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Jon Opgenorth

Rev. Jon Opgenorth serves as president of Words of Hope. Previously, he served for 18 years as senior pastor at Trinity Reformed Church in Orange City, Iowa. In preparation for ministry, he received a BA in Religion from Northwestern College, and an MDiv from Fuller Theological Seminary.
Devotionals

The Value of Suffering

Read: 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12 That our God may make you worthy of his calling . . . (v. 11) I have not suffered for being a Christian, but I know people who have. One

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Devotionals

Love Your Pastor

Read: 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28 Respect those who labor among you. (v. 12) In normal times, church leaders help members navigate family squabbles, health emergencies, and all sorts of personal crises. The

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Devotionals

When It Ends

Read: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 Now concerning the times and the seasons . . . (v. 1) Why are some believers obsessed with figuring out when Jesus will return? They painstakingly connect contemporary events to

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Devotionals

How it Ends

Read: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 That you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. (v. 13) I wrote this devotional the morning after a friend died unexpectedly. As the

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Devotionals

Quiet Power

Read: 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12 Mind your own affairs. (v. 11) The weeks leading up to an election bring a cacophony of noisy ads and boisterous declarations. Although Paul wrote verse 11

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Devotionals

Holiness and Honor

Read: 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. (v. 7) In today’s text, Paul pivots from pastoral joy over the Thessalonians’ faith and love to

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Devotionals

The Joy of Answered Prayer

Read: 1 Thessalonians 3:1-13 We pray most earnestly night and day. (v. 10) The problem-plagued moon mission of NASA’s Apollo 13 gripped the world for seven anxious days in April of

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Devotionals

The Real Deal

Read: 1 Thessalonians 2:13-20 You received the word of God . . . as what it really is. (v. 13) In verse 13, Paul weaves together ideas about God’s word, his preaching, and the

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Devotionals

Near and Dear

Read: 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12 We have been . . . entrusted with the gospel. (v. 4) My grandson Elias was born earlier this year. His lungs were not getting enough oxygen, so he spent

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