Are You Worthy of God’s Call On Your Life?
Good Morning Friends,
Today’s scripture is in response to the self doubts of the Thessalonians, for they were afraid that their faith would not stand the test. Their pessimism was turned around with wise praise so that they might fight for the desire to do better. Here ultimately the glory of Christ is in those who have learned to endure and to conquer and the shine a light in dark places. We have been given the tremendous privilege and responsibility that Christ’s glory can live in us. Are You Worthy of God’s Call On Your Life?
Scripture: 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 must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of everyone of you for one another is increasing. Therefore we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith during all your persecutions and the afflictions that you are enduring. This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, and is intended to make you worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering. For it is indeed just of God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to give relief to the 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. These will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, separated from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes to be glorified by his saints and to be marveled at on that day among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. To this end we always pray for you, asking that our God will make you worthy of his call and will fulfill by his power every good resolve and work of faith, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Thessalonians 1:1-12 (NRSV)
Message: A few months after writing his first letter to them, Paul, or at least some think it was Paul, writes a second letter to the Christians at Thessalonica. But why so soon and how is all this related to the calling of these people and how they were measuring up to the challenge of the faith? The easy answer is that the persecution had intensified. People were confused about false communications being sent to them and some had even quit their jobs to wait for Jesus. And because of the persecution and confusion they felt that God was displeased with them. Friends, let us face this reality, when bad things happen to good people our feeling are often confused. But our emotions and religious myths of about pleased and displeased deities can be misleading. Even Christians, when things go wrong, sometimes feel like God is punishing us, but that is not what is happening even though we might feel it is so. We, as the Thessalonians, carry this learned emotion into or faith expression. We may think that our suffering is a sign of a displeased God and our good behavior is to earn us reward and bad behavior is to earn us pain, but it is not always so. Such was the situation for the Thessalonians. The truth is that we can be pleasing God while everything around us seems to be going wrong. But the message here is that we can and must live up to the challenge in these situations and that our lives, in times of trials, will be an encouragement to others if they see that God is faithful when times get tough. Suffering is to be seen here as manifest evidence that God was working in the lives of Christians. Really would God love us very much if we were never given any challenges in our lives? I think not. So, welcome the challenges of life for in them is a hidden reward designed to bring us into a closer relationship with God and the plan of salvation. Know that we became targets for Satan when we were saved. Know that only when our faith is tried, our worth will be revealed. Know that in the end God is just and will be righteous and that our challenges are not unfair at all.
Pray life strengthens us to prepare us for what is to come. Pray we realize that a problem-free, trouble-free, care-free Christian life is impossible. Pray we are worthy of the high calling of being Christians. Pray we know that our trials and tribulations are blessings in disguise. Pray we hold fast to the truth. Pray we keep steady and remain faithful. Pray we resolve that the desire given to us by the Spirit to do good be revealed to others. Pray the God of Abraham, Jacob and Joseph dwell in us, as well as the promise given to them. Pray we join Jesus in the glory of the divine plan of salvation.
Blessings,
John Lawson
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