Past Devotions

Paul, in his letter to the Thessalonians, addresses the confusion these young converts had regarding the Parousia, the Coming of the Lord, and what happens to those believers who die before that event. He begins, “Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant….” He wants these young converts to understand. As we read chapter 4, verses 13-18, we find great truths that are the basis of our hope—truths that we also need to understand.

First: Our hope rests securely in what Christ did for us. “We believe that Jesus died and rose again.”  If our faith is placed securely in Christ and Calvary, then we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have died in him. When a believer dies their soul is safe in Christ. For the believer death has lost its power. The body may be committed to the ground until it is raised to a glorious body at the resurrection, but the soul and spirit of a believer go into the presence of their Savior, and when the Savior returns, all the souls that rest IN Him will be WITH Him.

Second: We who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. In fact, later in this same passage Paul says that the dead in Christ will rise first, and after that, we who are still alive will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. The dead first, then the living, but all with the Lord in the air at His Coming!

Third: As Jesus promised, He will return, and it will be fast and swift. “The Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God.”  The Lord Himself will return—not an intermediary, not an angel delegate. He will come with a shout, like the shout of a charioteer at his horses. He will come with the voice of the archangel. He will come with the trumpet call of God. But make no mistake—HE WILL COME!

Come, Jesus Come!

1Thessalonians contains the most beautiful passage on the Coming of the Lord. The passage begins with the words, “And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen,” and ends with the words, “So encourage each other with these words.” [4:13-18 NLT]

Paul wants his young converts to understand the truth about the Lord’s return and for that truth to be used as an encouragement. One truth contained in this passage, however, is often used not as an encouragement, but as a rebuke—that we are to “not grieve like people who have no hope.”  [vs 13 NLT]

Those words have often been used as a reprimand for the outward manifestations of grief, the sadness, tears, and shock expressed by hurting Christians. Paul does not say we are not to grieve. Grief is a normal journey of healing; without it we cannot move from devastation. Tears, sadness, loneliness, depression, denial, and much more are all part of grief.

What Paul does say is that believers are not to grieve like people WHO HAVE NO HOPE. Believers are to grieve WITH HOPE. We may not fully understand all that happens after death or have a complete knowledge of the other side of the veil, but we have hope, and our hope is not just wishful thinking that somewhere out in the great beyond is a “better place.” Our hope has an anchor.

The writer of the Book of Hebrews says that we have this hope in the certainty of God’s promises as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. That hope reaches behind the curtain where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf and become our High Priest.  [Hebrews 6:18-20]

We grieve as those whose hope is set secure in Jesus, our High Priest. God’s promises are certain. And when we grieve, we grieve with SURE HOPE.

Another small break from my stroll through 1Thessalonians. Bob and I are celebrating our 59^th wedding anniversary today. Fifty-nine years is hard to believe as it seems like we just started on this journey a few years ago. We will celebrate quietly, probably an early dinner at Texas Roadhouse since that is Bob’s favorite place to go.

As a couple we have lived in 22 different houses or apartments, starting life together in California and now spending our “golden years” in Idaho.

We have three beautiful children. We love their spouses. We have seven grandchildren and one great. We love and enjoy each one.

Life has not always been easy. We are definitely taking advantage of our marriage vows. We have experienced “for better or worse,” and “for richer or poorer,” and are now living in the “in sickness and in health” part.

We fought fiercely and loved the same way. We joke that we never considered divorce but did on occasion “consult hitmen.”

Through it all – the better and worse, the richer and poorer and the sickness and health – God’s grace has carried us. I heartily agree with that thought expressed in the beautiful song “The Goodness of God,” “all my life I have lived in the goodness of God.”

Thank you Jesus!

In Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians, Paul begins a passage in Chapter 4:13 about “The Parousia” or “The Coming of the Lord.” The Greek word “Parousia” simply means presence with and indicates an arrival. In the New Testament the word came to be the standard word for the Coming of Christ.

In Acts 1, following His crucifixion, death, burial, and resurrection, Jesus appeared to his disciples for a period of 40 days. During that time, he talked to them about the kingdom of God. When 40 days ended, these disciples watched as Jesus “was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight,” and suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them and told them that “this same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” [1:9,11]

This letter to the Thessalonians is one of the earliest written, and these young converts were probably anticipating the soon return of their Lord. Unfortunately, as they waited, some had died. Now they were confused. What would happen to those who died before the Lord’s return? Would they miss out on glory?

Paul clarifies the Coming of the Lord, and what happens to believers who die before His return in one of the most beautiful, most quoted, and often MIS-quoted passages ever written. Reflect on his words for they have great meaning for us today as we too are anticipating His Soon Coming.

“And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died. We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. So encourage each other with these words.” [4:13-18 NLT]

Come, Jesus Come!

Before I went to bed, I was listening to “Come, Jesus Come,” sung by CeCe Winans. That song seemed so timely after all the news coming out of the Middle East.

That took me back to Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians; a letter that is full of praise and cheer, encouragement and thanksgiving for young converts who were models to all believers in the way they embraced Christ and were walking in their faith.

While there is no condemnation of sin or correction of wrong doctrine in this letter, there is a small clarification Paul needs to make along with a simple warning. The clarification is about what has become known as the “Parousia” or the “Coming of the Lord.” The warning is simple – always remain alert.

The word “Parousia” in the Greek simply means “presence with” and indicates an arrival. Paul used it for the first time in the New Testament in this letter in 2:19: “For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes (parousia)?” and he uses it again in 3:13 “May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes (parousia) with all his holy ones.”  [NLT]

While the word “Parousia” may also be used to denote the “presence with” or arrival of others, in the New Testament it became the standard word for the Second Coming of our Lord.

Hopefully today!

Come, Jesus Come!

Friday one of my “Verse of the Day” emails contained the verses Romans 5:6-8. Those verses never cease to amaze me. They always make me stop and think, always the same thought, “Why me?”

“When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” [NLT]

If you have read these devotions for any length of time, you are aware how often I quote this verse, how often I talk about the marvel of God’s love and salvation. I love this NLT translation…. “at just the right time” … “someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good” … “But God…”

 I was a difficult child and a rebellious teenager. As a young woman I was confused and acted out in many unhealthy ways. I have never been that “person who is especially good” that someone might be willing to die for.

“But God …” sent Christ to die for me while I was still a sinner. That “Why me?” question is always an impetus to gratitude and thanksgiving.

I don’t know the answer to “Why Me?” but I am eternally grateful that God loves me and Christ died for me.

I’m taking a small break from my wandering through Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians. I have been watching The Master’s Golf Tournament and marveling at how beautiful August National Golf Course is. The rolling green fairways, the walking bridges, the flowers. It reminds me that God has surrounded us with beauty. He has given us a world full of delights and wonders that display His love and workmanship.

“The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship.” [Psalm 19:1 NLT]

Now that I am “pushing 80,” I have more opportunities to “stop and smell the roses.” I am not usually on a collision course with a demanding schedule. There is so much to be thankful for – things that I may not have taken the time to bask in when I was young and busy.

At the same time, I tire easily and aches and pain often accompany my day. Life can get harder as we age – at least it has for me. I had a particularly difficult day this past week, but as I was listening to the song “Jesus Have It All,” one small section ministered to my heart. “Have all my days, Take all my life, Have it all, ay, Yes, all my days, And all my life, Have it all, oh, Oh Jesus, have it all.”

I don’t have many days ahead of me compared to what is behind me. I need to make sure that I use as many as I can to not just “stop and smell the roses,” but to keep walking with Him wherever He leads. All my days.

In Paul first letter to the Thessalonians, He praised his converts for their Christian walk, the way they had embraced the Gospel as the true word of God, the way their faith produced works, their love prompted labor and the way they had endured persecution. He instructed them how to live to please God, and they were living just that way.

Even though these young converts were living to please God and doing a good job of it, Paul wanted them not to settle for where they were but to press on in their walk with Christ. In 4:1 he praises them for the good job they are doing and then goes on, “Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more.”  [v1 NLT]

They are to become even more dedicated, even more sensitive to the ways of God. They are to sharpen their commitment. They are to win more spiritual victories. They are to move into a stronger relationship with their God. They are to be more steadfast, more resolute in the face of persecution. This isn’t just a mere continuation of what they were already doing; it was an expansion and deepening of their passion to follow Christ.

At the end of the previous chapter, Paul had prayed for these young believers, “May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you.” Increase and overflow. Abound more and more. [3:12 NLT]

This life in Christ is described as a “walk.”  That signifies to me that we are never to rest on our laurels, never to grow so satisfied, so content, that we stop, but always strive to press onward in Christ, abounding more and more.

I am always touched by the way Paul ministered to the young converts in Thessalonica. In 1 Thessalonians, Chapter 2, Paul writes, “As you know, like a father with his own children, we encouraged, comforted, and implored each one of you to walk worthy of God, who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.” [vs 11-12 NLT]

What a beautiful picture of both godly fatherhood and godly ministry. First setting an example of holiness, righteousness, and blamelessness. Then encouraging, comforting, and urging others to live lives worthy of God.

The highest calling of every Christian is to live a life worthy of the God who called them. So often we lose track of that. We think our calling is to a specific talent or work, but in truth, our calling is to live our lives worthy of God in every way. Whatever we do, whatever we say, wherever we go, it is always with the thought to be worthy of God.

Paul is encouraged upon seeing their steadfastness even amid the persecution that arose because of their decision to follow Christ. The one who first preached the Gospel to them by encouraging, comforting, and urging them to a worthy life, is now receiving back from them encouragement, comfort and an urging to press on even more in his own ministry.

“For now we live, if you stand firm in the Lord. How can we thank God for you in return for all the joy we experience before our God because of you.” [3:6-9 NLT]

There is something beautiful about the exchange of encouragement that happens when we lift and help others along in their Christian walk – what we receive back strengthens us in our own walk.