against all the strategies and trick of the Devil." Ephesians 6:10
"Use every piece of God's armor to resist the enemy in time of evil, so that after the battle you will still be standing firm." Ephesians 6:13
Live an honorable life with the heart wisdom and "living" understanding God has given you by his Holy Spirit.
"If you are wise and understand God's ways, life a life of steady goodness so that only good deeds will pour forth. And if you don't brag about the good you do, then you will be truly wise! But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your hearts, don't brag about being wise. That is the worst kind of lie. For jealousy and selfishness are not God's kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and motivated by the Devil. For wherever there is jealous and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and every kind of evil. But the the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no partiality and is always sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of goodness." James 3:13-18
Stimulate others by holding onto what is good. A trust in God, a fear of God, a love of God and a faith in God. A holy conviction not to compromise.
God is love but he is also the God of righteousness, justice and judgment.
Abstain from every form of evil.
"God has called us to be holy, not to live impure lives. Anyone who refuses to live by these rules is not disobeying human rules but is rejecting God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you." 1 Thessalonians 4:7-8
"Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul."1 Peter 2:11
"Think how much more terrible the punishment will be for those who have trampled on the Son of God and tread the blood of the covenant as if it were common and unholy. Such people have insulted and enraged the Holy Spirit who brings God's mercy to his people." Hebrews 10:29
Entrusted in the faith God has given in us, let there be a major difference between us as Christians and the world.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-23
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil. Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, who calls you, is faithful; he will do this."
Hope you see that these reminders gift something back to you as you live in them. Amen
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