The Encouragement Letter, Day 12 The final encouragement. Read 1 Thessalonians 5:23-28. As Paul concludes his letter, we see that he is giving one final piece of encouragement to the people. He reminds them that God has promised to do great and amazing things for them, and that God is faithful and will do what he has promised. That may be the most encouraging thing of all. We can understand that God will work and move and accomplish everything that he has promised to do. We can trust God in everything. We can rely on God’s faithfulness. Are we willing to trust and wait on God to do all that…

The Encouragement Letter, Day 11 The checklist, part 2. Read 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22. Well, yesterday’s checklist may seem to be more straightforward than today’s checklist. But, the checklist for today is no less important. When we read through these few verses, we see Paul putting together more important characteristics that also go with the Christian life. We are not to quench the spirit. We are to be seeking the Holy Spirit and allowing him free reign in our life, so that God’s spirit can move and dwell and work through us. We are to be careful with prophecies and to test them. We should not just take a prophecy at…

The Encouragement Letter, Day 10 The checklist. Read 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. Many times in the Christian life, we would just like a checklist. We think, “Just tell us what we need to do, so that we can get busy doing it.” While the Christian life cannot be reduced down to a simple checklist, we do find certain areas of scripture where God gives quick hit lists of things that we need to remember on a regular basis. These next several verses are just that. These first three verses are simple, short, and yet incredibly complex to actually do. We are to rejoice, always. We are to pray without ceasing, and…

The Encouragement Letter, Day 8 Know who you are from. Read 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11. We are children of the light. Paul wants to make sure that we all know and understand where we are from. We come from the light and we represent the light. Everything that we do should represent the light. Some people who are from the light try to act like the darkness and occasionally the opposite as well. We must recognize who we are and live in the light because we are from the light. Video devotional here: https://youtu.be/DyJol4kAYNY

The Encouragement Letter, Day 7 There is hope in death. Read 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. Paul gives another level of encouragement to his friends in Thessalonia. He wants them to understand that for those believers who have already died, there is hope for them because of Christ’s resurrection. We can know that we will be resurrected with him. There is eternal life. Paul wants the people to remember that they don’t have to grieve death, the way people grieve when they don’t believe in Christ. Those people who do not believe have no hope. In Christ, we have all hope. He is our hope, and we can rest in him. We…

The Encouragement Letter, Day 6 Be respectful and resourceful. Read 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12. As Paul continues to encourage the believers, he wants them to realize that they have the ability to be respectful to everyone. Paul wants them to understand the importance of being a good influence to the world that they are around. Everywhere are people who are trying to live their lives, but they aren’t following the same moral values that Christians follow. Paul wants people to be set apart. He wants them to truly understand that they are different, and they should be recognized as different. Are we encouraging each other? And are we living our lives…

The Encouragement Letter, Day 5 Don’t take it personally. Read 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8. Paul continues his encouragement to the Thessalonians, and here we see him giving them some additional teaching. He reminds them of some of the truths of God’s word, and then goes on to tell them that people who don’t accept their teaching are actually not rejecting them. They are rejecting God. Paul wants the people to understand that if they are trying to teach someone about Christ, and that person doesn’t accept it, they shouldn’t take it personally. The person is not rejecting them. The person is rejecting Christ. This still applies today. We can go through…

The Encouragement Letter, Day 4 What is our motivation? Read 1 Thessalonians 3:6-12. Paul now shares with the people the results of Timothy’s visit to them. Paul was so encouraged by everything that he had learned. Paul was so thankful to them for their steadfast faith, and for how they were living for Christ. Paul praised them for the great report and he reminded them that their obedience was part of Paul’s motivation. Paul wanted the people to know and understand God, seek after him, and obey him. The reason Paul did what he did was to see people like the Thessalonians continue to stand fast for God. What motivates…

The Encouragement Letter, Day 3 A need to know. Read 1 Thessalonians 3:1-5. Paul has been writing about this history of his interactions with this church. Paul reminisces that he was worried about them. He wanted to know what had happened to them and how they were doing. He needed to know. Sharing encouragement comes in many forms. Sometimes it is telling people that they are awesome. Sometimes it is reminding them to do the right things. And other times, it’s simply reaching out and saying “you were on my mind and I wanted to check in. Is everything ok?” God used Paul to be this for the Thessalonians. Who…