Category: Daily Devotionals

FRIEND OR FOE

Greet all the brethren with a holy kiss.  I Thess. 5:26

Greeting one another with a kiss on the cheek was commonplace in Mediterranean culture.  It was not specific to Christians.  It dates as far back in biblical texts as I Samuel.  It would be compared to our modern day handshake or hug.  Paul’s words meant this, “When you kiss, or since you kiss, make it a sanctified thing, a holy thing. Don’t be hypocritical.  Don’t give what appears to be a holy kiss, like Judas, but have something adversarial in your heart.” Continue reading “Friend Or Foe” →

PARALYZING INERTIA

“Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.”  I Thess. 5:24

I used to live frozen in inertia.  I reviewed my failures and all the self-proclaimed reasons I believed I was inadequate and decided to stand still in order to avoid the humiliation of failing.  I lived in perpetual self-condemnation.  My energy was depleted.  I remember entertaining thoughts that something was physically wrong with me, when all the time, self-hatred and the sinful thought patterns that accompanied it sapped the life out of me. Continue reading “Paralyzing Inertia” →

MAKING MUCH OF EVERY WORD

Do not despise prophetic utterances.  But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good.  I Thess. 5:20-21

Another translation puts it this way.  “Do not think little of God’s words.” How might I show God that what He says means little to me?  When I hear His words but go and do the opposite of what He said.  When, after hearing, I close the Word and never give them another thought all day. Continue reading “Making Much Of Every Word” →

WHAT QUENCHING LOOKS LIKE

Do not quench the Spirit.  I Thess. 5:19

When the word “quench” is used in the English language, it usually has to do with putting out a fire.  That is a good analogy of what happens when the fire of the Spirit is diminished in someone’s heart. Continue reading “What Quenching Looks Like” →

TRUTH AND CONSEQUENCES

See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all men.  I Thessalonians 5:15

When I invest in a close relationship, I have hopes of reciprocity.  I anticipate that the other person will have a heart for me, that they will listen well, love well, and value me.  When that happens, it’s easy for my heart to stay open in their presence.  But let them fail me and my carnal nature rises to the surface.  It’s fairly easy to forgive them for the first few offenses but after that, I’m churning to plot a new course.  How painful when any relationship deteriorates but I often contribute to its demise by carrying out small acts of revenge. Continue reading “Truth and Consequences” →

TAKING ON WHAT ISN’T NATURAL

We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, and be patient with all men.  I Thess. 5:14

When I read Paul’s list of suggestions, there are a few that come easily for me and one that doesn’t.  It’s easy to want to do what I’m good at and ignore what is not intrinsically part of my nature.  For me, my Achilles’ heel is admonishing the unruly.  I’d rather have a root canal and I’m serious.  Put the fainthearted and the weak in my path though, and I’m totally in my comfort zone. Continue reading “Taking On What Isn’t Natural” →

SOBRIETY

Since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.   I Thess. 5:8

People who stay up half the night but then have to work all day pay a price.  They walk around in a stupor.  Their awareness is dulled; their reflexes are slow.  What could endanger them fails to catch their attention because they struggle just to stay awake.  They give into things they otherwise wouldn’t because of fatigue.  They are careless with their tongue.  They are also pale.  Their pallor gives their nighttime activities away. Continue reading “Sobriety” →

WAKE UP!

While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.  I Thess. 5:3

            True prophetic voices have always been at odds with those who claimed to be prophets but were proclaiming things that weren’t true.  When the nation of Israel, in Old Testament times, was about to be led into captivity because of their disobedience, God’s prophets warned them while false prophets proclaimed messages of wellbeing.  God lamented that His people were ignoring the truth.  “These are rebellious people, children unwilling to listen to the Lord’s instruction.  They say to the seers, “See no more visions!” and to the prophets, “Give us no more visions of what is right!  Tell us pleasant things, prophesy illusions.  Stop confronting us with the Holy One of Israel!”  (Isaiah 30:9-11) Continue reading “Wake Up!” →

GETTING READY FOR HIS APPEARING

For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night.  I Thess. 5:2

One of the challenges with biblical prophecy is this; I know that hundreds of biblical prophecies, given in the Old Testament, were perfectly fulfilled in the life of Jesus, yet that can seem far removed from me emotionally.  I wasn’t alive, standing in His presence when Jesus said, “I’m coming again.  Get ready.” If I had been there, it would be easier to feel connected to Jesus’ words. Continue reading “Getting Ready For His Appearing” →

THE NEED OF THE HOUR

Now as to the times and the precise season and dates, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you.  I Thess. 5:1

Paul has just instructed the Thessalonian believers about death and how those who die in Christ will be raptured when Jesus comes back.  Paul did not need to follow up with in-depth teaching about the ‘signs of the Lord’s coming’.  He knew they studied the scriptures and were already acquainted with the earlier texts.  That is an assumption most pastors today can not make. Continue reading “The Need Of The Hour” →