Tag: 1 Thessalonians 5

Children of the Light

Old Testament: 2 Chronicles 9-10

Poetry: Psalm 94

New Testament: 1 Thessalonians 5

            The start of 1 Thessalonians 5 shares the promising truth of Jesus’s return. We can rest assured as children of light and look forward to Jesus’s glorious return that will usher in the Kingdom of God. This mindset of being children of light or being light itself is shared in the following passages:

“For you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light.” Ephesians 5:8

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” 1 Peter 2:9

Our identity is found within the Bible. We can find peace and hope in our identity. You are a child of light. You are light through Christ. This means you are filled with the love and goodness of God, and your life has been sanctified through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. What you have read about in the last few devotionals are all centered around living out this light. Living in a manner that brings glory to God by shining your light to all those around you. 

            I grew up going to Midwest Family Camp every year. One of the most important items I would pack would be a flashlight. The walk from the tabernacle to the girls’ yurts was long and dark at night so that flashlight made it less likely to trip and fall over uneven ground. One of my friends would commonly forget her flashlight so most years we would walk together sharing the light. It would have been selfish to have kept the light to myself and it would have caused her to stumble and fall without it. The same applies to the light we have received from Christ. It is not something to be hidden under a bushel, we have to let it shine, let it shine, let it shine. Allow the identity you find through Christ to shine forth to those around you. 

            Take Solomon as an example of this. Was he a perfect guy? Absolutely not. But as you read in today’s readings his actions and skills shined brightly to those around him. The queen that visited Solomon saw how much God cared for His people through the actions of Solomon. She recognized the glory of God because of Solomon. He did not hide the light that God had given him. Solomon worked hard and would always point his work back to God, like you have read in the last few days of 2 Chronicles. God’s light and love shines through all His children. Don’t hide it!

-Makenna Landry

Reflection:

1- What has been the main takeaway of 1 Thessalonians?

2- How has King Solomon’s life served as an example to you?

3- What is one way you can shine your light to those around you?

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Everythings and Thanksgiving

Theme Week – Thanks: 1 Thessalonians 5

Old Testament: Ezekiel 47 & 48

Poetry: Psalm 112

Today is thanksgiving! It’s THE day of giving thanks, for everything in life!

For everything…

For everything? Is that what the Bible says?

Think about what you have done and been through this year. 

Yes, you moved out. 

You started your job. 

You brought your grades up. 

You had the courage to tell him you liked him, or even just sit next to her. 

But, you lost the game. 

Your best friend betrayed you. 

Your grandpa died. 

You saw war continue across the world and breakout in Israel and Gaza. 

For everything?

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 

“In.” Not “for.” 

Luckily, my version does have “in all circumstances”, not simply “in everything.” The translators and editors want to focus on the fact that “in every circumstance” we are to give thanks to God. 

We are not commanded to give thanks to God for the pain we endure, the loss we experience, or the death of a loved one. God is on a mission to destroy pain, mourning, and death; Revelation 21 makes it clear he doesn’t like that any more than you or I do, and in fact hates it far more than we could. 

We ARE commanded to give thanks to God for the good things even in the middle of the pain. In the middle of the loss. In the death of a loved one. 

I am not claiming it’s easy; I am saying it is possible. It is God’s will for you and I to give thanks in all circumstance. When we are living in the spirit and not quenching it, this is much more easy to achieve. The entire section of Thessalonians is how to live in response to the spirit. 

May you be at peace around your dinner tables today. 

May you encourage, help, and be patient with your family and friends who gather. 

May you always seek to do good to one another. 

May you rejoice. 

May you pray. 

And may you give thanks, in all circumstances. 

Amen. 

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(Note : For full disclosure, Ephesians 5:20 does say, in English “give thanks all the time for everything”. According to multiple scholars and commentaries, the word for “everything” (panton in the Greek) doesn’t have to mean “everything there is” but is determined by the context; Ephesians is consistent about the blessings of God coming upon people. There are many who would say this is not about pain, loss, death, or sin, but about the blessings of God. Others would say something like : “we should thank God for even evil things, because God will ultimately use even those circumstances and pains for our good, in spite of the hurt they cause.” While this is true and should be the goal of the mature Christian, the point stands for us still: God is against our pain and suffering needlessly, but he can take the pain and suffering of this world and make it good, and for his blessings, we should give thanks.) 

-Jake Ballard

Reflection Questions

  1. What great blessings have you seen and enjoyed this year? How will you give thanks for them?
  2. What difficult times have you been through this year, or are in right now? Even in those difficulties what did you, or can you, find to give thanks to God for?
  3. By choosing to be thankful to God even in the midst of pain and suffering what other feelings and thoughts do you diminish?
  4. Who do you think gains the most from your thankfulness?

The Times

Old Testament: 2 Chronicles 1 & 2

Poetry: Psalm 150

New Testament: 1 Thessalonians 5

     1 Thessalonians 5 carries on Paul’s discussion from the end of chapter 4 about death and resurrection (13-18). Paul had just said what it meant for a person to be dead (asleep, as a metaphor), awaiting resurrection. He said this instruction was intended to avoid the Thessalonians being “uninformed” and allow them to “comfort” each other (4:13, 18). But it is hard to imagine that Paul had not already told them about these things. We aren’t told that the people received conflicting teachings from another source. Perhaps after members of the congregation died confusion developed about how events were meant to work out. It may be that they asked, through Timothy, for more instruction on the topic of death, resurrection, and the future.

     In 5:1 the discussion shifts to when these things could be expected. Paul wrote “you have no need of anything to be written to you” on the subject of “the times and epochs” – a phrase used by Jesus in Acts 1:7 apparently to describe the basic idea of events for the future including his return. When Paul wrote “you have no need” it doesn’t seem like Paul meant that the believers in Thessalonica had a clear understanding of everything related to the future, but rather that they have heard about these things before and should not need to ask for more information on the topic. The essence of the situation, as Paul lays it out, is that believers know about what is coming and non-believers don’t – in the sense of being forewarned. It is not just this awareness that affects their conduct, of course, but they will behave quite differently. One group is in preparation for that time and the other is not (Luke 21:34-36). But the future issue of knowing when that time will come is beyond both groups. Jesus had earlier declared it was even unknown to himself and to the angels in heaven (Matthew 24:36, 43). It is for God to set the schedule, and to declare it.

     The events of “the times and epochs” relate to judgment, rewards, resurrection, death, joy, sorrow, renewal, and discovery. There is more tied up in that than I would try to express in one devotional, and I don’t understand it all anyway. But even with the Thessalonians clearly not having understood all that was involved in that, Paul felt that he could write: “Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.” (5:11). He felt good about them, and what they were getting done, although they didn’t have their eschatology (ideas about the future) all straightened out. That is comforting. Still, Paul figured they were about to have it cleared up, since he had written his letter. I’m not saying none of this mattered to him (he didn’t want to leave them uninformed and figured it would have made them uncomfortable). But it is nice to think there is some room for uncertainty, while we seek to build each other up.

     Lord, thank you for those who have built me up and encouraged me. Help me to accept the strengthening they have offered me, and to not allow myself to be torn back down by the world. Let me use that strength for useful purposes. Help me to encourage and build up others. Please let me take that goal seriously and give me opportunities to do so. Let your Spirit work in your people to draw us closer together and show your love more clearly. Thank you, Amen.

-Daniel Smead

Reflection Questions

  1. We hear a lot about the day of Christ’s return being “like a thief” meaning it will catch people unawares – but it seems like that is meant to emphasize the effect on unbelievers. Do you think the real effect of the metaphor might have been to make us concerned about other people not being ready for that day?
  2. We don’t know what confusion the believers in Thessalonica had about death, we could imagine all kinds of things. Maybe they just assumed that believers weren’t supposed to die before Jesus returned, having heard of believers who were returned to life. What difficulties do you think there were for Christians as they moved into a second generation of believers?
  3. How might things have been changed if God simply told the first generation of disciples exactly when Jesus was going to return? Do you think they might have left that information out of the Bible if they had received it? What if Jesus promised to give the believers a 30-year warning alert of when he would return? Is it better to be left with each generation not aware if it is the generation that will be alive when the trumpet sounds?
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Rejoice Always

1 Thessalonians 5

Thursday, September 1, 2022

I have always loved 1 Thessalonians 5:16.  It is a very short verse.  In fact, in Greek, it is the shortest verse with only 2 words that combined have a total of 14 characters, whereas John 11:35 is 3 words with a combined total of 16 characters.  However, this verse has a big message behind those two words.
1 Thessalonians 5:16 is all about joy.  It commands you to have joy and to express it all the time.  This is a command that is repeated throughout many other passages in the Bible, including Philippians 4:4 and Psalm 32:11.  But, how many of us are constantly showing joy?  We all have times in our lives when it is hard to show joy.  For some people it may be the morning when they just woke up.  For others it might be right after finding out bad news.  Whatever it may be, you have had it try to stop you from feeling joy.  But, we need to each make the choice to choose joy.  In choosing joy, you are choosing to focus not on the problems you are momentarily facing, but on the gifts that God has given you.  We need to not choose joy sometimes, but all the time.


However, having joy all the time only partially fulfills what you are being commanded to do in 1 Thessalonians 5:16.  You are supposed to be rejoicing!  Rejoicing is more than just having the feeling of joy.  It is expressing that feeling of joy.  When I think of showing joy, I think of the song “I’ve Got Joy,” which says,


“I’ve got joy down in my heart,
Deep, deep down in my heart!
J-O-Y down in my heart,
Deep deep down in my heart!
Jesus put it there
And nothing can destroy it!
I’ve got joy down in my heart,
Deep, deep down in my heart!”


I love singing this song and it always brings a smile to my face when everyone is doing the motions for it.  But what makes this song even better are the little changes my family has made to the song, which were inspired by our friend Jeff.  Instead of singing the lyrics, “joy down in my heart, deep, deep down in my heart,” we sing, “joy exploding out of his head, deep, deep out of his head.”  We should all have such evident joy that the only way to describe it to others is to say that it is exploding out of your head.  Not only should it be exploding out of our heads sometimes, but it should be exploding out of our heads all the time, as we obey the command to rejoice always.


However, that is not the end to the slight changes my family has made to this song.  Instead of singing the lyrics, “And nothing can destroy it,” we sing, “And nothing can contain it.”  Our joy should not only always be exploding out of our heads, but we shouldn’t let anything stop it from exploding.  Nothing should be allowed to contain our joy inside our heads!  Our joy should always be exploding out!

-Kaitlyn Hamilton

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

  1. On a scale of 1-10 how well do you choose joy? On the same scale, how well do you express that joy? One more time, on the same scale, how well do you express that joy all of the time?
  2. What do you sometimes allow to steal, destroy or contain your joy?
  3. We know life can be hard. We also know God is good. What blessings from God can you choose to focus on today? (Visit yesterday’s devotion if you need a blessing to start your list.)
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