Monday, June 22,
2015, 9:00 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “Trust Him.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read 2 Thessalonians 1 (ESV).
Steadfastness (vv.
1-4)
Paul,
Silvanus, and Timothy,
To
the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
Grace
to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
We
ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your
faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another
is increasing. Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God
for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the
afflictions that you are enduring.
Is your faith growing abundantly? How does it grow? How does
mine grow? The Bible teaches that we grow in our faith through being in intimate
relationship with Jesus Christ, and by his Spirit within us, teaching, guiding,
counseling, encouraging, instructing, convicting, empowering and strengthening
us in our walks of faith. We grow in our faith as we abide in Christ, and his
word abides in us. We increase in faith as we daily spend time with Jesus
Christ, at his feet, studying his Word, listening to him speak, talking with
him in prayer, and obeying what he teaches us (See: Eph. 2:20-21; Col. 2:18-19).
We also grow in our faith through our relationship with the
body of Christ, and through each part doing its work. We help one another to
grow to maturity in Christ, as well, when we speak with one another the truth
in love (Eph. 4:15-16). Also, when we go through times of hardship, affliction,
trouble and distress, these trials help to mature us and to strengthen us in
our walks of faith (Ro. 5:3-5; Phil. 3:7-11; 1 Pet. 1:6-7; 4:12-17; 1 Thess.
3:1-5; Jas. 1:2-4; Matt. 5:10-12; Lu. 21:12-19; 2 Co. 1:3-11). I know that when
I go through difficult times, it draws me closer to Christ, and to greater
dependency on him, and through these trials I gain a greater understanding of
who Christ is in relationship to his people.
Are we steadfast in faith in all our persecutions, and in
the afflictions we are enduring? Are we putting our trust in the Lord Jesus
through all these things, or are we giving way to our emotions? I can tell you
that I don’t always feel like serving the Lord. Sometimes I just get tired,
discouraged and disheartened. I wouldn’t ever stop, mind you, but I’m just
being honest here. I am not a rock. I am real flesh and blood. I get hurt. I
cry. I get angry sometimes. Sometimes I just cry out to God, because I just
need understanding of what is going on so that I know how to pray, and how to
act, and how to respond. I don’t have it all together. I am a clay vessel in
the Potter’s hands. I don’t have answers for everything. I must depend on my
Lord moment by moment and day by day for the strength and the will power to
keep going, and to keep doing what he has called me to do. It gets really hard
sometimes. And, lonely, too. But, there isn’t anything else I would rather do.
When Jesus is
Revealed (vv. 5-10)
This
is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy
of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering— since indeed God
considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant
relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is
revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting
vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel
of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away
from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on
that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who
have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.
God will repay with affliction those who afflict us, though
it may not be in our lifetime. I do not wish for this. I am not interested in
people getting their due, i.e. I don’t want to punish people. I just want to
see people come to faith in Jesus Christ, and for Christians who have wandered
off to be brought back and to follow the Lord in obedience. Yet, I know that
God disciplines those he loves, because sometimes we need it to correct wrong
thinking or wrong behavior. Sometimes it is meant merely for our training in
righteousness. As well, I know he is a God of justice, and that judgment must
come, which I believe will produce new salvations and a revived church, yet I
know that not all will be saved, and that breaks my heart. I don’t want to see
anyone go to hell, no matter how many evil things they have done. God is not
willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
I do so look forward, though, to being relieved of my
suffering, when Jesus Christ returns for his bride, and when he comes in
judgment on those who have not believed in Jesus Christ, and who thus do not
know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. So, what
is meant by “who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus”? What does it mean
to obey the gospel? What is the gospel? What part of it must we obey?
Jesus said that if anyone would come after him, he must deny
himself, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin) and follow (obey) him. He
said if we hold on to our old lives of sin, we will lose them for eternity, but
if we willingly die with Christ to sin, we will gain eternal life. He said his
sheep (his followers) know his voice, they listen to him, and they follow
(obey) him, and they will not be snatched out of God’s hand. Paul said that
coming to Christ means we put off our former way of life of living for sin and
self, we are renewed in the spirit of our minds, and we put on the new self, “created
after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (See Eph.
4:17-24; Lu. 9:23-25; Jn. 10:27-30).
Paul, as moved along by the Holy Spirit, said that there is
no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not according to
the flesh, but according to the Spirit. They are those in whom all the
righteous requirements of the law will be met (or will be fulfilled). He said
that if we live according to the flesh, we will die, but if by the Spirit we
put to death the deeds of the flesh, we will live. Jesus died that we might die
to sin and live to righteousness. He died that we might no longer live for
ourselves but for him who gave himself up for us. God’s grace teaches us to say
“No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright
and godly lives while we wait for Christ’s return (See Tit. 2:11-14; Ro.
8:1-14; 2 Co. 5:15 & 1 Pet. 2:24-25).
So, to obey the gospel means we must die to sin so we can
live to righteousness. It means we must turn from our sin and turn to walk in
obedience to Christ. It means we conduct our lives no longer according to the
flesh, but according to the Spirit, putting to death the deeds of our sinful
flesh. If we claim to have fellowship with God, but we continue to conduct our
lives in the darkness, we are liars, and we don’t live by the truth. If we say
we know God or that we love God, but we don’t keep his word, then we are liars,
as well. We must repent of our sin, and we must turn to follow (obey) Jesus
Christ with our lives. This is true faith. And, true grace delivers us out of
bondage to (the control of) sin over our lives.
To This End (vv.
11-12 NASB)
To this end
also we pray
for you always, that our God will count you
worthy of your calling,
and fulfill every desire for goodness and
the work
of faith with power, so that the name of our
Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of
our God and the Lord Jesus
Christ.
In other scriptures we have read, we have been instructed
that we must conduct our lives in a manner worthy of the calling we have
received from God (Eph. 4:1; Phil. 1:27; Col. 1:10; 1 Thess. 2:12). Now here is
a prayer that God will regard us worthy (commendable) of our calling. I believe
this is a reference back to the beginning of this passage where it talks of how
the believers were growing abundantly in faith, increasing in love, one for the
other, and were steadfast in faith in all their afflictions and persecutions. Literally,
to be regarded as worthy means “to reckon as worthy, matching value to actual
substance – i.e. worth as it corresponds to reality” (biblehub.com). In other
words, their faith in action was an indication of the genuineness of their
relationship with Jesus Christ, which was accomplished in their lives all in
the power of the Spirit of God within them, as they surrendered to Christ.
The prayer, I believe, is primarily that the genuineness of
our faith in Jesus Christ, as a present reality, will be evidenced by how we
conduct our lives in the Spirit, and no longer according to the flesh. It is a
prayer that God will fulfill in our lives every desire of his for goodness and
faith, by his power working in and through our lives for his glory and honor
and praise. We can’t do this in our own flesh. We can only do this in the power
and working of the Spirit within us, as we cooperate fully with his work of
grace in our lives. The goal of all of this is that the name of Jesus will be
glorified in our lives, and us in him. So, we must not give up, but we must be
steadfast in faith and persevere in all affliction, so that we will be counted
worthy by God of the calling we have received.
Trust Him / An
Original Work / August 15, 2012
Based off Psalm 27:14
Wait for the Lord; be of courage;
Be strong and take heart today.
Do not fear when foes attack you.
Trust in God always.
He will rescue you in times
Of trouble and distress,
He’ll comfort you in all ways
As you trust Him with your life today.
Trust in Him always.
God is with you; He’ll not leave you.
You can always count on Him.
He will fulfill all He promised
Before you began.
His word teaches you
All that you need for this life.
Let Him lead you. Open your heart;
Let his truth envelope you today.
Listen and obey.
Love your Lord God; follow Jesus.
Repent of your sins today.
Make Him your Lord and your master;
Trust Him and obey.
Follow Him where’er He leads you
In His service; be His witness,
Telling others about Jesus’
Price that He did pay
For your sins always.
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