Joey's Journal - September 8, 2006 - 1 Thessalonians 4 (Part 1)
Heavenly Father I thank You for the protection You have given to me and my family. Thank You for the provision to our needs and for the guidance You have given us to the right path. I give You all honor and glory for the blessings bestowed in my life. May I always remember to trust Your ways and to obey Your will for I long to be standing in Your Holy Presence. I give You my works, joys and sufferings of this day and hope that they will be of delight to You. All these I pray in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
My Reading - 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12
Part 1 : Live to Please God
(1)Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. (2)For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.
(3)It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; (4)that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, (5)not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; (6)and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. (7)For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. (8)Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.
(9)Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. (10)And in fact, you do love all the brothers throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers, to do so more and more.
(11)Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, (12)so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.
My Reflection - Why does Apostle Paul clearly identify for the church of Thessalonica ‘to keep clear of sexual sin’? In this way, he says ‘you will control your body and live in holiness and honor – not in lustful passion as non-believers do’. He wants them to be holy and pure, perfect and acceptable to God. Because God is holy and perfect, Paul wants the people to be holy and perfect when they stand in God’s presence. I can only guess that sexual sin was prevalent in Thessalonica during those times as it is in our times and that is why Paul zeros in on it. How can we be holy and pure in the eyes of the Lord? Avoid sexual sin and successfully control our bodies from these thoughts and desires. Also related to sexual sin, he warns of taking another brother’s wife, in v6’ and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him’ I believe Paul’s message applies to the opposite gender too, ‘taking a Christian sister’s husband.’ This is another sexual sin that is so rampant nowadays. Most of us are not able to control our sinful desires. God created sex for procreation and pleasure, and as expression of love between a husband and wife. Sexual experience must be limited to the marriage relationship to avoid hurting ourselves, others and our relationship with God. And, if we reject this, he paints a warning that ‘the Lord will punish us for all such sins.’ Paul warns that taking another Christian’s wife or husband will be avenged by God.
There is more to Christian living than simply loving other Christians. We must be responsible in other areas of life. Paul probably saw that some of the Christians in Thessalonica had adopted a life of idleness, depending on others for handouts. He instructed them in this letter to work hard and live a quiet life. We, as Christians, can’t be effective in sharing our faith with others if they don’t respect you.
My Prayer - Sovereign Lord, thank You for Your wisdom to reflect on 1 Thessalonians and record Your imparted Word. May we receive the strength and the grace from You to love one another more and more and following the real meaning of love and not lustful love. May we grow more focused on how Jesus loved when He was on earth, without reservation or condition. Father, may You continue to remind us to be pure and holy in our walk with You. Grant all these prayers in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
This is the part 1 of 2.
See the part 2 of this Article here.
by Joey B.
My Reading - 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12
Part 1 : Live to Please God
(1)Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. (2)For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.
(3)It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; (4)that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, (5)not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; (6)and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. (7)For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. (8)Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.
(9)Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. (10)And in fact, you do love all the brothers throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers, to do so more and more.
(11)Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, (12)so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.
My Reflection - Why does Apostle Paul clearly identify for the church of Thessalonica ‘to keep clear of sexual sin’? In this way, he says ‘you will control your body and live in holiness and honor – not in lustful passion as non-believers do’. He wants them to be holy and pure, perfect and acceptable to God. Because God is holy and perfect, Paul wants the people to be holy and perfect when they stand in God’s presence. I can only guess that sexual sin was prevalent in Thessalonica during those times as it is in our times and that is why Paul zeros in on it. How can we be holy and pure in the eyes of the Lord? Avoid sexual sin and successfully control our bodies from these thoughts and desires. Also related to sexual sin, he warns of taking another brother’s wife, in v6’ and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him’ I believe Paul’s message applies to the opposite gender too, ‘taking a Christian sister’s husband.’ This is another sexual sin that is so rampant nowadays. Most of us are not able to control our sinful desires. God created sex for procreation and pleasure, and as expression of love between a husband and wife. Sexual experience must be limited to the marriage relationship to avoid hurting ourselves, others and our relationship with God. And, if we reject this, he paints a warning that ‘the Lord will punish us for all such sins.’ Paul warns that taking another Christian’s wife or husband will be avenged by God.
There is more to Christian living than simply loving other Christians. We must be responsible in other areas of life. Paul probably saw that some of the Christians in Thessalonica had adopted a life of idleness, depending on others for handouts. He instructed them in this letter to work hard and live a quiet life. We, as Christians, can’t be effective in sharing our faith with others if they don’t respect you.
My Prayer - Sovereign Lord, thank You for Your wisdom to reflect on 1 Thessalonians and record Your imparted Word. May we receive the strength and the grace from You to love one another more and more and following the real meaning of love and not lustful love. May we grow more focused on how Jesus loved when He was on earth, without reservation or condition. Father, may You continue to remind us to be pure and holy in our walk with You. Grant all these prayers in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
This is the part 1 of 2.
See the part 2 of this Article here.
by Joey B.
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Joey's Journal
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