04/22          1 Thessalonians 2:1-2

You yourselves know, dear brothers and sisters, that our visit to you was not a failure. 2 You know how badly we had been treated at Philippi just before we came to you and how much we suffered there. Yet our God gave us the courage to declare his Good News to you boldly, even though we were surrounded by many who opposed us.

BOLDLY

We can live our life boldly for the Lord. He is worthy of our temporal life and momentary death-Christ is the Lord and He is our Lord. Do not let the cares and worries of this life sidetrack you because the One we follow is greater than anything. He gives you His joy and His peace.

04/21          1 Thessalonians 1:10

And they speak of how you are looking forward to the coming of God’s Son from heaven — Jesus, whom God raised from the dead. He is the one who has rescued us from the terrors of the coming judgment.

SECURITY

Jesus is our security. He gives us His life, His light and He is the Living Lord in whom we depend for all things. Jesus is Lord and He is Lord of my life.

04/20          1 Thessalonians 1:6-9

So you received the message with joy from the Holy Spirit in spite of the severe suffering it brought you. In this way, you imitated both us and the Lord. 7 As a result, you yourselves became an example to all the Christians in Greece. 8 And now the word of the Lord is ringing out from you to people everywhere, even beyond Greece, for wherever we go we find people telling us about your faith in God. We don’t need to tell them about it, 9 for they themselves keep talking about the wonderful welcome you gave us; and how you turned away from idols to serve the true and living God.

LIVE

Live your life in such a way that all will know that you are following the Lord. How do we do this? Love one another, care for the hurting and die to self for others. This will require the leadership of the Holy Spirit. You cannot live this way in the flesh.

04/19          1 Thessalonians 1:4-5

We know that God loves you, dear brothers and sisters, and that he chose you to be his own people. 5 For when we brought you the Good News, it was not only with words but also with power, for the Holy Spirit gave you full assurance that what we said was true. And you know that the way we lived among you was further proof of the truth of our message.

CHOICE

We have a choice: we can choose the Lord or we can ignore the Lord. There is no in-between. Choose Jesus.

04/18          1 Thessalonians 1:2-3

We always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly. 3 As we talk to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and your continual anticipation of the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.

PEOPLE

Jesus loves people. We need to love people, think about them, pray for them and do good to them. This is not an option it is a requirement.  

04/17          1 Thessalonians 1:1

This letter is from Paul, Silas, and Timothy. It is written to the church in Thessalonica, you who belong to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. May his grace and peace be yours.

CHANGED
We are changed when we come into the family of God. He gives us His grace, every moment, every hour-giving us what we need and cannot earn. Additionally He gives us His peace. His peace is the very presence of the Living Lord in our life every moment of every day. His grace and peace change the way we live our lives.

04/16          Luke 14:33-35

So no one can become my disciple without giving up everything for me.” 34 “Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? 35 Flavorless salt is good neither for the soil nor for fertilizer. It is thrown away. Anyone who is willing to hear should listen and understand!”

HALF

There are no half disciples in the family of God. Jesus saves the complete person. Jesus beckons you to come to Him in complete surrender. Be saved. Be changed. Surrender you life to Christ-He is God’s everything.

04/15          Luke 14:29-32

Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of funds. And then how everyone would laugh at you! 30 They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and ran out of money before it was finished!'” 31 “Or what king would ever dream of going to war without first sitting down with his counselors and discussing whether his army of ten thousand is strong enough to defeat the twenty thousand soldiers who are marching against him? 32 If he is not able, then while the enemy is still far away, he will send a delegation to discuss terms of peace.

KNOW

Know yourself. Look at the Biblical testimony. We are dead in our trespasses and sin. Jesus is Lord and He and He alone saves us. Give yourself to Jesus and He will not desert you.

04/14          Luke 14:27-28

And you cannot be my disciple if you do not carry your own cross and follow me.” 28 “But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first getting estimates and then checking to see if there is enough money to pay the bills?

REALITY

The reality is that when we come to Jesus we are changed. If we are not changed we didn’t connect to Jesus. Very simple very easy and the implications are eternal.

04/13          Luke 14:25-26

Great crowds were following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, 26 “If you want to be my follower you must love me more than your own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters — yes, more than your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple.

FOCUS

Jesus loves you. He calls us to focus our life upon Him. Give Him your cares and worries. Ask Him for His wisdom, mercy, guidance and strength. He is Lord and He offers us a relationship. Trust the Lord and get to know Him.