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Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted Isa 53:4 |
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Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Friday, July 11, 2025
Today's Passage : Today's Passage:Joy Despite Tribulation BibleVerse:1 Thessalonians 1:6-8 "You have proven that you understood and appreciated the work we did on your behalf while we were there with you; for you became such close followers of the Lord that you could be called mirrors of us, and thus of Him. Even when dire tribulation has been inflicted on you, you have never wavered. Despite your suffering, you have celebrated the Holy Spirit with a joy so great that all of Macedonia and Achaia resound with your voice. Even distant lands are filled with people talking about how you took us in, and how readily you turned away from dead idols to serve a real, living God. We would write to correct your errors, but there is nothing to correct. " Message:
Paul continues his mixture of praising the Thessalonians with describing the time he, Timothy, and Silvanus had spent with them. In fact, there seems to be hidden praise of himself in the passage, for he implies that he had done something that warranted imitation: and he had! Paul might seem at times to wander perilously close to personal pride and some critics accuse him of it. Yet, how could he pretend he had not suffered as they had? And why would he want to?
He is not bragging; rather, he is making common cause with those who will hear his letter, for they, too, have suffered. He is sharing his experience with his audience, something he does constantly in the first two chapters. He lets the Thessalonians know that they have a sympathetic ear, qualified by having suffered for the Gospel as they have.
Saint Paul traveling
He does not give details of what tribulations the Thessalonians suffered on account of their faith, but it is certain that every one of them suffered alienation from their community, their friends and family. Harassment, imprisonment, beatings and even death were all common to the first converts; they were hated by Jew and Greek alike.
The theme of the apostle as a model of behavior, as well as a preacher of the gospel, goes hand-in-hand with Paul’s frequent descriptions of his time in Thessalonica. By imitating Paul and Christ, the church knowingly accepts that they will have the same fate: the enmity of those who walk in darkness, and possibly practical expression of that enmity in violence.
But then the sun moves out from behind the clouds, for the suffering of the church is a small price to pay for the supernatural investiture of the Holy Spirit. As with Christ and as with Paul, there is a dramatic progress in fulfilling Christ’s wishes for our lives: the joyous realization of Christ’s truth in receiving the Gospel, the painful suffering that accompanies being divided and separated from the powers of evil, and then the return of joy in proclaiming the Gospel.
Just as the Thessalonians came to know Christ by following Paul’s actions as well as his words, so they proclaim the Gospel to the world, in Greece (Macedonia and Achaia) and even beyond.
There is a tendency among some scholars to view every positive exhortation of Paul as a tacit criticism. They reason that if he says, “Love one another” it implies, “You are not loving one another sufficiently.” This erroneous assumption simply fails to grasp Paul’s positive energy; and here we see that he makes it impossible to misunderstand his praise, because he states explicitly: “We do not need to tell you anything,” meaning that he finds them so exemplary that he cannot even offer a suggestion on improvement.
Meditation : “To know the Word of God, to live the Word of God, to preach the Word, to teach the Word, is the sum of all wisdom, the heart of all Christian service.” ~ Charles E. Fuller Prayer : Let me not forget my prayers as I go out into the world. Holy Spirit, be with me, and let me praise you and remember you in my every action and thought, for the entire day long. In Christ’s name I ask this, Amen. |
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