You Belong
Read: 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17 God chose you as the firstfruits. (v. 13) During the final round of the 2017 British Open, eventual winner Jordan Spieth was in big trouble on the 13th hole. As anxiety mounted over the next shot, a Golf Digest article reported, caddie Michael Greller proved helpful. Michael asked Jordan if he remembered […]
Shaken Minds
Read: 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 Let no one deceive you in any way. (v. 3) This text challenges us with Paul’s cryptic and prophetic messages that cannot be interpreted in a few words. It likely vexed the first readers as it has scholars through the centuries. Yet, Paul aims to provide confident hope in uncertain times. The […]
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 Bhutanese believer was beaten severely before fleeing for his life. He endured pain and injustice, yet when I met him, his entire countenance radiated a […]
November 2022 Prayer Guide
INDIA — Give thanks for all of the outreach programs currently taking place in India. Seekers meetings and follow-up across the country are leading new believers to Christ. In addition to this, in-person discipleship conferences are being held to help train lay leaders. These conferences are interdenominational and are drawing the church together. A key […]
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 last few years have been anything but normal. Pastoring through pandemic policies, political divides, and theological disagreements has only added to the “labor.” At the […]
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 biblical prophecy and often appear confident in their calendars. Yet, “concerning that day or that hour,” Jesus told the disciples, “no one knows, not even […]
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 initial shock gave way to resurrection hope, I wondered, “How do nonbelievers navigate such loss?” For the Thessalonians, their anxiety about the Christian dead was […]
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 to the church of the Thessalonians, his words are also for us today “to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and […]
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 urging a lifestyle that pleases God. This is “sanctification” (v. 3), the process of becoming more holy. Christians seek to live holy lives, not in order […]