|
|
|
1 Thessalonians 5:14-18
And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else. Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
New International Version (NIV)
| |
|
You have heard that it was said to people of old, “when the going gets tough, the tough get going.” But what about Christians? What do Christians do in difficult days? At Holy Trinity Chapel in Harold Staunton, England, an inscription describes a church built during a very difficult time in the history of England. It reads in part, “In the year 1653 when all things Sacred were throughout the nation, Either demolished or profaned, Sir Robert Shirley, Baronet, Founded this church; Whose singular praise it is, to have done the best things in the worst times, and hoped them in the most calamitous.”
Paul established the church in Thessalonica in spite of persecution lodged against him and the first Christians there. He wrote this letter after Timothy brought a good report back from the believers there. As he does in Romans 12:9-21, Paul offers a picture of life in the church through a short, staccato list of things that believers do. The church corrects those who are idle and disruptive. This time of social distancing can be a time to draw close to the Lord. But the stress can make us reactive. We feel so much is out of our control, so we want to control something. We are bumped and we spill our anxiety and anger. On the other hand some are discouraged. We must watch over those who tend toward depression. This is a hard time for all of us, so it is a good time for us to encourage each other – to come alongside each other spiritually and put courage in each other.
Some are weak and need to be helped. Please let us know if you know a way the church can help the hurting. Remember that some had planned weddings and the virus has disrupted their plans. Funerals have been affected too, because of the request not to have over ten people gathered in one place. This is hard for those who are hurting. It multiplies and spreads the grief.
Impatience rears its ugliness in these times. We can stop before we speak, to align our hearts with the Holy Spirit within us. Patience is a fruit of the spirit. Do not be afraid to pray for it. God wants it in our lives! This is not a time to take revenge. We do what is good for fellow believers and everyone else as well. Again, the Christians in the third century faced a plague in 251 A. D. In 260 Dionysius commended the Christians for helping each other and for also helping unbelievers in the plague. Lots of people help only their own. Christians do good to all.
We do not stop rejoicing. The Coronavirus is a thief that may steal our health, but it cannot steal our joy. This is a great time to pray without ceasing. Watch the world around us. Pray for the people you see. Pray for the sick and the well, the hoarders and those who are angry at the hoarders, the calm and the panicked. Pray for the doctors. And be grateful. We may not be grateful for the sickness itself, but we can be grateful for a thousand daily reminders of God’s goodness. I am grateful for you, that you are reading and sharing these words with others! God will work even this for our good. We can trust Him!
Let it be said of believers in these difficult days as it was said of Trinity Chapel, that we did “the best things in the worst of times and hoped them in the most calamitous.”
| |
|
Pray with me:
Father, we are reminded daily of how little we control these days. We are not self-sufficient and we never were. We release the façade of having it all together. And we pray with Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20:12 “We have no power to face this (illness) that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” In Jesus’ name. Amen.
| |
|
Join us in memorizing the Word. Scripture for this week:
Matthew 5:23-24
Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.
| |
| Our 2020 Every Day with Jesus readings will follow the Foundations New Testament reading plan. Copies of the reading plan are available at Tallowood Baptist Church, or download your copy at REPLICATE.ORG
We would love for you to join us as we read the New Testament through this year, five chapters a week. In addition I will continue my long-standing practice of reading one Psalm a day through the year. Use Robby Gallaty’s H. E. A. R. plan to study each chapter (also found at REPLICATE.ORG). Highlight verses which speak to you, explain what they mean in your own words in a journal, apply them to your own life, then respond by doing what God tells you to do.
Joyfully,
Duane
| |
|
|
|
|
