Coming of Jesus

St. Paul spoke of the end times. When will Jesus come? He will come like a thief in the night. When people will be confident and living their lives, destruction will come suddenly and there is no escaping.

Although this speaks of the end times, it also speaks of Gods purification for us. We should live our lives as if it is our last day. When death will come, we do not know. It will come suddenly. This is something no one can escape because it comes to everyone.

We should be alert. We should not let down our guard and rest. As Christians, we are to expect and prepare for the coming of Jesus. Faith and love should always protect our hearts. We should always remember there is hope for salvation.

Gods Plan

God did not plan that we should be punished. God wants us to be with him, forever! Jesus proved this by dying for us. God wants us to live with him! This is how we encourage people. There will be difficulties. There will be troubles, but we should remember - God is ALWAYS there! He wants us to have a life in Jesus. We should act in faith, believing in this truth. God is faithful and he will intervene.

Are you in trouble? Are you in a difficult situation? Turn back to God. He has a plan for you. There is hope for a new life. Jesus died and rose from the dead for you to prove this. Surrender everything to God. He will act.

We should also remember our pastors. St. Paul commands us to respect and honor them in love. They may not be perfect, but their work alone is worthy of our love. God put them there in a position of authority for our good.

Be at Peace

St. Paul reminded the Thessalonians to be at peace with each other. This is done by:

1. Correcting those in the wrong. To be at peace is not living without conflicts. It is to live in the truth. It is therefore, our responsibility to correct those who are wrong. How we do this requires some discernment. Obviously, with the culture today, we cannot just hold everyone to account of their sins. We start with those in the Church and those whom we are responsible for.
2. Encouraging the fainthearted. As Christians, we should expect difficulties. As such, people will waver in their faith. It is our responsibility to build them up, rather than tear them down. When we see people in need, we should respond in love. Encourage them and treat them as persons, rather than things to be used. When we see someone falling back to sin, we should be compassionate and do the right thing even if it hurts us.
3. Supporting the weak. Due to sickness or difficulties, people grow weak. We are to support them. Very often, people will speak of helping the poor. In doing this, we also need to discern. We cannot just throw money at the poor and treat that as supporting them. Are they poor because of lifes circumstances or are they poor because they do not want to work? There is a difference here. If one is poor despite what one does, then they deserve a helping hand. However, if one is poor because one refuses to work, then perhaps not giving them money is helping them.
4. Being patient to all. We are human beings. As such, we are not perfect. We have our faults. Everyone has their faults. We should be patient and accept people as they are, especially if they are fellow believers.
5. Do good in the midst of evil. When people do evil things to us, we do not strike back. We may defend ourselves, but we should never retaliate with evil. We do things for the good of all.

Gods Will

St. Paul said this is Gods will:

1. Rejoice always. A Christians life should be full of joy. As we said, joy is not an emotion. It is confidence that God is with us and we are in his will. In all things, we should rejoice because we know, God is with us. He is with us through difficulties, through sorrows, through persecutions. He will lead us through all these because he is with us.
2. Pray without ceasing. This is the mark of a Christians life. Prayer. What is prayer? At the start of this letter, Paul said he mentions the Thessalonians in prayer always. Prayer is not a matter of long and many words. Prayer is communing with God. It is coming to him, approaching him in faith and laying everything before his feet for him to do. It is surrendering ourselves to his will. It should be a way of life. Prayer does not stop when we leave church. St. Paul said, pray without ceasing. It means, pray without stopping. Even when walking, we can pray by being conscious of the presence of God. Whatever we do, we can pray by putting ourselves before God.
3. In everything give thanks. A Christian is always thankful to God. St. Paul said, in everything! In our joys and triumphs, we thank God. In our despair, our defeats, our miseries, our sadness, we thank God. Why? As St. Paul said in his letter to the Romans, All things work for the good of those who love God. He said, all things. Everything that happens to us will work out for our good. When we lose our jobs, thank God! The Lord has prepared something better. When we are sick, thank God! The Lord is teaching us trust and faith. When things do not make sense, thank God! The Lord is giving us strength and preparing us for something bigger and greater! In all things give thanks because God is in control and something better will come!