1 Thessalonians 5:12-24 - Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. 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.
Do not quench the Spirit.
Do not treat prophecies with contempt, but test them all; hold on to
what is good, reject every kind of evil.
May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through
and though. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one
who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.
This passage pretty much speaks for
itself so I will hold my comments to a minimum.
Paul is wrapping up his letter to this fledging church (less than a year
old) and he is led to share with them the core principles of what it means to
be a God-centered community. Two
thousand years later, these still form the backbone of Community 101. I would just encourage you to read this
passage a few times today.
You’ve most likely read it once
already to get to what I’m writing now. Read
it again, but this time try to think about your experience of being part of a
community.
Questions:
Who were the people that did these things? Who were the “hard workers?” Who were “idle and disruptive?” Who were the peacemakers? Who were the encouragers? The helpers of the
weak? Who are you in the mix? As you
read through the description of a healthy community, think about the times you
have experienced this kind of community, if only for a short time.
After you done that, read the passage one more time. Before you start, pray this prayer:
Prayer:
Lord, speak your word for me today. Show me how I may do my part in
building a healthy community. Amen.
Then, read through the passage slowly. Listen for the phrase or sentence that jumps
out as being just for you today. Spend
some time repeating and meditating on that phrase. Identify one step you can take to act on that
leading today. Make a plan to do
it.
Prayer Focus: Pray
for the leaders of your faith community today.
Ask God to guide them in the coming days.
Song: Zero8 – Blest
Be the Tie That Binds
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