VERSE OF THE DAY: 1 Thessalonians 1:4

“knowing, brethren beloved by God, His choice of you;”

Now, before you stop reading – I am not going to get into a discussion about predestination or “the elect.” No, I am just going take this verse as it is written. God wills that all men be save. Once we are His, we are His beloved. He chose that. He chose us. He desires us all. Isn’t that the best thing you have ever heard?

Paul knew that the Lord had chosen to extend His salvation to the Gentiles, which included these Thessalonians. He wanted to reassure them here at the beginning of this letter that they were His. Are you? Are you beloved by God? Are you one of His chosen? I pray you are. I pray you are.

APPLICATION

Here is the bad news. Your faith is NOT your child’s faith. Your choice to follow Jesus does NOT guarantee they will. However, you must do everything you can to lead them toward Him. He will do the drawing. He will speak to them. Teach them to listen. Talk to them about how you hear Him.

There is no greater joy for a parent than to hear these words from their child, “I asked Jesus into my heart.” That can happen at any age. Be ready for it. Don’t doubt their decision. Just do all you can to help them grow. Do all you can to help them know they are beloved by God and His choice.

Who can you encourage today with these words? You may have a friend who needs to hear these words today. Be the one to tell them. And then invite others to join you in His family. Don’t you want everyone you know to be called beloved?

O Lord, I know I am beloved. I know I am chosen by You. I am blessed to be a part of Your great family.

VERSE OF THE DAY: 1 Thessalonians 1:3

“constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father,”

This is a loaded verse. Look at all Paul says to the Thessalonians here. When he says “constantly,” he means without ceasing. In fact, he uses this same word two other times in this letter. My favorite is in chapter 5, verse 17 when he says, “pray without ceasing.” The same word!

But then Paul tells them what he has not stopped doing. He is remembering all they have done. He lists them: work of faith, labor of love and steadfastness of hope. And all of this is “in our Lord Jesus Christ” in God’s presence. There is no use doing those things if that’s not the case.

APPLICATION

How do you apply this verse to your own life or the life of your children? It’s the word “constantly.” We must never stop. We must never stop praying. We must never stop seeking God for the lost. We must never stop remembering all He has done for us through others. We simply must never stop.

“Come on, Carl. I can’t physically or spiritually do that.” Of course, you can’t. But Christ can through you. Just let Him have complete control, and He will do the rest. Just as Paul was remembering their faith, love and hope, you can do the same. And let them know you have done that.

Let me ask you this question. Can others say that about you? Can they constantly remember your works of faith, labors of love and steadfastness of hope? If not, ask yourself what it will take to be noticed in this way. It’s not about others seeing you. It’s about standing out for Jesus.

O Heavenly Father, I praise You for saving me. Give me the strength to be bold and courageous as I face my biggest challenges.

VERSE OF THE DAY: 1 Thessalonians 1:1

“Paul and Silvanus and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.” 

We don’t write letters much anymore. We text, tweet, post to social media, but we don’t sit down and write a letter. Why is that? What are we missing?

Paul is writing this letter to the church in Thessaloniki. I’ve been to Thessaloniki. What a beautiful city. The ancient city wall is still partially standing. You can stand on the hill which overlooks the harbor and watch the ships come and go. I could almost imagine Paul standing in that spot almost 2,000 years ago.

How does Paul address these believers?  With grace and peace. Wouldn’t that be a wonderful way to address other believers today? Just think how refreshing that would be if we did that. 

APPLICATION

Do that today and see the responses you get. Say to the first person you meet today, “Grace and peace to you.” I bet you will get some raised eyebrows or maybe a puzzled look. They may ask you what you mean by that.

Now, that opens a door to share the Gospel. After all, isn’t sharing the Gospel essentially sharing about the grace and peace of God? Understanding grace brings peace. I want to encourage you to try it. Make someone’s day. It will make yours too.

God of grace and peace, help me today to be the bearer of grace. Help me speak peace.  Let me, like Paul, wish well to other believers who are traveling the same road I am.