November 2-Thessalonians-Hope
Write out the Scripture.
1 Thessalonians 5:19, Do not quench the Spirit.
Observe what it is saying.
The Holy Spirit is the most powerful gift we will ever receive. When we trust in Christ as our Lord and Savior and choose to follow after Him, we are given His presence through the Spirit. The Spirit enlivens us, empowers us, gifts us, convicts us, and leads us. Why would we do anything to put the Spirit’s’ fire out in our lives and in our church? Yet, Paul says do not do so it must have been happening. The question arises how do we quench the Spirit? We do so when we fail to embrace His gifts, when we fail to obey His direction, and do not listen to His correction. We quench the Spirit when we attempt to do supernatural work with natural means. We separate Sunday from the rest of the week. In other words, we have a divided faith that does not recognize that worship and work are to manifest the same love to our Lord. We quench the Spirit when we do not believe that God can use us to accomplish His purposes. We quench the Spirit when we do not rejoice always, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances. In this Scriptural context, as we will see tomorrow, it appears that spiritual gifts may have been limited or even prohibited which leads to a loss of tremendous spiritual benefit. Instead, we should fan into flame the gifts the Holy Spirit gives so that we can fully edify and build up the body of Christ.
Relate it to your life.
I do not want to be a limitation to what the Holy Spirit can do through me or Christ’s church.
Do something.
Lord Jesus, thank You for this beautiful gift of Your Spirit. I confess I have quenched Your Spirit’s work in me, maybe, even in Your church without knowing it. Please forgive me. Fan into flame the Holy Spirit’s fire in me so that I can be spiritually alive. Amen.
November 3-Thessalonians-Hope
Write out the Scripture.
1 Thessalonians 5:20-21a, Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all;
Observe what it is saying.
In light of yesterday’s devotional on not putting out the Spirit’s fire, these verses speak of a specific application of that general teaching concerning the spiritual gift of prophecy. This gift speaks a direct message from God that is applicable to the person or the group that it is being spoken to. Many of these messages are not easy to receive because they speak truth and light into sin and darkness. Such messages are a direct revelation from the Holy Spirit to a person gifted with prophecy and must be spiritually discerned by those who hear it. So, Paul tells us there must be balance in dealing with prophetic words. We must not quickly dismiss them, thereby, disregarding God’s specific message to a person or a congregation. On the other hand, we must not be gullible in believing everything anyone might claim to be a prophecy is actually from God. As there were in the Old Testament, there are still false prophets today. They speak the message they want to convey that will serve their own interests. Often, those messages are used to manipulate, gain control, or seek an ill-gained profit. So, we must be spiritually in tune knowing that a prophetic word will not contradict Scripture. It will not be for an individual’s personal gain. Those who are mature in the faith will be able to discern through prayer and wisdom whether these specific messages are from an earthly or heavenly origin.
Relate it to your life.
Have I heard a prophetic word spoken? How did I respond? Did I believe it or disregard it quickly?
Do something.
Lord Jesus, give me Holy Spirit wisdom to discern the many messages being spoken. Amen.
November 4-Thessalonians-Hope
Write out the Scripture.
1 Thessalonians 5:21b-22, hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil.
Observe what it is saying.
The immediate context for this may refer to the prophecies that are not to be held in contempt but are to be evaluated appropriately. Hold to God’s truth. Reject the lies the enemy propagates. Again, this takes spiritual discernment through God’s gift of wisdom and participation in an authentic Christian community who are sincere in seeking God and His righteousness above everything else. We must cling to all Scripture, prophecies, and practices that reveal the true nature of a follower of Christ. If we find that there is a disconnect between truth and practice, then we cannot, we must not change the truth to accommodate our practice, but we must change our practice to align with the truth. There are many kinds of evil that are spoken and that are acted out. We cannot accept any of them. We must refuse to allow them any influence in our lives and in our children’s lives. As parents, we have the challenging responsibility in the midst of so many voices trying to gain the attention of our kids to stand guard and watch over what they are inputting into their hearts and minds. It is extremely difficult to be a child and youth in this climate. We must pray for and act on their behalf to give them good spiritual guidance so they can walk in the strength of Christ’s character. Home and church must work together to prepare the next generation for the great challenges that are battling for their very souls.
Relate it to your life.
Am I accommodating any evil in my life or family? What do I need to reject? What do I need to embrace?
Do something.
Lord Jesus, make me passionate to cling to all that is good that reflects Your beautiful nature. Amen.
November 5-Thessalonians-Hope
Write out the Scripture.
1 Thessalonians 5:23, May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Observe what it is saying.
Paul offers a beautiful benediction prayer for the Thessalonians. God is identified as the God of peace. God has taken monumental efforts through His Son to bring us peace in our relationship with Him. This is the God he prays who will sanctify you throughout your whole being. To sanctify means to be made holy or to be set apart for God’s eternal purposes in the way we live, think, and talk. Through and through means completely. Paul prays that there is not any area of our lives that is not being brought under Christ’s sovereign leadership. In the same way, he prays that all that we are, (spirit, soul, and body) will be kept without blame so that we will be prepared for the return of our Lord Jesus. To be blameless is to be spiritually clean. This only happens by the shed blood of our Lord Jesus Christ being received as our means of salvation. We cannot live a blameless life by our own strength and power. To be blameless does not mean we never sin but that we trust in the grace of our Lord Jesus for His full redemption to lead us safely to our homecoming with Him. This is such a powerful prayer to pray over ourselves, over our family, and over fellow believers.
Relate it to your life.
Am I praying for myself and others that we will be totally transformed by the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit in every part of our lives?
Do something.
Lord Jesus, I ask that you will sanctify and keep me and all my Christian brothers and sisters blameless until the day we get to see You face to face. Amen.
November 6-Thessalonians-Hope
Write out the Scripture.
1 Thessalonians 5:24, The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.
Observe what it is saying.
In context with yesterday, God sanctifies us. It is far beyond our ability to accomplish such a monumental spiritual work so Paul assures us that our faithful God will make it happen in us. This is what many fail to understand in living out their Christian faith. To become fully transformed followers of Jesus, we surrender ourselves and welcome the Lord Jesus through His Spirit to take over the control of our lives. We cannot “will” our way to a deeper life. Instead of striving to do more, we acknowledge out inability to change ourselves. We humbly come before Jesus and invite His Spirit to do a deeper work in our inner life each day. Jesus invited the weary and burdened who were ceaselessly striving to be good enough to find their rest in Him. This is an invitation that goes beyond our initial salvation. It is a daily act of trust that God alone has the ability to make us into the people He has called us to be. As Paul said, “He will do it.” As we rest and trust totally in His transforming grace, He will change us and make us brand new from deep within. He will renew our spirits and breathe new life into our souls. As this deep inner work is being accomplished, then we will notice, increasingly, our words, our thoughts, and our deeds will reflect the new person we are becoming. So, let’s stop trying harder and rest in His grace to do exactly what He promised He would do to sanctify us and make us blameless for the day that we meet Jesus.
Relate it to your life.
I need to stop striving and learn what it means to rest in God’s grace and welcome His Spirit to change me from the inside out.
Do something.
Lord Jesus, I give myself to You. I surrender my all to You. I invite You to do the sanctifying work in my soul that only You can do. I trust, as I fully offer myself to You, I will become a brand-new person. Amen.
November 7-Thessalonians-Hope
Write out the Scripture.
1 Thessalonians 5:25-28, Brothers and sisters, pray for us. Greet all God’s people with a holy kiss. I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers and sisters. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
Observe what it is saying.
As Paul concludes his letter, he offers some personal remarks to his dearly beloved friends at the church of Thessalonica. Paul is humble enough to ask for prayer. When we do not recognize our spiritual need, pride keeps us from asking others to pray for us. By asking, we recognize that we always have spiritual need and need to be prayed for so we will not be preyed upon. On the other side of this request, there is no greater desire that reveals our trust and love in someone than to ask them to pray for us. Paul wanted to make sure they showed each other the common way of warm hospitality by extending the holy kiss. Paul also wanted the letter to be read to the whole congregation because he knew God was using him to speak directly to their particular spiritual needs. These were not just his words, but the words of heaven coming through him to them. He prayed one final brief benediction that the grace of the Lord Jesus would be with them. It is a reminder that God’s grace not only saves us, but it sanctifies and sustains us. We are always in need of God’s grace until the eyes of Jesus we will see.
Relate it to your life.
How often do I ask others to pray for me? What keeps me from doing so?
Do something.
Lord Jesus, I need You to survive. I am thankful for the gift of prayer. May I be quick to pray for the spiritual needs of others and help me to humble myself so that I ask for the prayer of others. Amen.
Write out the Scripture.
1 Thessalonians 5:19, Do not quench the Spirit.
Observe what it is saying.
The Holy Spirit is the most powerful gift we will ever receive. When we trust in Christ as our Lord and Savior and choose to follow after Him, we are given His presence through the Spirit. The Spirit enlivens us, empowers us, gifts us, convicts us, and leads us. Why would we do anything to put the Spirit’s’ fire out in our lives and in our church? Yet, Paul says do not do so it must have been happening. The question arises how do we quench the Spirit? We do so when we fail to embrace His gifts, when we fail to obey His direction, and do not listen to His correction. We quench the Spirit when we attempt to do supernatural work with natural means. We separate Sunday from the rest of the week. In other words, we have a divided faith that does not recognize that worship and work are to manifest the same love to our Lord. We quench the Spirit when we do not believe that God can use us to accomplish His purposes. We quench the Spirit when we do not rejoice always, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances. In this Scriptural context, as we will see tomorrow, it appears that spiritual gifts may have been limited or even prohibited which leads to a loss of tremendous spiritual benefit. Instead, we should fan into flame the gifts the Holy Spirit gives so that we can fully edify and build up the body of Christ.
Relate it to your life.
I do not want to be a limitation to what the Holy Spirit can do through me or Christ’s church.
Do something.
Lord Jesus, thank You for this beautiful gift of Your Spirit. I confess I have quenched Your Spirit’s work in me, maybe, even in Your church without knowing it. Please forgive me. Fan into flame the Holy Spirit’s fire in me so that I can be spiritually alive. Amen.
November 3-Thessalonians-Hope
Write out the Scripture.
1 Thessalonians 5:20-21a, Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all;
Observe what it is saying.
In light of yesterday’s devotional on not putting out the Spirit’s fire, these verses speak of a specific application of that general teaching concerning the spiritual gift of prophecy. This gift speaks a direct message from God that is applicable to the person or the group that it is being spoken to. Many of these messages are not easy to receive because they speak truth and light into sin and darkness. Such messages are a direct revelation from the Holy Spirit to a person gifted with prophecy and must be spiritually discerned by those who hear it. So, Paul tells us there must be balance in dealing with prophetic words. We must not quickly dismiss them, thereby, disregarding God’s specific message to a person or a congregation. On the other hand, we must not be gullible in believing everything anyone might claim to be a prophecy is actually from God. As there were in the Old Testament, there are still false prophets today. They speak the message they want to convey that will serve their own interests. Often, those messages are used to manipulate, gain control, or seek an ill-gained profit. So, we must be spiritually in tune knowing that a prophetic word will not contradict Scripture. It will not be for an individual’s personal gain. Those who are mature in the faith will be able to discern through prayer and wisdom whether these specific messages are from an earthly or heavenly origin.
Relate it to your life.
Have I heard a prophetic word spoken? How did I respond? Did I believe it or disregard it quickly?
Do something.
Lord Jesus, give me Holy Spirit wisdom to discern the many messages being spoken. Amen.
November 4-Thessalonians-Hope
Write out the Scripture.
1 Thessalonians 5:21b-22, hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil.
Observe what it is saying.
The immediate context for this may refer to the prophecies that are not to be held in contempt but are to be evaluated appropriately. Hold to God’s truth. Reject the lies the enemy propagates. Again, this takes spiritual discernment through God’s gift of wisdom and participation in an authentic Christian community who are sincere in seeking God and His righteousness above everything else. We must cling to all Scripture, prophecies, and practices that reveal the true nature of a follower of Christ. If we find that there is a disconnect between truth and practice, then we cannot, we must not change the truth to accommodate our practice, but we must change our practice to align with the truth. There are many kinds of evil that are spoken and that are acted out. We cannot accept any of them. We must refuse to allow them any influence in our lives and in our children’s lives. As parents, we have the challenging responsibility in the midst of so many voices trying to gain the attention of our kids to stand guard and watch over what they are inputting into their hearts and minds. It is extremely difficult to be a child and youth in this climate. We must pray for and act on their behalf to give them good spiritual guidance so they can walk in the strength of Christ’s character. Home and church must work together to prepare the next generation for the great challenges that are battling for their very souls.
Relate it to your life.
Am I accommodating any evil in my life or family? What do I need to reject? What do I need to embrace?
Do something.
Lord Jesus, make me passionate to cling to all that is good that reflects Your beautiful nature. Amen.
November 5-Thessalonians-Hope
Write out the Scripture.
1 Thessalonians 5:23, May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Observe what it is saying.
Paul offers a beautiful benediction prayer for the Thessalonians. God is identified as the God of peace. God has taken monumental efforts through His Son to bring us peace in our relationship with Him. This is the God he prays who will sanctify you throughout your whole being. To sanctify means to be made holy or to be set apart for God’s eternal purposes in the way we live, think, and talk. Through and through means completely. Paul prays that there is not any area of our lives that is not being brought under Christ’s sovereign leadership. In the same way, he prays that all that we are, (spirit, soul, and body) will be kept without blame so that we will be prepared for the return of our Lord Jesus. To be blameless is to be spiritually clean. This only happens by the shed blood of our Lord Jesus Christ being received as our means of salvation. We cannot live a blameless life by our own strength and power. To be blameless does not mean we never sin but that we trust in the grace of our Lord Jesus for His full redemption to lead us safely to our homecoming with Him. This is such a powerful prayer to pray over ourselves, over our family, and over fellow believers.
Relate it to your life.
Am I praying for myself and others that we will be totally transformed by the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit in every part of our lives?
Do something.
Lord Jesus, I ask that you will sanctify and keep me and all my Christian brothers and sisters blameless until the day we get to see You face to face. Amen.
November 6-Thessalonians-Hope
Write out the Scripture.
1 Thessalonians 5:24, The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.
Observe what it is saying.
In context with yesterday, God sanctifies us. It is far beyond our ability to accomplish such a monumental spiritual work so Paul assures us that our faithful God will make it happen in us. This is what many fail to understand in living out their Christian faith. To become fully transformed followers of Jesus, we surrender ourselves and welcome the Lord Jesus through His Spirit to take over the control of our lives. We cannot “will” our way to a deeper life. Instead of striving to do more, we acknowledge out inability to change ourselves. We humbly come before Jesus and invite His Spirit to do a deeper work in our inner life each day. Jesus invited the weary and burdened who were ceaselessly striving to be good enough to find their rest in Him. This is an invitation that goes beyond our initial salvation. It is a daily act of trust that God alone has the ability to make us into the people He has called us to be. As Paul said, “He will do it.” As we rest and trust totally in His transforming grace, He will change us and make us brand new from deep within. He will renew our spirits and breathe new life into our souls. As this deep inner work is being accomplished, then we will notice, increasingly, our words, our thoughts, and our deeds will reflect the new person we are becoming. So, let’s stop trying harder and rest in His grace to do exactly what He promised He would do to sanctify us and make us blameless for the day that we meet Jesus.
Relate it to your life.
I need to stop striving and learn what it means to rest in God’s grace and welcome His Spirit to change me from the inside out.
Do something.
Lord Jesus, I give myself to You. I surrender my all to You. I invite You to do the sanctifying work in my soul that only You can do. I trust, as I fully offer myself to You, I will become a brand-new person. Amen.
November 7-Thessalonians-Hope
Write out the Scripture.
1 Thessalonians 5:25-28, Brothers and sisters, pray for us. Greet all God’s people with a holy kiss. I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers and sisters. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
Observe what it is saying.
As Paul concludes his letter, he offers some personal remarks to his dearly beloved friends at the church of Thessalonica. Paul is humble enough to ask for prayer. When we do not recognize our spiritual need, pride keeps us from asking others to pray for us. By asking, we recognize that we always have spiritual need and need to be prayed for so we will not be preyed upon. On the other side of this request, there is no greater desire that reveals our trust and love in someone than to ask them to pray for us. Paul wanted to make sure they showed each other the common way of warm hospitality by extending the holy kiss. Paul also wanted the letter to be read to the whole congregation because he knew God was using him to speak directly to their particular spiritual needs. These were not just his words, but the words of heaven coming through him to them. He prayed one final brief benediction that the grace of the Lord Jesus would be with them. It is a reminder that God’s grace not only saves us, but it sanctifies and sustains us. We are always in need of God’s grace until the eyes of Jesus we will see.
Relate it to your life.
How often do I ask others to pray for me? What keeps me from doing so?
Do something.
Lord Jesus, I need You to survive. I am thankful for the gift of prayer. May I be quick to pray for the spiritual needs of others and help me to humble myself so that I ask for the prayer of others. Amen.
Posted in Daily Devotionals