“It is done. I am the
Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from
the spring of the water of life.”
“The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let
him take the free gift of the water of life.”
*We made it! Last week of the year; Last book of the
Bible! If you have anything you
would like to share about what you’ve experienced throughout the year please email
me at ejmushlock@gmail.com*
God’s mercy plan that all started with a baby being born is coming
to completion. Jesus was born both
fully human and fully God. He
lived on the earth and experienced life as we do except He remained without
sin. Then He made the ultimate
sacrifice for the world by dying on the cross to pay for our sins. He rose from the dead three days later,
and when we believe in Him we die to our sins and rise a new creation holy in
the eyes of God. He ascended to
heaven leaving us with a commission and a promise. He gave us the job of spreading the good news of salvation
and to make disciples of Jesus. He
gave us the promise that He would come back again someday.
As we know from the Bible, God is a just God as well as a merciful
God.In the end times God’s wrath
is poured out, and His judgments are just.“You are just in these judgments, you who are and who were,
the Holy One” (16:5).Even though
He is justly pouring out His wrath, He has mercy on those who believe in Him
and do not take the mark of the beast.He also continues to offer the chance for people to repent and turn to
Him, but it says that they refuse to repent and glorify Him and they curse the
name of God.
Another important reminder within these chapters is we don’t know
when this will all take place.It
could be in our generation … It could happen anytime.No one knows.“Behold, I come like a thief!Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he
may not go naked and be shamefully exposed” (16:15).He wants us to be ready.He wants us to believe in Him, to be strong in our faith,
and to do the job He gave us to do.No wasting time.
*We made it! Last week of the year; Last book of the
Bible! If you have anything you
would like to share about what you’ve experienced throughout the year please email
me at ejmushlock@gmail.com*
“The devil is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is
short.” (12:12b)
In these chapters we get a glimpse of the warfare that goes on in
heaven that we have no idea is happening, but there is also the reminder that
between good and evil – good is going to win.The devil’s power does not even come close to comparing with
that of Jesus.There will be a lot
of darkness in the end times, but ultimately Jesus wins.He is not limited, but Satan is.
Here are some of these examples:
~The Woman and the Dragon – “And there was war in heaven.Michael and his angels fought against
the dragon … and the great dragon was hurled down.
~The Two Witnesses – “The beast that comes up from the Abyss will
attack them, and overpower and kill them.”(11:7).But then after three and a half days, a breath of life from
God will bring them back.
~The Mark of the Beast vs The Seal of the Living God – Being
controlled by darkness or being protected by the light.
Satan’s time is short.Jesus is victorious and will reign for eternity.
*We made it! Last week of the year; Last book of the
Bible! If you have anything you
would like to share about what you’ve experienced throughout the year please email
me at ejmushlock@gmail.com*
“I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open
the scroll or look inside. Then
one of the elders said to me, ‘Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has
triumphed. He is able to open the
scroll and its seven seals.” (Revelation 5: 4-5)
He alone is worthy.He is worthy because He was slain, and with His blood He purchased men
for God from every tribe and language and people and nation (5:9).Revelation is full of vivid pictures of
John trying to describe what was beyond imagination.What I love are the glimpses of worship we get in chapters
4, 5, and 7.There is incredible
worship going on … why? … Because He is worthy!He is worthy of all worship for all eternity!
He came to the earth to be slain in order to redeem the
world.This is why He is the One
who is worthy of our praise today and every day for eternity!
“Day and night they never stop saying: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the
Lord God Almighty who was, and is, and is to come.” (4:8)
“They lay their crowns before the throne and say: ‘You are worthy,
our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all
things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” (4:11)
A multitude of angels encircled the throne, and “in a loud voice
they sang: ‘Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and
wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” (5:12)
“Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth…singing: ‘To
him who sits on the throne and to the lamb be praise and honor and glory and
power, for ever and ever!” (5:13)
“And they cried out in a loud voice: ‘Salvation belongs to our
God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” (7:10)
“They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped
God, saying: ‘Amen!Praise and
glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for
ever and ever.Amen!” (7:12)
*We made it! Last week of the year; Last book of the
Bible! If you have anything you
would like to share about what you’ve experienced throughout the year please email
me at ejmushlock@gmail.com*
“Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and
blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because
the time is near.” (Revelation 1:3)
I think there are many Christians who avoid the book of Revelation
… maybe because it is hard to understand or maybe because it is all about the
end of the world and they don’t want to know or think about that.Even for myself, if I’m not reading
through the whole Bible, I don’t necessarily think to spend time in the book of
Revelation.This is the only book
in the Bible that says up front – Read this.
Take it to heart, and you’ll be blessed.
Now, I do want to say that since we’re reading through Revelation
in only 5 days, this is obviously not going to be an in-depth study of this book.As I’ve mentioned throughout the year
for any book of the Bible, as we read it I will share my personal reflections
of what I hear God speaking to me through His word each day.
Today there were a few things that stood out to me within the
letters to the churches, but the main one is the one that feels like a punch in
the gut – to the church in Ephesus.Jesus first tells of good things they have been doing like persevering,
enduring hardships, not tolerating wickedness, and hating the things that God
hates, but then comes the hard part to hear: “Yet I hold this against you:You have forsaken your first
love.”As Chuck Missler puts it in
his book Learn the Bible in 24 Hours,
“They got so busy doing the work of the Kingdom that they didn’t have time for
the King!”
Jesus tells them to remember, to repent, and to do the things they
did at first.We always need to
remember what He’s done for us and why we do what we do, and we need to spend
time with Him – our first love.It
is like a marriage.Any husband and
wife can easily get caught up in the daily chores of life and neglect their
love for one another.You have to
spend time together.You have to
reminisce about when you first met, when you first started dating, and remember
why you’re so in love.You have to
do things like you did at the beginning such as going on dates, holding hands,
and taking time to look in each others’ eyes, to listen, and to say I love
you.This keeps a marriage strong,
and this is the same with our relationship with Jesus.
We’re supposed to be walking with Jesus.Throughout the whole Bible it is so clear how God desires to
have a personal relationship with us.It is great to serve Him and be active in the work for His Kingdom, but
along the way we can’t forget our first love.
“To Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you
before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy … “ (Jude v.24)
Do you worry about falling, about messing up?He’s able to keep us on our feet.Once you have put your faith in Jesus,
confessing your sins, and trusting Him to forgive you of those sins and to walk
with you forever, you are forgiven.Your sins are covered.You
do not have to walk around with guilt.Jesus presents us to the Father without fault and with great joy!
Lately I keep thinking of an illustration my pastor used recently
to describe how Jesus loves us and delights in us.He said that Jesus’ eyes light up when we walk in a room,
and it is like we’re the only one He sees.It is like when you are a parent and your child is in some
sort of program – your eyes go straight to your child as if there is a
spotlight on them and of course, they are the best!My daughter just had a program at her preschool, and I
experienced this very thing.My
eyes were on her the whole time, and a smile was on my face the whole
time.I had to fight back tears
watching her because I was so full of love for her and was so proud of
her.Jesus loves us like this.
I also keep having this verse popping up in my head and heart a
lot lately: “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it
and are safe” (Proverbs 18:10).I
think that sometimes I sort of resist going to the Lord for help.It is a little bit of an
I-can-handle-it attitude.And He’s
there, my strong tower that is constant, loving me like a parent loves a child
wanting to hold me in His arms.“The righteous run to
it.”I should never resist Him; I
should always run to Him.He’s
able to keep me from falling; He is my strong tower that lifts me up.
*Last 2
weeks! These will also be 5-day
weeks instead of 6. If you would
be interested in sharing personal reflections or things God has shown or taught
you through the year, please email me at ejmushlock@gmail.com
.
There seems to be an
if-you’re-going-to-talk-the-talk,-you-better-walk-the-walk kind of theme in 1
John, but what really stood out to me today in this reading was the apostle
John’s teaching on love.
First, I needed the reminder of how great the Father’s love is for
us.It seems such a simple truth –
God loves me - but it is easy to stop being in awe of how wonderful and amazing
that really is.I have two Bibles
at home - one is a newer one I use most often, but then I also have my old,
falling apart one that was the Bible I really used to study on my own outside
of church for the first time.Most
of the underlined verses and notes made in it were from when I was younger
physically as well as younger in my faith, and sometimes it is refreshing to
remember the things that had such an impact on me at that
time.Today I found in this Bible
exclamation points squeezed in the margin after this: “How great is the love
the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of
God!!!!!And that is what we
are!!!!!!”I don’t ever want to
lose that enthusiasm and excitement and wonder of God’s love and that He calls
us His children!
Then, the phrase “love one another” seems to be repeated in 1 John
many times.In fact, I wonder how
many times throughout the whole Bible that phrase shows up … I know it is a
lot.The world is all about loving
and doing for yourself: what makes you happy, what you want, what makes you
look good, but the Father is all about loving others.“Since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (4:11).And here is
the key: “Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions
and in truth.”(3:18)
“No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives
in us and his love is made complete in us” (4:12). This reminds me of my favorite line
from my favorite musical Les Miserable:
“To love another person is to see the face of God.”
*Last 2
weeks! These will also be 5-day
weeks instead of 6. If you would
be interested in sharing personal reflections or things God has shown or taught
you through the year, please email me at ejmushlock@gmail.com
.
“... You may participate in the divine nature and escape the
corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” “… Will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in
your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
These are two things I certainly want – to participate in His
divine nature and to be effective and productive as a follower of Jesus.Peter reminds us that God gives us
everything we need to live a godly life.“He has given us great and precious promises.”It says in the New Living Translation, “In view of all this,
make every effort to respond to God’s promises.”
How do we respond, how do we get to participate in His divine
nature, and how do we become effective and productive?As it is always consistent in the
Bible, faith comes first.Believe
in Jesus and that He died for your sins.But then it says to add to your faith.Once again I like the New Living Translation of these verses
that say: “Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence,
and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and
self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and
godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for
everyone.”
Moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, patient endurance,
godliness, brotherly affection, love … we are to strive to be like Jesus.Peter says that those who fail to
develop in these ways are like a blind person; they’ve forgotten they’ve been
cleansed from their own sins.As a
follower of Jesus how you live your life matters.Every choice you make on a daily basis from the words you
choose to say, to whether or not you choose to grow in knowledge by studying
the Bible, to how you treat the people you are around – it all makes a
difference.The more we become
like Him, the more we get to experience His great promises and His divine
nature and the more we get to impact the world.
*The last 2 weeks
are here! These will also be 5-day
weeks instead of 6. If you would
be interested in sharing personal reflections or things God has shown or taught
you through the year, please email me at ejmushlock@gmail.com
.
At least three different times Peter tells us to “be self
controlled and alert.” Self controlled—not
giving in to temptation; alert—recognizing temptations when they come and
understanding that they will come.
In chapter 5 he says, “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring
lion looking for someone to devour.”
What a powerful use of imagery.
The devil is always on the hunt, prowling around, looking for one moment
of weakness to pounce. And once he
pounces he tries to devour. Paul
said in Ephesians, “Do not give the devil a foothold.”
How do we keep from giving the enemy a foothold?Be self controlled and alert; “Resist
him, standing firm in the faith.”Learn to recognize Satan’s lies and temptations, but more than that
learn to recognize the Father’s voice.We just read the other day in James that God does not tempt us.He is light and in Him there is no
darkness.We are chosen so that we
“may declare the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into His
wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9)
How can we declare His praises and be the light of the world when
we keep hanging out in the darkness?
Singing this song in my head today - “It’s hard to dance with the
devil on your back, so shake him off!”
*The last 2 weeks
are here! These will also be 5-day
weeks instead of 6. If you would
be interested in sharing personal reflections or things God has shown or taught
you through the year, please email me at ejmushlock@gmail.com
.
There is a lot of wisdom within the book of James, but the main
theme seems to be this – “Faith, by itself, if it is not accompanied by action,
is dead.” (2:17)Or as the Message translation puts it:
“God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense.”
This does not negate what Paul said that, “It is by grace you have
been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of
God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians
2:8-9)Both statements
are true.Faith comes first …
works do not save us, but because we have faith it should move us to
action.What we say doesn’t matter
much if it doesn’t match how we live.
There are several challenges presented in James in his call to action.A big one for me is this example in
chapter 2: “Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish
you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical needs,
what good is it?”How often do
Christians pray for God to bless someone or provide for someone, without being
willing to be a vessel for God to use to answer those prayers?Our good thoughts and good intensions
don’t actually do any good if there is no action that goes along with it.
Another challenge for me also found in chapter 2 is about showing
favoritism and judging, which I’m pretty sure everyone does more than they’d
care to admit to or maybe even more than they realize.We need to have the eyes of God and not
the eyes of the world.“Has not
God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and
to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?”
There are several other challenges too such as taming the tongue,
being peacemakers, confessing sins to one another and praying for one another …
and one I come back to again and again … a challenge and a promise: “Come near
to God, and He will come near to you.”But here’s something to keep in mind along with that promise – Our God
is not a stagnant God.When we
draw near to God and He draws near too, don’t expect to stay still for long!
*These last 3
weeks will all be 5-day weeks. Day 6 will be time for reflection and
review. If you would be interested
in sharing personal reflections or things God has shown or taught you through
the year for these extra days, please email me at ejmushlock@gmail.com .
Reading through the Bible in a year requires reading larger chunks
of scripture rather than just a chapter or a few verses at a time. There is definitely a place for
studying the Bible in smaller doses and focusing in on a little at a time. Today, however, I’m thankful for the
bigger section of scripture at one time because something became new to me
within these chapters today.
I’ve read the “hall of faith” chapter before (Hebrews 11) where
the writer of Hebrews takes you down a journey of remembering those heroes of
the faith.Example after example
of faith lived out in different individuals.It reminds us of the choices these people made were based on
their belief in God.“Now faith is
being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” (11:1)
What was new to me today that really brought it all together for
me was the beginning of chapter 12.It says, “Therefore” (… which means – because of everything I just said –) “since we are surrounded by
such a great cloud of witnesses” (since
we have all these incredible examples of lives of faith) let us throw off
everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run
with perseverance the race marked out for us”
In all the examples given in chapter 11 of those men and women and
what they did “by faith,” they all had struggles.There was persecution, pain, waiting, uncertainty, isolation
… but they kept the faith, they kept their eyes on God, and they
persevered.
How do we persevere?“by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects
our faith.Because of the joy
awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame.Think of all the hostility he endured
from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up.” (12:2a,3)
Hebrews was written to Messianic Jews – those Jewish men and women
who had become followers of Jesus.They were struggling and some were even turning from the faith because
of persecution as well as isolation from their families, friends, and
communities.Whatever we’re having
to endure the answer is to keep our eyes on Jesus.He is the ultimate example for us.
*These last 3
weeks will all be 5-day weeks. Day 6 will be time for reflection and
review. If you would be interested
in sharing personal reflections or things God has shown or taught you through
the year for these extra days, please email me at ejmushlock@gmail.com .
The book of Hebrews is a good reminder of the Old Testament law
and the old covenant, and what became of that when Jesus died on the
cross. We are reminded that in the
old covenant the high priest would have to make atonement for his own sins as
well as the sins of all the people.
The priest would have to use the blood of animals in order for there to
be cleansing. He would have to do
this sacrifice in the Most Holy Place in the tabernacle every year.
Jesus is the High Priest of a new covenant.He made the ultimate sacrifice as a
perfect offering without sin, with His own blood.This was the sacrifice that was to be made once and for
all.“He did not enter by means of
the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all
by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer
sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are
outwardly clean.How much more,
then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself
unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so
that we may serve the living God!”
It says that the law was only a shadow of the good things to come,
and that the tabernacle and their system of worship was only a copy of the
heavenly one.If I have learned
one thing this year through reading the entire Bible it would be that
everything points to Jesus.This
was God’s plan all along and it came from His great love for us.
*These last 3
weeks will all be 5-day weeks. Day 6 will be time for reflection and
review. If you would be interested
in sharing personal reflections or things God has shown or taught you through
the year for these extra days, please email me at ejmushlock@gmail.com .
“Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that
produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of
God.” (Hebrews 6:7)
Our church has often sung a worship song called, “My Soul Longs
for You,” and in this song it is all about God’s promise to come like the
rain.We cry out from the top of
our lungs, “So let it rain!” because we desire His presence.I love the reminder in this verse from
Hebrews that we have to drink in the rain falling on us and produce a
crop.
It is good to desire His presence.It is good to look for Him to come and move in your
life.This is partly why I named
the blog Thirsty … because I want more of Him and more of His Word.But it can’t stop there.We have to let Him saturate our souls
and change us from within.We are
to use what He pours into us to pour back out into others.
*These last 3
weeks will all be 5-day weeks. Day 6 will be time for reflection and
review. If you would be interested
in sharing personal reflections or things God has shown or taught you through
the year for these extra days, please email me at ejmushlock@gmail.com .
“Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”
Today I hear His voice.He is telling me to slow down and remember the glory and wonder of His
birth.The first chapter of
Hebrews speaks of angels.“When
God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, ‘Let all God’s angels worship
him.”I was taken back to the
announcement of Jesus’ birth to the shepherds.
It was an ordinary night to these shepherds.They had set night watches over their
sheep, as I’m sure, they’d done countless times before.Their job was to stay awake and make
sure nothing happened to their sheep through the night.They had no trouble staying awake this
particular night because all of a sudden an angel of the Lord appeared in front
of them, and “God’s’ glory blazed around them.”This angel announces that the Savior to the world has been
born!
But that’s not it!Then suddenly this angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing
praises to God!Different
translations of the Bible use different wording … a heavenly host, a multitude,
an army … all meaning very great in number.I imagine more than you could possibly count; as far as the
eye could see … angels singing in perfect harmony.Can you imagine the beauty and the power of the sight and
sound these shepherds were experiencing?I’ve heard choirs of a couple hundred in number before that were so good
they left me breathless with chills everywhere … and that can’t even come close
to comparing to this!
The angels were singing: “Glory to God in the highest!”This was the event that caused for the
biggest most incredible worship experience in history!Jesus was born.Emanuel – God with us.God had come to earth in human form to
experience what we experience and to die as a sacrifice for our sins so we
could be united with Him for eternity.This was the night it all began!
The Christmas season seems to get crazier every year.It is filled with some wonderful things
… family traditions, presents, beautiful decorations, happy memories … but if
we can’t remember why we’re celebrating, we take away the glory from God.Listen for His voice today.Slow down and join the angels
worshiping, “Glory to God in the highest!”
*These last 3
weeks will all be 5-day weeks. Day 6 will be time for reflection and
review. If you would be interested
in sharing personal reflections or things God has shown or taught you through
the year for these extra days, please email me at ejmushlock@gmail.com .
Titus and Philemon both provide excellent guidance in how to be a
good leader or teacher. Everyone
leads or teaches in some area of life … whether that is your main job or you
lead somewhere within your job, in church, or at home. We all have other people who we
influence. Paul shows us to lead
by example. He also shows us in
his letter to Titus that we cannot just ‘teach,’ we have to show, encourage,
demonstrate, explain, correct, urge, advise, and so on. In Paul’s letter to Philemon we are
reminded to appeal to others in love.
I also love the example Paul sets not only in Philemon, but you
may have noticed reading words similar to these in several of his books: “I
always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers because I hear about your
faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints. “If you look back, Paul often starts his
letters saying something like this to who he’s writing, even when part of his
purpose is to rebuke.He tells
them first that he’s thankful for them and that he prays for them.He often points out something
positive.Then he teaches.
These were good reminders for me today in teaching my
children.Lead by example, not
just words; encourage and acknowledge the positive.Always let them know I love them and thank God for them.
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have
kept the faith.”
Paul’s last letter to Timothy is written when Paul knows he is
soon to be executed.It is kind of
a passing of the torch to Timothy, once again encouraging him to be strong even
in hardship and to keep preaching the Word.
He tells Timothy to “fan into flame the gift of God.”In Paul’s other letters to different
churches he talked a lot about spiritual gifts.We need to fan into flame the gifts we are given.What good are they if they are not
used?What good is a fire that is
not strong enough to last?
He then reminds Timothy: “God did not give us a spirit of
timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”I feel this verse whispered to my soul
often because I often feel timid, unsure, and lacking confidence … God doesn’t
make us timid; He makes us powerful.
We can gain a lot from listening to Paul’s advice to Timothy, but
something else I was reminded of from this today – the importance of investing
in others. Paul poured into
Timothy. He taught him, he
encouraged him, he challenged him.
He loved him as a son. We’re
not in this race alone. We need to
be bringing others along with us.
1 Timothy is one book where it is particularly beneficial to read
some commentary on the background for this letter Paul wrote. Paul wrote this to Timothy who he had
left to minister to the church at Ephesus. Paul addresses some of the false teaching and disruptive
behaviors that were going on in the church there, and he encourages Timothy to
be bold in his teaching and preaching.
Timothy was young and there are verses to indicate that he was
timid and shy.Paul reminds him
that God has called him to do this and has given him the gifts he would
need.But Paul also reminds
Timothy that he has to constantly be “in training” in order to be godly and an
effective leader, the same way an athlete is in physical training.“Exercise daily in God—no spiritual
flabbiness, please!Workouts in
the gymnasium are useful, but a disciplined life in God is far more so, making
you fit both today and forever.” (1 Timothy 4:7-8
MSG)
I love this reminder for believers to be disciplined, to be
knowledgeable in the faith, and to take it seriously just like an athlete does
in training.An athlete in
training will have a specific healthy diet and will spend time each day
practicing and pushing themselves.This is why daily Bible study and putting that study into practice every
single day is so important.
It is also like physical exercise in the fact that you can’t just
work out here and there and expect to become any stronger.You also can’t expect to work out for
one year and then be set for the rest of your life.It has to be ongoing.I’ve mentioned before seeing my parents’ discipline in studying their
Bibles.My mom spends the same
amount of time in Bible reading in prayer every day as she does the amount of
time it takes to get physically ready for the day.“I’ve got to get the inside ready, then the outside,” she’ll
say.My dad can tell you any
detail of any passage of scripture in the Old or New Testament, but he
continues to study it.He teaches
a group in his church weekly.Even
though they have been believers for most of their lives, they still “exercise”
in the faith every day, and they’ve made an impact on so many lives.No spiritual flabbiness!
“Keep away from every brother who is idle …” “Never tire of doing what is right.”
In this letter to the Thessalonians in chapter 3, Paul is writing
to them about working hard so as not to be a burden on anyone.He says that he and the apostles, or as
we would call them today missionaries, had the right to be supported by them, but
they wanted to set an example for them to follow in working hard.He encouraged them not to be lazy and
not to get burned out on working, but to keep at it.
I think this teaching applies not only to physical idleness verses
work, but also spiritual.I’ve
been a believer and follower of Jesus since I was young, and there was one
stage in my walk with the Lord that I got into a bit of a funk.I was a senior in high school (I’ve
said it before … it can be a tough time being a teenage Christian), and I
started feeling tired of being known as the “goody goody.”I felt like I took a lot of grief from
people for making the choices I did because of my faith, and I was getting
tired of that.
Living a Christian life started to feel meaningless.When I would go to church I would feel
like I had heard the same sermon a million times and sang the same songs
without thinking about the words we were singing over and over.I had also seen people within the
church bickering back and forth over silly things and not necessarily living
what they were teaching.And the
hard honest description of the church I was at would have been “idle.”Every week was the same; there was no
real movement or even desire for movement.And to me it all began to feel pointless.
I remember the night that I got pulled out of this funk.I had just started college at
Campbellsville University, and I went to the first BSU meeting (Baptist Student
Union), which was basically like a church service with worship and a message.I was surrounded by people my age truly
worshiping full on with their whole hearts, and then afterward a group of them
I had quickly become friends with wanted to meet outside the building and pray.We stayed and prayed for a long time
that night, and decided that we would come back to that spot every night and
pray together.These people were
really living this Christian thing.It was real to them.It
meant something.They wanted to
make things happen.And I got
fired up for Jesus again.
