1 Thess
5:11 Therefore encourage one another
and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. NIV
It seems to
me that we sometimes make our lives with the Lord overcomplicated. After all,
we read the Bible and don’t always understand it. We don’t always know what God
wants us to do in situations. We struggle with obedience to His commands and
sometimes, may even be confused about what His commands actually are.
When you
start feeling this way, it is good to get back to basics. In chapter 5 of 1st
Thessalonians, the Apostle Paul summarized how we should live as Christians. It
really isn’t as complicated as we often make it. Paul starts off with a
motivational statement, as to why these believers should live their lives in
the manner he will present. In verses 1-9 He tells them that the day of the
Lord, as predicted many times in the Bible, will certainly come and that they
should live their lives as people who will not be surprised by that fact.
1 Thess 5:4-6 "But you, brothers, are not in darkness so
that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all sons of the light
and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then,
let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and
self-controlled."
Then, in
typical Pauline fashion, he gives them simple
instructions on how to live their lives accordingly. These instructions apply
to us as well and can certainly help simplify
life for us. You might think of these as, keeping our priorities straight.
Let’s look at his list of instructions for simple
Christian living.
Be self
controlled (v8)
Encourage
one another (v11)
Respect
those who work hard at leading you in Christ (v12)
Live in
peace with each other (v13)
Warn those
who are idle (not working, wasting time) (v14)
Encourage
those who are timid (v14)
Help the
weak (most likely in the spiritual sense) (v14)
Be patient
with all (v14)
Don’t pay
back wrong (or evil) with wrong (v15)
Be kind to
all (v15)
Be joyful
(v16)
Always be
praying (v17)
Give thanks
to God in all circumstances (v18)
Don’t
resist the work of the Spirit in your life (v19)
Don’t
despise prophecy but test it by scripture (v21)
Hold on to
that which is good and avoid things that are evil (v21, 22)
What Paul
is teaching us here, is that our decisions on how we live should not be that
complicated. If you are confused about how to live, just review this list. Just
because it is simple does not mean that it is easy to do. We must choose to do what is right in God’s
eyes, as represented here. The Holy Spirit will help us to make those choices
but we still have to choose.
Paul then says
that God himself will keep you blameless at he coming again of our Lord Jesus.
He is faithful and we can trust Him to completely sanctify us (make us holy).
As it says in verse 18, … “for this is
God's will for you in Christ Jesus.” So let’s keep it simple, saints!
God bless
you
Coach
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