What is God’s will for me? I’ve been asked that question by countless people and I’ve asked it myself on several occasions. In 1 Thessalonians 5:15-18 we find the answer. God’s will for each one of us is that we rejoice always, pray continually, and give thanks. I realize that most of us want something more specific than that, yet if we can’t even be obedient with these things, why should God share more with us? If we will start with these three things in our life, we will find ourselves aligning more and more with the will of God in our lives. Do our lives consist of rejoicing, praying,…

Recognition. In the professional world, this concept is of vital importance. People will explain how recognition relates to retention and engagement, and a host of other statistics. Interestingly, Paul talks about it in the church. In 1 Thessalonians 5:12-14, Paul talks about the importance of admonishing and encouraging people for the work they do. Do we thank people? Do we take the time to revognize and appreciate those in our Christian walk who push us and help us grow? Paul is very clear that we are to admonish each other in love. Who do we need to spend time recognizing and encouraging today?

We have a job to do. In 1 Thessalonians 5:6-11, Paul explains that we are to get busy. We don’t have time to be lazy or to mess around. God has us here for a purpose and we must stay focused on the job he has for us. It can be easy to get distracted from our real purpose and Paul mentions some distractions that can be a problem, but at the end of the day, God has provided us tools and armor to help us get the job done and help us be successful. Will we use them? As seen in yesterday’s devotion, time is short and we never…

Hope. In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 we see 2 of the most powerful emotions side by side, grief and hope. Often we don’t think of the hope there is in the grief. When we experience death of loved one in our life, the grief can feel overwhelming. Paul knew this and he knew that the people were struggling with this very grief. People they knew and loved had died. How can they move on? What does this mean for that person. Paul clarified how we, as believers in Jesus Christ can have hope in the midst of grief. Jesus will raise them up in the last days. They will still receive…

We are to love others. In 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12 we see Paul commending the people because of their love for others. They already know that they should be showing love to all people and they are doing that. Paul goes on to tell them to excel even more. Take the love even farther. If we were to love others with the love of Christ even more than we do now, what would that look like? Do we seek to grow in our love of God and demonstrate it even more today than yesterday?

Are we in control? Reading through 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8, it becomes very clear that we need to ask ourselves who is actually in control of our lives. God desires that we be disciplined in what we do and how we do it. What are we thinking about? How are we acting? These are questions that God asks of us and as His children, we are to represent Him in all areas. Do we take control of our thoughts and actions, or are we allowing ourselves to be swept along to believe and act in whatever way we desire? Continue to follow God in all that He desires for us.

How do you pray for others? It can be very easy to fall in to the notion of just praying for little things for people. Do we really lray for them to groe in faith and to deepen their knowledge of Christ? Paul prayed deep prayers for the people he wrote. We see one of these in 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13. As we look at the prayer, would we have the courage and boldness to pray that for others? Would we pray that for ourselves? Do we really want our hearts established without blame in holiness?  What would that look like in our lives? I know I neef God to do…

What encourages and drives us? For Paul, it is clearly the fath and walk of those around him. In 1 Thessalonians 3:6-10, we see him sharing how he is so focused on others and how much he really is encouraged by hearing of the consistent faith of the people. Are we really focused on others? We’ll be able to tell in the way we are lifted up an encouraged by their journey with Christ. Are we focusing on lifting others up? Do we see their success as an extension of our own?

When we go through difficult times, how do we respond? In 1 Thessalonians 3:1-5 we see something very interesting. Paul was experiencing suffering, which was really not unusual. However, instead of being concerned for himself, we see Paul much more worried about the new believers in Thessalonica suffering as well. He was so concerned that he sent Timothy to them to check on them and see how they were doing. When we experience difficulty and suffering, generally we tend to think about ourselves first. We want to understand how we can lessen our suffering, or encourage ourselves. Not Paul. Paul was more concerned about how the people were going through…