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Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things Phil 4:8 |
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| Archived Manna: | |
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, August 8, 2025
Today's Passage : Today's PassageThe Foundation of Christian Doctrine BibleVerse1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 (DP) "We cannot thank God enough. Our most grateful prayers are not adequate to express the joy you have brought us. Still, we pray for you in earnest, night and day, hoping to see your faces soon. We are eager to help you out as best we can, and there is no substitute for being there in person, especially for building up your confidence. Here, then, is our prayer: May God our Father and our Lord Jesus direct our feet to your door; and may the Lord grant you an overflowing abundance of love, for one another and for all men, just as we love you; and may He establish your hearts in all holiness, that you may be blameless before Him in the coming of Lord Jesus with all His saints. Amen." Message:
These verses wrap up the first section of the epistle, a long personal communication of encouragement, praise, and love, with some subtle guidance on how to evangelize, using the technique of indirect hortatory. Paul’s unabashed emotionalism reaches a crescendo, especially when verse 8 is included; one might read v.8 to imply that Paul’s very life depends on the faithfulness of the readers! (“For now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord.”)
Yet if his hyperbole makes him sound like a lovesick Victorian suitor to us, is it his overstatement, or the cynicism of our modern eye? If we look at Christ’s teaching, we must accuse ourselves and admire Paul. Christ does not call us to love Him with half our heart. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind . . . .” (Luke 10:27) How many people can we say follow that teaching?
That Paul has such enthusiasm for the future, despite the sufferings about which he has warned and continues to predict, has a special meaning. Remember, this is the first epistle — probably, the first book — written in the New Testament. In a limited sense, we might call it one of the establishing documents of Christianity, that is, the church in the age after Christ’s ascension.
The “gods” whom the Greeks were accustomed to worship were not good, and they did not care about people very much. They were bound to the Fates, just as human beings were. People did not love them; they did worship them and sacrifice to them, hoping to minimize the damage from their seemingly incoherent and random whims.
If you have ever watched Lawrence of Arabia, remember what the Muslim Arabs remarked when a man, whom Lawrence had courageously rescued from the desert, was shot? “It was written.” The man’s death was ordained. Lawrence was wrong, or at best foolish, to try to save him. Such fatalism infuses the doctrine of every religion on earth, except one: and we see, in 1 Thessalonians, the creation of this trait — the unique optimism of Christianity.
Any person, no matter how poor or humble, no matter how evil he has acted previously, can find salvation; and he doesn’t need money, or power, or elaborate ritual to do it. It is accomplished by faith, by love for his fellow man, and by the optimism itself. For in Christian doctrine, hope is considered a desirable and even necessary attribute, a gift and a “fruit of the spirit,” to be cultivated in one’s own life and encouraged in others.
One can only surmise the effect this had on the Greeks of Thessalonica. This was Good News, indeed!
Melancholia by Domenico Feti, ca. 1605.
Melancholia by Domenico Feti, ca. 1605.
In this allegorical work, a woman obssesses over a skull, ignoring the Good News in the book she has let fall to the ground.
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Meditation : “You cannot always reach your destination overnight, but you can change your direction overnight.” ~ Jim Rohn Prayer : Now, oh heavenly Father, I ask to be called as a witness to your love by the love I extend to others; a precursor of your justice by my unfailing commitment to what is right and good; a lamp set on a hill, reflecting the light of Christ in my forgiveness, mercy and compassion; and a harvester of souls through my humble and dedicated servanthood. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen. |
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