word

Making a point to spend some time in the Word this week. It's (unfortunately) often one of the first things to go when I get busy and it is missed, and it's always gone for too long before I realize how much I need it and enjoy reading it. A couple passages stuck out and I was going to journal about them, but figured, why not put them on the blog.

"As we pray to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and the enduring hope you have because of our Lord Jesus Christ" 1 Thes. 1:3 My understanding is always deepened by working the verses out in a different way (while keeping the meaning of course)...because of Christ we are faithful in our work, our deeds are loving, and we have enduring hope.

"We pleaded with you, encouraged you, and urged you to live your lives in a way that God would consider worthy. For he called you to share in his Kingdom and glory" 1 Thes. 2:12 This makes me think of a Francis Chan quote that Abby posted the other day..."Our greatest fear as individuals and as a church should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don't really matter."

The theme that is sticking out to me about 1 Thessalonians is that of faithfulness. We serve a faithful God and he desires us to be faithful, righteous, and holy. It is interesting Paul throws out a lot of different things about living this holy life, but none seem all too complicated. Just that same true message of loving others, so thus calling us to be responsible with our lives and the way we interact with others so that people may see how Christ works through us and is present in us. It's always funny (a tactful adjective among many others that could have been chosen) how easily other things are added on to that message.