1 Thessalonians 3 & 4

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1 Thessalonians 3 (NLT)

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1 Thessalonians 4 (NLT)

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What I learned today...

Ch. 3:

v. 3-5, 7-8: "...and to keep you from being shaken by the troubles you were going through. But you know what we are destined for such troubles. Even while we were with you, we warned you that troubles would soon come-and they did, as you well know. 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." "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. It gives us new life to know that you are standing firm in the Lord."

It is important for me to remain strong in faith in the Lord, even when I'm struggling and suffering. I never really thought about this before, but it's not only for me... I could be an encouragement for others in this also.

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v. 10: "Night and day we pray earnestly for you..."

This goes along with some things posted yesterday about praying. It's important to recognize "night and day" as well as "earnestly."

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v. 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."

This verse doesn't boast of minimal love... overflowing love is on an entirely different level. My commentary book referenced John 13:35... "Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples." This kind of ups the ante and brings a whole new importance to the act of love. I desperately want others to see Jesus through me, and it's extremely clear here that one way to do this is through showing overflowing love to others.

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Ch. 4:

v. 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."

The thought of rejecting God puts more fear in me than just the thought of disobeying Him. This is a great reminder of the seriousness of disobeying God!

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v. 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."

The Thessalonians were known for their faith and the love they showed for Christ and for others (Ch. 1-3), but Paul encourages them to love even more. We can never love too much!

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v. 14-18: "For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died. We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. So encourage each other with these words."

The last verse really caught my attention. I believe that all of this will happen, and I very much look forward to it.. it's something that is engrained in my heart... but do I encourage others with it? Possibly, but definitely not enough. It's something that brings so much joy to my heart, and I wish for everyone else to experience it also, but I'm not doing my part in sharing that joy.

Genesis 21 & 22

Genesis 21:8-32 (NLT)

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21:14-19

"¹⁴So Abraham got up early the next morning, prepared food and a container of water, and strapped them on Hagar's shoulders. Then he sent her away with their son, and she wandered aimlessly in the wilderness of Beersheba. ¹⁵When the water was gone, she put the boy in the shade of a bush. ¹⁶Then she went and sat down by herself about a hundred yards away. 'I don't want to watch the boy die,' she said, as she burst into tears. ¹⁷But God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, 'Hagar, what's wrong? Do not be afraid! God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. ¹⁸Go to him and comfort him, for I will make a great nation from his descendants.' ¹⁹Then God opened Hagar's eyes, and she saw a well full of water. She quickly filled her water container and gave the boy a drink."

This story just tugs at my heart. It's hard to imagine ever being in a situation like this, but I can get a glimpse of Hagar's despair and hopelessness. These verses remind me that God is always with me, no matter how bad my circumstances are or how upset I am. He is always there for me, and if I'm willing to listen to Him, He will comfort me and provide me with enough to get me through.

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Genesis 22 (NLT)

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22:1-3

"¹Some time later, God tested Abraham's faith. 'Abraham!' God called.

'Yes,' he replied. 'Here I am.'

²'Take your son, your only son--yes, Isaac, whom you love so much--and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.'

³The next morning Abraham got up early. He saddled his donkey and took two of his servants with him, along with his son, Isaac. Then he chopped wood for a fire for a burnt offering and set out for the place God had told him about."

22:9-12

"⁹When they arrived at the place where God had told them to go, Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood on it. Then he tied his son, Isaac, and laid him on the altar on top of the wood. ¹⁰And Abraham picked up the knife to kill his son as a sacrifice. ¹¹At that moment the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven, 'Abraham! Abraham!'

'Yes,' Abraham replied. 'Here I am!'

¹²'Don't lay a hand on the boy!' the angel said. 'Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son.'

Abraham had such strong faith in God. He waited a long time to have his son Isaac (he was born when Abraham was 100 years old). Then God asks Abraham to give Isaac up as a sacrifice. I don't have any children yet, but I still can't imagine having to sacrifice my own child. Abraham didn't even hesitate. He left the next morning to go to the place where God had called him. When God calls me to do something, I need to obey Him immediately. It's really easy for me to put things off for later, but God wants immediate action. I can't relate as much with the sacrifice part of this, but I could translate it over to helping people. When I see people who need help, I need to attend to them right away. God doesn't want me to wait until it's more convenient, and He especially doesn't want me to put it off until I completely forget about it.