2Thes2

Jesus has given us "eternal encouragement and good hope by grace". 

One of my favorite sayings is "Be encouraged." I love to speak truth to others in ways that make them feel strengthened and hopeful. When someone is encouraged they are able to move through difficulty and also strengthen others. Encouragement foster encouragement.

I had never thought about this awesome verse before. Jesus has given us "eternal encouragement AND good hope." What matters forever is what Jesus has provided for us. We have constant encouragement is the salvation we share.

Be encouraged today.

2Thes1

When God exercises vengeance, it is righteous. When we exercise vengeance, it is sin! To take upon ourselves what belongs only to God is the height of arrogance.

We are to be known by love and forgiveness. Our hearts should break for those who don't know Christ. We should cry out for God's mercy on everyone. We should want His wrath to never fall on anyone we know.

To desire hell for anyone is to reveal something very broken in our hearts! We deserve hell. We received mercy. We should desire everyone to benefit from God's mercy. We should weep for those who will experience wrath.

1Thes5

"Do not stifle the Spirit." What does that mean? Stifle = to suppress or curb. What would the Holy Spirit want to do with us? Are we open to respond to His leading or do we stifle Him?

Are we thankful in all circumstances? If not, we're stifling.

Are we praying continually? If not, we're stifling.

Are we rejoicing and full of joy? If not, we're stifling.

Are we responding to the teaching of the scriptures? If not, we're stifling.

Why would we want to stifle God? Isn't it foolish to resist Him? Doesn't He love us and desire our good? Only a fool would choose to stifle the Holy Spirit.

Don't be foolish. Respond to God's work in our lives. Listen and obey.

1Thes4

There is no sin like sexual sin! We need to guard ourselves and others against every form of sexual impurity!

Our world has been ravaged by sexual sin ever since God gave man flesh! Only Adam and Eve felt "no shame" in relationship to God when it came to their fleshly desires. And that lasted only a short period of time. With sin came shame. With shame came the desire to cover our sin and hide from God's presence.

Brothers and sisters, let's do everything we can to be honest with our shameful desires. Do not cover sin. Confess and forsake it. Don't let any sin be kept is secret. God sees and forgives. His desire is for us to walk in freedom.

We live in a fallen world. Don't be caught covering sin. Let the light of the gospel and the forgiveness of God draw us into living pure lives.

1Thes3

How many people have we personally influenced for the gospel? Who knows Jesus because of us? Are we sharing Christ with others?

Paul's greatest joy was hearing that those he shared the gospel with were remaining true to it even in difficult times. He said, "For now we live, if you stand firm in the Lord. How can we thank God for you in return for all the joy we experience before our God because of you." The joy he experienced was in direct connection to the reality of their faith.

What brings us joy? Is it the temporary rewards of this life or the lasting reality of faith? I often am distracted by the "accomplishments" of this life that amount to nothing! I often celebrate the insignificant and neglect what is really important.

Paul was able to celebrate in the midst of personal difficulty and the difficulties of those he loved. Not because of the happiness that they were experiencing, but rather because of the reality of their faith in the midst of difficulty.

True faith is revealed in trial.

1Thes1

Faith and love both are expressed in work! Hope is seen in enduring work. When Paul wrote the believers at Thessalonica, he commended them for their "work of faith, labor of love, and endurance of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ."

These believers were a great witness to the world around them. They were "an example to all the believers" and "the Lord's message rang out" from them to the entire region. They not only lived what they believed, they spoke to others about what they believed.

It is one thing to live for Christ. It is another thing to speak about Him. Both are needed. Living for Christ is the foundation to speaking the gospel.

Gal6

Everyone sins. Some are "trapped" in it. Are we people who help restore those who are trapped? It should give us great joy to help others be set free from sin. Sins desire is to enslave us. Jesus came to set us free.

This passage is not about condemning sinners, but rather about helping them. Our lives should be oriented around helping others. Jesus gave His life to serve us and we should live to serve others. Life in the Spirit is a life of serving. What is more important than helping others be set free from sin?

Some are enslaved by unbelief! Let's be better at sharing the truth of the gospel. Some are enslaved by sins habits. Let's be better at getting into the mess and helping them out.

Gal5

"Serve one another in love." This one little sentence packs a powerful life motto! 

Most of us live to be served, but true life comes in serving others. My dad always says, "Everyone thinks it's great to serve others until others start treating them as servants!" Our hearts are revealed when others expect us to serve them. God wants us to serve others.

Loving means serving. When we love others, we desire to meet their needs. If we focus on being loved, we will miss the heart of the gospel. The gospel makes servants out of all of us.

Gal4

No longer a slave, but a son! This is the promise of the gospel. Before Christ, we were all enslaved by sin. Now we can be free from sin and live as sons of God.

Even christians often seek to live according to "the law". God wants relationship not rules. He has provided His Spirit and word to guide us! He wants us to know Him and to be "known by Him."

Do we feel like we have a real relationship with God through Christ? If not, why not? Live for Jesus today.

Gal3

"For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus."

What the law could never do, Christ did! He reconciled us to God. And not only did He reconcile us to God, He has made us "sons" through faith. We are not just at peace with God, we are part of His family! This is an amazing truth.

Works never has and never will justify! Faith justifies. Faith works. As a part of the family of God, we should live like sons. Not because we want to earn something, but rather because something amazing has been given to us!

Live like sons today.

Gal2

"Know that no one is justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ."

Why do we all want to somehow contribute to our own salvation? Christ died for our salvation. We did nothing to earn that! Only faith makes us right before God. Only faith delivers us from sin's grip.

We have been "crucified" with Christ, yet we live! Are we living for Christ or ourselves? Any life not lived for Christ is a life wasting grace. Christ is alive in us and wants to be living through us.

Yield to the Spirit's leadership today.

Gal1

The purity of the gospel is not important to ministry it is ESSENTIAL! Without clarity in the gospel there is no salvation! To miss the foundational truth about Jesus is to miss everything.

In some senses things have changed. The world today is way different than the world the apostle Paul lived in. Yet, in most ways everything is the same. Especially the most important things. Paul describes his world as, "this present evil age". He describe the problem as "polluting the purity of the gospel."

Most people who claim to be christians can't articulate what it means to be one. They don't seem to know the difference between one set of beliefs and another. Everything can't be true! Jesus' claims were exclusive. Jesus' claims were polarizing. We must stand on the purity and clarity of this gospel.

Get the gospel right. To miss it, is to miss everything.

2Co13

Are we christians? Are we sure? Paul said, "test yourself and see if you are in the faith." What evidence is there in our lives that we have the Holy Spirit living in us?

Paul's pray was not only for the salvation of his listeners and readers, but also for their maturity! To be saved is the beginning of a life long journey of faith. Paul himself was not satisfied with his personal maturity. He was always reaching for the next step of faith.

Are we satisfied? Are we reaching for the next step in our faith? Have we stopped saying "yes" to whatever God is calling us to that would make us more like Christ?

Take a step today. Say "yes" to whatever Christ is calling us to.

2Co12

The apostle Paul "grieved for many who sinned before and have not repented". He was not grieved over sin, but rather unrepentant sin! His desire was that they would not sin, but his grief was over the fact that they had not repented of their sin.

People sin. Period. We all do. John writes in his letter, "If we say that we have no sin, we are liars and the truth is not in us." Sin is inevitable. Repentance is optional. When we sin, do we repent? Do we confess and turn from that sin? Do we seek forgiveness from those who we have sinned against?

My dad always says, "I wan to be a great repenter!" This is my prayer for all of us.

2C011

Paul's bottom line was simple…"devotion to Christ." Maybe he would have liked the whole WWJD campaign. His concern was that we would be lead astray from the "complete and pure devotion to Christ".

We can see this emphasis in both 1and 2 Corinthians. In 1 Corinthians he said, "I want to secure undivided devotion to Christ" and in 2 Corinthians he says, "I fear that the serpent would deceive you like he did Eve by his cunning, and that your minds would be seduced from a complete and pure devotion to Christ."

This is not a difficult concept to grasp. It is a difficult daily choice! It is not that we don't know what Jesus would do, it's just that we either don't want to do it or we would rather do what WE want. When we choose our own way, we are making a foolish choice.

2Co10

When we measure ourselves with one another and compare ourselves to each other, we lack understanding. Without question, the best tool we have for justifying our actions are those who are "like" us.

If we want to grow, we need to get beyond looking at those around us. First, we need to focus on Christ! We need to follow His leadership and choose to say "yes" to whatever He calls us to regardless of what others are doing.

Secondly, we need to become better listeners of other believers. If we don't broaden our relationships with other believers (especially those who are NOT like us), we will forever be small thinkers and lack understanding.

Let's expand our relationships. 

2Co9

Gods indescribable gift to us should produce in us rich generosity. Generosity with our lives and money.

When we are selfish with what we have been given, we demonstrate spiritual immaturity. Paul wanted the Corinthians to be rich in every way.

God loves a cheerful giver!

2Co8

How many times have we committed to do something for God out of sincere desire, but never actually followed through? For most of us, it would be at least once. Generally, it is either in the area of clearing our conscience or giving money.

It is one thing to "say" we will do something. It is a completely different thing to actually "do" something. Paul's letter to the Corinthians was pretty harsh. It was always seasoned with grace, but very direct. He was commending them for their giving, and, at the same time encouraging them to keep their giving commitments!

Let's be people who commit to Christ and doing good works! More importantly, let's be people who KEEP our commitments! It's better to do and not commit, than to commit and not follow through!

2Co7

Guilt is a gift from God that should lead us to repentance. Paul calls it "godly sorrow". When we confess and forsake sin, "godly sorrow" turns to joy.

Condemnation is a weapon used by Satan. Condemnation continues to hound many even after repentance, confession and forgiveness. Condemnation is NOT from God.

Paul was clear that his intention was to bring repentance and not condemnation. He wanted his readers to experience freedom from the guilt and weight of sin. He rejoiced in the Corinthians true obedience and faith. He celebrated their repentance. He was "filled with encouragement and overcome with joy".

Don't let condemnation ruin the joy we have in forgiveness. Confess sin. Forsake it. Be done with it's negativity.

2Co6

Now is the acceptable time; now is the day of salvation. - v. 2

God has made a way for everyone, yet the majority refuse to take it! Paul made it his ambition to share Christ with everyone so that they could be saved. For him there was never a better time than "now" and never a better day than "today" to be saved! There is never a reason to wait to entrust our lives to Christ.

He also believed most would refuse to believe for one reason…"their own affections". Most people choose to live exclusively for this present world and not for the one that is to come. Jesus is the savior of the world, but our earthly lives are not His focus. His desire is for us to truly live for the life that is to come.

Repentance and faith is step one. Living for Jesus is step two. Enjoying the reward of a life well lived in heaven is step three! Some of us have made step one. Most have not. Some of those have chosen step two. Most do not. Make a great choice today.