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…

The Encouragement Letter, Day 2 As a father. Read 1 Thessalonians chapter 2. Paul is retelling the story of his first encounter with the Thessalonians. Paul wants the people to understand exactly how things started from his perspective. He saw their need, but Paul was in a difficult situation himself. Now, the people were still going through difficulties and problems themselves and they didn’t know exactly how to deal with them. Paul wants the people to know that he sees them through everything, and he has been so impressed with the way which they had conducted themselves and how they continued to encourage him. Paul encourages the people just like…

The Encouragement Letter, Day 1 Received the message with power. Read 1 Thessalonians chapter 1. Paul wrote this letter based on the report that he had heard back about how well the believers in Thessalonica were doing. He wanted to praise them for the report he had heard. He wanted to thank them for all that they were doing. And, he wanted to encourage them to keep it up. We all need a little encouragement every so often. It’s great to be reminded that people know who we are, they see what we’re doing, and they believe in us. We don’t do enough of that type of encouragement. As believers…