Daily Prayer for July 29
True, he died on the cross in weakness, but he lives by the power of God; and we who share his weakness shall by the power of God live with him in your service. 2 Corinthians 13:4, NEB Lord our God, we thank you for the love you show us so that we may be delivered from weakness and sickness, from sin and misery, and may be given strength to serve you, our Father in heaven. Bless us in all we have on our hearts, that through your mercy the battle of life may be fought aright. Bless us in our times and grant that justice may gain the upper hand and we may live in peace, praising you into all eternity. Protect us, your children, forevermore. May your name be honored, your kingdom come, and your will be done on earth as in heaven. Amen. Recent articles on Plough Make Christianity Strange Again Sheluyang Peng Nijay K. Gupta’s new book Strange Religion depicts the early Christians as weird yet compelling. Read now Eating Anything Caleb Coy We were good American industrial eaters – until Dad started dying. Both of us have come a long way since then. Read now Heaven on Earth Thomas Traherne Learn to appreciate all the ways we’ve been blessed and you’ll be in heaven, says a seventeenth-century country priest. Read now Prison Tourism Dan Grote Dip a toe in the vast and lonely ocean that is the penal system. Read now An Irreplaceable Cog in the Wheel Keturah Hickman If you make yourself indispensable, who will continue your work when you are gone? Read now
Today’s Verse – Matthew 7:28-29
When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law. —Matthew 7:28-29 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Unlike the teachers of his day, Jesus didn’t have to shore up his teaching with obscure quotes from past teachers and well-known rabbis. Jesus, the very Word of God (John 1:1-18), spoke the words of God. He did and said what the Father willed. His life and his words had the ring of authenticity. The gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) want to spark an awareness in us of Jesus’ power and authority so that through the ages, they still invite us to embrace his truth and follow him as our LORD. This Jesus, our Teacher and Savior, is so much more than another great teacher, extraordinary prophet, or wise sage. His words are powerful. His teachings are authoritative. His life is breathtaking. His love is beyond compare. So, dear friend of Jesus, his will must be our passion! My Prayer… Holy God, thank you for speaking through your prophets and the holy Scriptures. But, dear Father, I praise you for speaking your most complete and perfect message in Jesus. As I see the character of his life, I am drawn to you. As I hear the authenticity in his words and see them demonstrated in his sacrificial life, I seek to obey him and follow him as his disciple. Thank you for sending Jesus to be my teacher, my guide, my LORD, and my Savior. I pray this in his name, Jesus the Messiah and Son of God. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
Bragging Rights?
Note from Jesus Dear Child of the Father, The Corinthian disciples had forgotten what made them special. Some were arguing that their group of believers was more important than another group of believers. Some were celebrating their status during communion while others were being overlooked. They were bragging about their spiritual gifts while using them to try to impress others. Some were even claiming to follow different people rather than Me. Everywhere you look in the early Corinthian church, you will find fractures, rivalries, differences, and arguments over who or what was most important. Even worse, they boasted in these differences! Paul spoke directly to the Corinthians about their sin. He reminded them that few of them came from families of position or status: By human standards, not many of you are deemed to be wise. Not many are considered powerful. Not many of you come from royalty, right? By earthly measures, they had little or no status. So why in the world would they fuss and fight over status? Why would they divide My body over such earthly, temporal and trivial matters? Why would they divide My people over egos and pettiness? When people feel insignificant and unsure of their status, they look to false standards to make them feel important. They boast in what is really superficial, temporary, and unimportant. You can find this sad reality in Corinth during Paul’s day, and you can find it in your own day. The Corinthian disciples to whom Paul wrote had forgotten Who I was when I came to the earth. They lost sight of what I had done to make them children of the Father, the King of glory. They ignored the lofty status that I put aside when I was born into the world to die to redeem them (Philippians 2:5-11). They ignored what I taught: that the greatest in the Father’s kingdom and in My family is actually the person willing to serve. Those who exalt themselves will be humbled (Matthew 23:11-12). The Corinthian disciples forgot that I came to serve and to give My life to ransom them from sin and that I called them to be sacrificial and serve others (Mark 10:42-45; John 13:12-17). Paul wanted them, and I want you, to know that real greatness is found in being “united with Jesus the Anointed” — united with Me — in serving others. You are My disciples. You are to follow My example. You are to trust your glory to My grace. You are to serve each other just as I served and gave Myself for you. I AM the source of your life, significance, identity, and status. I AM your “wisdom.” Your “righteousness and holiness and redemption” are found in Me. Don’t boast in what you have accomplished. Don’t swell with pride because of your seemingly superior background. Don’t boast in what you can do that another can’t do. Realize that your life, your future, and the glory in which you will share all come from being identified with Me and being a part of My family. You cannot disregard someone else in My family. You cannot elevate yourself above someone else in My family. When you elevate yourself above others, you disregard Me and all that I demonstrated! Verses to Live As My disciple, think of what you have because of Me. Remember all the blessings and privileges that are yours because of My sacrifice. You received all of these by grace. You received none of these by birthright or rank in social circles. So let your boasting be in My grace and sacrifice. Do not boast in what you can do or from where you have come. Boasting causes division. Boasting creates rivalries. Boasting causes messes like the Corinthians had made. Read the verses below and take them to heart. They are true not just for the Corinthian disciples; they are also true for you. Look carefully at your call, brothers and sisters. By human standards, not many of you are deemed to be wise. Not many are considered powerful. Not many of you come from royalty, right? But celebrate this: God selected the world’s foolish to bring shame upon those who think they are wise; likewise, He selected the world’s weak to bring disgrace upon those who think they are strong. God selected the common and the castoff, whatever lacks status, so He could invalidate the claims of those who think those things are significant. So it makes no sense for any person to boast in God’s presence. Instead, credit God with your new situation: you are united with Jesus the Anointed. He is God’s wisdom for us and more. He is our righteousness and holiness and redemption. As the Scripture says: “If someone wants to boast, he should boast in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:26-31) Don’t let anyone deceive himself. If any one of you thinks he is wise in matters pertaining to this world, he is going to be really disappointed. In fact, one must be deemed a fool by worldly standards in order to become truly wise because the wisdom of this rebellious and broken world looks like foolishness when put next to God. So it stands in Scripture, “He catches the wise in their deceitful plotting.” And the Scriptures add, “The Lord knows the highest thoughts of the wise, and they are worthless.” So there is no reason for anyone to boast in human leaders. You already have it all. So whether it is Paul, Apollos, Cephas, the world, life or death, the present or the future — it all belongs to you. You belong to the Anointed One, and the Anointed One belongs to God. (1 Corinthians 3:18-23) Response in Prayer Father in heaven, I know that my insecurities can lead me to chase the wrong things as the source of my significance. I recognize that in Jesus I am Your child. I am a child of the King of glory. Forgive me for my lack
Daily Prayer for July 28
Now we find that the Law keeps slipping into the picture to point the vast extent of sin. Yet, though sin is shown to be wide and deep, thank God his grace is wider and deeper still! Romans 5:20, Phillips Lord our God, we come into your presence, pleading with you to bring the world what it needs, so that people may be freed from all their pain and enabled to serve you. Let the power of Jesus Christ be revealed in our time. For he has taken on our sin that justice might arise on earth, that all might have life and might see your salvation, which you will bring when the time is fulfilled. Let your power be revealed in the world, and let your will be done, your name be kept holy, and all wrongs be righted in this turbulent and difficult age. O Lord our God, you alone can help. You alone are the Savior of all peoples. In your great mercy you can bring peace. We look to you. And when we consider your Word, we remember the mighty promises you have given, promises which are to be fulfilled in our time. Amen. Recent articles on Plough Heaven on Earth Thomas Traherne Learn to appreciate all the ways we’ve been blessed and you’ll be in heaven, says a seventeenth-century country priest. Read now Prison Tourism Dan Grote Dip a toe in the vast and lonely ocean that is the penal system. Read now An Irreplaceable Cog in the Wheel Keturah Hickman If you make yourself indispensable, who will continue your work when you are gone? Read now For the Least of These Jason Storbakken The Bowery Mission in Manhattan takes its cues from Jesus’ words. Read now Gerhard Lohfink: Champion of Community Timothy J. Keiderling We don’t follow Jesus alone. Read now
Today’s Verse – John 7:27
[Some in the questioning crowd, said the following about Jesus:] “But we know where this man is from; when the Christ comes, no one will know where he is from.” —John 7:27 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… God in human flesh is how John described Jesus as he began his gospel (John 1:14-18). Jesus was God’s ultimate message and revelation of God himself in human form (Hebrews 1:1-3). Jesus’ incarnation is a mystery that neither the crowds in his day nor we in our day can fully fathom. This truth is beyond our human experience and limited knowledge of eternal reality. So, we shouldn’t be surprised when Jesus’ critics quickly characterized him as someone who could not be Messiah because they thought they knew where he was from — Nazareth when Jesus was born in Bethlehem. He existed as God and with God before time as we know it began. The crowds were wrong about his origin and so many other things. Dear friend in Christ, Jesus exhausts our imagination and overflows our cup of wonder as we seek to understand all he is as our Savior, Christ the LORD! So, come and let’s adore and praise him for all he is, even what we cannot yet understand of his glory! My Prayer… O LORD, forgive me for my limited vision of Jesus’ glory. Please enable my heart’s ability to find wonder, joy, grace, exhilaration, glory, and awe in my Savior’s power, grace, sacrifice, victory, and love. To you, Father, and to the Christ, be all the glory and honor that my heart can muster and my voice can proclaim. Through the intercession of the Holy Spirit and in the authority of Jesus’ name, I offer you my praise! Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
The Father’s Faithfulness Is Greater Than My Disciples’ Failures
Note from Jesus Dear Beloved of the Father, While Paul was in Ephesus, he wrote a letter to the Corinthians to follow-up on his time in Corinth. Your book of 1 Corinthians is actually his second letter to them (1 Corinthians 5:9). The new believers in Corinth were in a seaport city on a narrow strip of land with water on two sides. A major highway ran through their city. This strategic location is a powerful reminder of the important influence I wanted My disciples to have in Corinth. Although they were surrounded by immorality, My new disciples were strategically located in a place to impact the world of commerce, travel, and religion with the truth of My gospel. Becoming a disciple in such a place was far easier than living as a disciple on a daily basis. Strong forces pulled on My followers. City life in Corinth included all sorts of distractions. Unrestrained immorality and materialism were accepted as the normal way of life. Corrupt religious practices, cult prostitution, religious enthusiasm, rivalry over social status, passionate individualism, battles over gender superiority, racial prejudice, bigotry, and genuine poverty filled Corinth’s streets. You won’t have to dig very far into Paul’s letters to the Corinthians to discover that My new followers in Corinth struggled with each of these challenges. One of the qualities about 1 and 2 Corinthians that makes these letters so important for you today is that My disciples in Corinth had many problems that are also typical of your time. As you read through Paul’s letters to the Corinthians, you might wonder how this fragile and diverse set of house churches could survive. They had rivalries over which group was most acceptable and important. Conflicts and disrespect between men and women impacted their worship and daily lives. Incest and other forms of sexual immorality marred the character of these people who were seeking to make Me their Lord. Lawsuits between members tore at the fabric of their unity. Disregard of poor members by the rich members during their love feast meal destroyed the character of what was supposed to be Holy Communion. Some were getting drunk and gorging on food while others were being totally left out of the fellowship. Petty rivalries over spiritual gifts caused arguments over who was most spiritual. Some had even lost faith in My resurrection. The result was a large pagan city with several house churches of believers who felt that they had little in common with each other except that they called on My name and called themselves My followers. Today, however, I want you to notice the way the apostle Paul began this letter. Examine particularly the highlighted parts of the scripture below. First, remember that every person born of water and spirit (John 3:3-7; Titus 3:3-7; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11) has a special relationship with Me. The new believers lived in a region torn by division, corrupted by immorality, and lost in darkness. Those around them had lost hope in the future and so they lived for the moment. Particularly in this kind of world, everyone who is My follower must be regarded as especially precious, even if that person has forgotten part of the truth or has never fully understood the truth. Remember my parable of the shepherd who went in search of his lost sheep (Matthew 18:10-14; Luke 15:4-7) and other similar parables (e.g., Luke 15:8-32) that talk about My desire to reclaim those who are Mine. The Corinthian house churches struggled with division and immorality. Paul knew all about their problems. Their problems created great anguish and concern in his heart for them. He had invested over two years of his life in converting and discipling them. He knew how fragile their fellowship was. He was fully aware of how far their daily lives were from the high calling that I had for them. Nevertheless — and please hear this beloved — each of My disciples, no matter how flawed, was still precious to Paul and each is always precious to Me. There were still reasons to rejoice in these people who gave up so much to follow Me. Paul still had great reasons to give thanks for them and to continue to pray for them. Also, notice the undergirding faith that gave Paul hope. He believed that something good could come out of the messes the Corinthians had made of their lives and their fellowship. Paul believed that the future of their fellowship was not bound by their current failures but rooted in the Father’s faithfulness. Let the words found in the central part of the verses below remind you of a truth that you must never forget: He [God the Father] will preserve you; and on that day, He will consider you faultless. Count on this: God is faithful and in His faithfulness called you out into an intimate relationship with His Son, our Lord Jesus the Anointed [Me]. Verses to Live Paul was not blind to the problems that existed among My people in Corinth. However, he did not let his disappointment due to their flaws and failures distract him from My disciples’ importance to Me. He didn’t forget My power at work within these new disciples to make all things new. Paul acknowledged the divisions in My Corinthian disciples shortly after affirming how precious they were to him. His words of affirmation come first as he declared his confidence in Our ability to be faithful and to bring them to be with Us. So don’t forget to rejoice over those who have come to Me. Don’t forget Paul’s example of working with the Corinthians, and believe that We can do more than human eyes can see and human hearts can imagine (Ephesians 3:14-21)! Paul, called out by God’s will to be an emissary for Jesus the Anointed, along with brother Sosthenes, to God’s church gathering in the city of Corinth. As people who are united with Jesus, the Anointed One, you have been
Ephesus!
Note from Jesus Dear Beloved, In today’s reading, you will find Paul arriving in Ephesus. Ephesus was a remarkable and important city in Paul’s world. But the people of Ephesus needed My power and My grace. In Paul’s time, Ephesus was one of the four largest cities in the Mediterranean region, which were Rome, Ephesus, Antioch of Syria, and Alexandria in Egypt. Along with Jerusalem (the center of Judaism), Luke emphasized the first three of these cities as he wrote the book of Acts. Ephesus was a large, multi-cultural, busy city, a major banking center, a town with a harbor and on major trade routes, and a city full of crime. Ephesus was rampant with sexual perversion. It was deeply impacted by a fascination with all sorts of superstitions, demonic religions, black magic, and mystery cults. You can probably imagine similar cities in your day. Ephesus was a place of financial power with an interest in spiritual power. What you see in Luke’s account is reflected in Paul’s words to these same believers several years later: Finally, brothers and sisters, draw your strength and might from God. Put on the full armor of God to protect yourselves from the devil and his evil schemes. We’re not waging war against enemies of flesh and blood alone. No, this fight is against tyrants, against authorities, against supernatural powers and demon princes that slither in the darkness of this world, and against wicked spiritual armies that lurk about in heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:10-12) Luke carefully frames Paul’s visit to Ephesus with an emphasis on the Holy Spirit. At the beginning, he records Paul’s asking: “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?” At the end, Luke wrote: The Holy Spirit confirmed that he should first travel through Macedonia and Achaia and then return to Jerusalem. Luke’s account makes clear what Paul emphasized while he was in Ephesus. While there are many demonic powers and religions that touch your world, there is only one true and living God. That true and living God is known as YAHWEH — YHWH in Hebrew — Father, Son, and Spirit. We are above all other spiritual powers and are directly involved in the lives of all those who belong to Us. We live in them through the presence of the Holy Spirit Who is in them and guides them. I revealed YHWH through My time on earth. You can find life in YHWH through Me. No person and not even another spirit can control the power of YHWH. In the middle of Luke’s account, he showed us an example of the world of the occult and demonic spirits. I love the way Luke described an encounter with an evil spirit and finished with this summary: Everyone was shocked and realized that the name of Jesus was indeed powerful and praiseworthy. … Again, word spread, and the message of the Lord overcame resistance and spread powerfully. Paul will have more interaction with the people and the evil spiritual powers in Ephesus on a return trip to Ephesus and will also run into problems caused by people from Ephesus in a later trip to Jerusalem. For now, you just need to realize that a spiritual battle for the eternal destinies of the people of Ephesus and Asia Minor had begun in earnest. Ephesus was a place that would oppose Me with evil spiritual power and evil determination. Nevertheless, My messengers were not afraid to speak the truth of the Father’s grace, My power, and the Holy Spirit’s guiding care in this place that desperately needed it. Verses to Live All who belong to the Father and who are My true disciples are filled, empowered, and led by the Holy Spirit. You will need this power as you face the times in which you now live. But remember, “[T]he Spirit Who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world” (1 John 4:4 NLT). These words were written by John years later to Christians in Asia Minor where Ephesus was located! Paul would say it this way in his letter to the Ephesians: All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. (Ephesians 1:3 NLT) So as you read, recognize you are entering the world of spiritual warfare; but don’t be afraid! I have overcome! While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul’s overland journey brought him back to Ephesus. He encountered a group of about a dozen disciples there. Paul: Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers? John’s Disciples: We’ve never heard about the Holy Spirit. Paul: Well then, what kind of ceremonial washing through baptism did you receive? John’s Disciples: We received the ritual cleansing of baptism that John taught. Paul: John taught the truth — that people should be baptized with renewed thinking and turn toward God. But he also taught that the people should believe in the One Whose way he was preparing, that is, Jesus the Anointed. As soon as they heard this, they were baptized, this time in the name of our Lord Jesus. When Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them in the same way the original disciples experienced at Pentecost: they spoke in tongues and prophesied. For three months, Paul continued his standard practice: he went week by week to the synagogue, speaking with great confidence, arguing with great persuasiveness, proclaiming the kingdom of God. Once again, some members of the synagogue refused to believe and insulted the Way publicly before the whole synagogue community. Paul withdrew and took those with him who had become disciples. For the next two years, he used the public lecture hall of Tyrannus, presenting the Word of the Lord every day, debating with all who would come. As a result, everyone in the region, whether Jews or Greeks, heard the message. Meanwhile, God did
Interconnected!
Note from Jesus Dear Follower, I challenged My apostles before My ascension to make faith in Me a worldwide movement of grace and discipleship offered to all people (Matthew 28:18-20). They were to begin where they were. They were to share grace with their people and reach their region. Then they were to impact the world with My good news and a life of discipleship (Acts 1:8). This sharing is what the apostles did in Jerusalem and Judea in the early days of My church, as recorded in the book of Acts. Then with the martyrdom of Stephen, some of My followers were scattered out from Jerusalem and Judea and went into Samaria and even to more-Gentile regions (Acts 8:1-4; Acts 11:19-21). On their first missionary journey, Paul and Barnabas followed a similar pattern in each city by teaching first in Jewish synagogues and then also going to Gentiles (Acts 13:1-8; Acts 13:44-46). In today’s verses, you read about the interconnectedness of the ancient world. You can see how My early disciples spread the word, strengthened churches, and grew My movement. Paul, Peter, and Barnabas were great missionaries, disciple-makers, and church planters. Many other people also were instrumental in helping to grow the church. In today’s verses, you meet Aquila and his wife Priscilla (also sometimes called Prisca). They were a great team. They were devoted to bringing people to faith in Me. They were upper middle-class merchants who took the gospel with them wherever they went in their business travels. They opened their homes as the places for My disciples to meet in three cities — Corinth, Ephesus, and Rome (Acts 18:1-3; 1 Corinthians 16:19; 2 Timothy 4:19; Romans 16:3). You also meet Apollos, who traveled widely and was a great public speaker and a scholar of the Hebrew Scriptures — the Law, Writings, and Prophets. Aquila, Priscilla, and Apollos are examples of the many people throughout the ages who have shared My story of grace as they traveled. For each of them, his or her job was a calling. It was a way to spread My message to all with whom they came in contact. They sought out groups of believers and strengthened them. They shared news of what was happening with My disciples in other places in the world. They led others to follow Me. They offered their time and their homes for believers to meet, eat, and worship together. Their faith was not just something they had in their heads or believed in their hearts, but it permeated every aspect of their lives. In today’s verses, you will notice that Paul travels through significant portions of the northern and northeastern Mediterranean region. He goes through Greece, Macedonia, the Roman province of Asia, Galatia, Syria, and Judea. He goes back and strengthens struggling churches. He encourages new believers. He confirms leaders in the churches he had previously planted. He carries news about what is happening in My family in other parts of the world. However, Paul was not alone in doing these things. Others are not named in the Bible but were like Priscilla, Aquila, and Apollos. Through the efforts of all of these disciples, the good news about Me spread all over the world. I used the folks you know well, like Paul, Peter, and Barnabas. I also used those you know less well, like Priscilla, Aquila, and Apollos, and some folks not mentioned by name. What I began with a small group in Galilee has impacted the whole world. You are testimony that this process didn’t end in the first century. This process is still effective. This process is still part of My plan! So, based on what you read today, I want to place a few things on your heart. First, don’t be afraid to travel and go to new places in the world. Yes, travel can be tiring and sometimes even dangerous. However, you are My disciple. You are a citizen of the kingdom of heaven. Your mission field is as close as your next door neighbor and as far away as someone from another culture on the other side of your world. Second, when you travel remember that you go as My representative. Whether your travel is for vacation, business, pleasure, or intentional mission, you are My messenger. No matter who pays for your travel, you are sent by Me, to represent Me, and to share My grace! Third, use your travel as a time to connect to other believers. Do not take a vacation from fellowship and worship. Bring a word of grace from the people with whom you normally fellowship. Give the believers you meet encouragement. Offer a blessing in My name to their church family and their worship gathering, no matter how large or small. Enjoy the blessing of being family with people you don’t yet know, but with whom you will share eternity! Fourth, as you travel, I will place people in your path who are seeking to find what you have found in Me. If you listen to hear the hearts of these people you meet, the Spirit will help you and empower you. One of the benefits of your going to other places is to be available to these people. Some you meet will be asking to find hope, seeking to discover Me, and knocking on the door of heaven needing grace (Matthew 7:7-8). Fifth, when you go, be respectful of those you meet. They know their culture and how to reach people in their culture better than you do. But, if you find yourself compelled to correct something, make sure you do it tenderly and privately after you have invested yourself in their family of faith and the community they are trying to reach. Priscilla and Aquila are great examples of this principle, especially in how they corrected Apollos: “They took him aside and in private explained the way of God to him more accurately and fully.” Your life is more interconnected to the
Dealing with Idlers
Note from Jesus Dear Disciple, Some messages of truth are hard to hear. Nevertheless, a family has to have expectations of family members if it is going to function productively and impact the community around it positively. The way one “bad apple” behaves can destroy the influence of the whole family and can bring disorder and frustration to the whole family. Today’s message is a hard message. Paul and the church in Thessalonica were facing a real problem. The group of disciples in Thessalonica had some folks who were “idler busy-bodies” — folks who didn’t work and went around sticking their noses into everyone else’s business telling these productive folks how to live their lives. The idlers’ reputations were rubbing off on the whole body of believers. The result was that the church was becoming more and more disrespected in the community. So Paul sent some instructions to the Thessalonians about how to discipline these idlers, the purpose behind this discipline, and the principles upon which the discipline was built. Paul taught the Thessalonian Christians to discipline these “idler busy-bodies” by warning those who were lazy and who were depending on the church to take care of them. If they didn’t change their lazy ways, the church family was to “withdraw” from active fellowship and support of the idlers. There should be no more help for folks too lazy to work. Paul reminded the Thessalonian disciples of the purpose of this discipline. The goal was to restore these brothers and sisters to fruitful lives of service. This discipline was to be done with an attitude of helping a family member, not treating this idler as an enemy. Paul also helped the Thessalonian believers recall his own teaching and example when he was with them. He had purposefully worked hard when he was among them to set an example so they could see what it looked like to work hard and not depend on others for support. For Paul, the church family needed to have a reputation in the community as good, decent, hard-working folks: people who “never grow tired of doing good”! Verses to Live I know that you sometimes struggle with what to do when people do not seem “to get it” — that is, when they do not realize that they are not going to change their circumstances until they change their behaviors. This complacency is especially true of folks who can work but learn to grow dependent upon support from the church family and become lazy in their own lives. I hope you will read carefully as you see Paul lay down some great principles for you to follow as you try to deal with these kinds of situations. Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone. See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people. (1 Thessalonians 5:14-15 NLT) For the sake of the church, brothers and sisters, we insist in the name of our Lord Jesus the Anointed that you withdraw from any brother or sister who is out of order and unwilling to work, who is straying from the line of teaching we passed on to all of you. You know how essential it is to imitate us in the way we live life. We were never undisciplined nor did we take charity from anyone while we were with you. Instead, you saw how we worked very hard day and night so we wouldn’t be a burden to even one person in the community. We had the right to depend on your help and hospitality, as you know; but we wanted to give you a model you could follow, to lay a path of footprints for you to walk in. This is exactly why, while with you, we commanded you: “Anyone not willing to work shouldn’t get to eat!” You see, we are hearing that some folks in the community are out of step with our teaching; they are idle, not working, but really busy doing nothing — and yet still expect to be fed! If this is you or someone else in the community, we insist and urge you in the Lord Jesus the Anointed that you go to work quietly, earn your keep, put food on your own table, and supply your own necessities. And to the rest of you, brothers and sisters, never grow tired of doing good. If someone disregards the instructions of this letter, make a note of who it is and don’t have anything to do with that person so that this one may be shamed. Don’t consider someone like this an enemy (he is an enemy only to himself) but warn him as if you were redirecting your own brother. (2 Thessalonians 3:6-15) Response in Prayer Righteous Father, I want to be a compassionate person who helps those in need and yet does not enable those who are lazy. Please give me wisdom and grace to deal with these kinds of situations that I find in my world. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. ‘A Year with Jesus’ is written by Phil Ware. © 1998-2024, Heartlight, Inc. ‘A Year with Jesus‘ is part of the Heartlight Network.All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Stand Firm
Note from Jesus Dear Believer, Paul was confident that he taught the truth I wanted the Thessalonians to know. He claimed the authority of an apostle, an emissary sent by Me, yet he ministered with the loving touch of a tender parent (1 Thessalonians 2:4-12) and a protective shepherd. Paul was aware that there were many who would steer these new disciples astray with false teaching or use persecution to try to intimidate these new believers so that they would abandon their faith. The Thessalonians faced both of these forms of the evil one’s opposition to their faith, yet there were still faithful disciples there! Paul lived in the same world as these disciples did. He also faced bitter opposition from false teachers, and he endured persecution from opponents to My message. So while he was confident in his authority as an apostle and teacher, he also recognized his own need for the prayer support of these new believers. As Paul wrote to the Thessalonians a second time, the intensity of every issue was turned up a notch or two compared to when he wrote his first letter to them. Persecution was worse. False teaching was more apparent. Laziness and idleness among believers were worse. Paul’s authority and motives were more deeply questioned. Questions about My coming in glory still remained. But Paul carried his loving and supportive tone throughout his second letter. His confidence was in Our — Father, Son, and Spirit’s — work among these new believers. Paul was quick to affirm the good things these new disciples were doing even as he acknowledged the difficult things they were facing and the hurtful things they had done. Underneath Paul’s message, he pointed to three things he trusted: His confidence in the message he preached and taught: “[A]ll you need to do now is stand firm and hold tight to the line of teachings we have passed on to you, whether in person or in a letter.” His confidence in the Father’s work: “[T]he Lord is true to His promises; He will hold you up and guard you against the evil one. We do not doubt the Lord‘s intentions for you…” His confidence in these new believers: “[W]e are confident that you are carrying out, and will continue to carry out, the commands we are sending your way.” As you look at the challenges to faith in your time, what is the basis of your confidence? How are you going to help encourage the faith of those new disciples around you and those whose faith is weak or beginning to fail? I want you to do more than see what Paul did to bless these new disciples; I want you to be looking for new or struggling disciples to encourage and bless! Verses to Live Feel the love and the longing Paul has for these new believers as he writes them. Paul fills this letter with words of assurance, challenge, comfort, and confidence. We cannot help but thank God for you at all times, because from the beginning He handpicked you for salvation through the Spirit’s sanctifying work and your belief in the truth. He called you to this when we shared our good news with you. Now you can take part in the glory of our Lord Jesus the Anointed, our Liberating King. So, brothers and sisters, all you need to do now is stand firm and hold tight to the line of teachings we have passed on to you, whether in person or in a letter. (2 Thessalonians 2:13-15) Brothers and sisters, having shared all this, let me ask you to pray for us. Pray that this message of the Lord will spread quickly and receive the praise and respect it deserves from others as it has with you. Pray also that we would all be rescued from the snares of harmful, wicked people — after all, not all people are believing. Still, the Lord is true to His promises; He will hold you up and guard you against the evil one. We do not doubt the Lord’s intentions for you; we are confident that you are carrying out, and will continue to carry out, the commands we are sending your way. (2 Thessalonians 3:1-4) Response in Prayer Father, I am touched by Paul’s way of speaking to these new believers. I am reminded of several new believers that I need to encourage and support as they seek to grow in Jesus. Open my eyes to see new or struggling believers You want me to encourage and bless. Spirit, please give me the right attitude and the right words and demeanor to help them. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen. ‘A Year with Jesus’ is written by Phil Ware. © 1998-2024, Heartlight, Inc. ‘A Year with Jesus‘ is part of the Heartlight Network.All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.