Category: patience

Unity

1 Thessalonians 1-5

Devotion by Emilee (Ross) Christian

The book of 1 Thessalonians covers a lot. Shout out to the Wednesday night Bible study group at Jaynes Street in Omaha, NE and Pastor Isaac! Last Spring we took our time diving into all Paul had to say in his letter to the church in Thessalonica. This sparked some great discussions and I recommend a deeper study into this book. While reading through it this time around, I was struck by one theme in particular: unity. We live in a world with so much division. In this letter, Paul urges us to get along with everyone and gives us a few pointers on how to do so. 

First, Paul advises us to “live a quiet life, minding your own business” (4:11 NLT). It’s interesting how this comes after his instructions for holy living. In yesterday’s reading we saw Paul correcting a group of people for their unholy idol worship and leading them in love towards the truth. Christians are given clear instructions to be ambassadors for Christ, sharing the good news. I believe there is a right way and a wrong way to go about doing that. Basically, avoid causing drama for drama’s sake. If you want to offer your opinion, make sure it is done with the right heart and mindset. Treat others with dignity and respect. Let that be the first thing people notice about you, rather than preachy words for holier living. 

It is clear from this letter, and others, that a strong work ethic was important to Paul. Paul was proud of his ability to support himself through his tentmaking trade while he was a missionary. He urges believers to “work with their hands…then people who are not believers will respect the way you live, and you will not need to depend on others” (4:11 & 12 NLT). I believe Paul is wanting the church to take an active role in society, not a passive one. We can be a people set apart, holy, and chosen by God while still serving the unchurched. 

How do we do this? How do we live transformed without shunning the world? It’s quite easy, actually. “Be patient with everyone” and “do good to each other and to all people” (5:14 & 15). I hope my sarcastic humor is coming through these typed words. It is certainly not easy to remain patient with all people. Simply put, there are a lot of idiots out there – ourselves included. God has remained faithful and patient with us. Give this patience to others. Even those with whom you disagree. Yesterday, Paul approached the Athens people with patience. He didn’t accuse them of pagan worship, but rather approached them as a group of misunderstood people whom he sought to lead towards truth. I wonder what it would be like if we treated those with differing ideas from us as toddlers who truly know no better. 

Finally, there was one place where the theme of unity struck me the most, in reading Paul’s words for the hope of the resurrection. This might seem an odd place to find unity as there are differing end of life and end of time doctrine. Those in the church of God Conference know this especially all too well. While passages like this seem to support a sleep of the dead theology, Paul’s intentions for writing these words on the resurrection were not so much to teach as they were to encourage. The hope of the resurrection is not meant to cause division but to encourage us in the future glory we will share with Jesus. The timeline and order of events is not as important as the actual event. We know that there will be a day where we will be with the Lord forever. THAT is our hope. This is not to say that the when, the where, the how, are not also important, but they don’t seem to be Paul’s focus of his resurrection writings to the Thessalonians. More than once Paul mentions how he doesn’t need to write to the church about such things as they are already aware (5:1, 5:4). Rather Paul says he is writing about the resurrection to “encourage each other” and “build each other up” (4:18, 5:11 NLT). Until today, I had only looked at this resurrection passage as supporting a particular doctrine. When I read Paul’s closing statements as to why he wrote such things I was hit with the sad realization that we as Christians, myself included, have allowed the hope of the resurrection to be a dividing point in our faith rather than something that unites us. 

Reflection Questions

  1. I challenge you today to look for ways you have allowed divisions to occur between you and others. How can we take Paul’s instructions for unity and apply in our lives, today? 
  2. How do we live transformed without shunning the world?
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The Weight of Waiting

2 Chronicles 17
1 Kings 15:25-16:34

I was rushed out of the room, carrying a kid in each arm, and taken to the recovery room to wait for the return of my wife. The twins were here, and I had no idea what to do. There was a bassinet nearby, but I honestly couldn’t figure out the logistics of laying down one newborn without compromising my grip on the other. “That’s okay,” I thought. “My wife will be here soon, and she’ll help me sort it all out.”  So I waited. I nervously held onto them in a football hold as the minutes crept by. But then the minutes became longer than expected, and my confidence started to fray. I waited with my little ones—without information, without control, and without a clue. In that intermission, I did the only thing I could think to do: I sang. Out of praise, to stave off fear, and to quiet the echoing newborn cries, I sang:

“From my mother’s womb, you have chosen me, love has called my name,”

and “You’re perfect in all of your ways… perfect in all of your ways to us.”

Waiting isn’t for the faint of heart. To be patient is to fight our innate desire for safety and certainty. It reminds us that we are not in control—that our desires are only a small variable in any given situation. If we’re looking for holy ground—a place where our striving ends and God’s sovereignty begins—look no further than the weight of waiting.

As the northern kingdom of Israel spiraled under a succession of corrupt kings, Jehoshaphat began his reign in Judah. He watched the pendulum swing wildly in the wrong direction. But instead of rushing to react, Jehoshaphat paused. He sought the Lord. He devoted his heart to God’s way first, building his faith and fortifying the kingdom—not through conquest or alliances, but by spreading the Word and Law of the Lord and strengthening what already belonged to Judah.

There were no flashy political plays. No dramatic battles or self-promoting power grabs—all of which might have benefited a new king eager for approval. In contrast to war-beaten, idol-chasing, anxious Israel, Judah found peace—politically and spiritually—by halting, reflecting, focusing, and waiting on the Lord to move.

“The fear of the Lord fell on all the kingdoms of the lands surrounding Judah…”

(2 Chronicles 17:10)

Waiting made Israel restless. But it made Judah rooted.  Israel scrambled. Judah stood still.

So how do we wait in a manner that is pleasing to the Lord when life is beyond our control—when answers are delayed or the enemy seems to be advancing?  We fortify what’s already been entrusted to us. We hold our families, will continue using our gifts in ministry, and give consistently with our tithes. We don’t chase what we don’t yet have—we deepen what God has already given.  We also choose worship over worry. Worry imagines every possible outcome.

Worship reminds us who holds them all.  Even if God is silent, He is moving.  Commit to the wait.  Trust in the Lord.  He will act.

– Aaron Winner

Reflection Questions

  1. How well do you wait? How much do you worry? Can you think of a time where your waiting increased your peace?
  2. What is wise to do while waiting? What is foolish to do while waiting?
  3. What do you appreciate from Aaron’s list of waiting activity – halting, reflecting, focusing, and waiting on the Lord to move?

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