Watchword: Daily Text
August 12, 2013
I Thessalonians 5:16-28
Paul gave this community of Christian believers guidelines
for living godly lives, because he believed that Jesus was returning imminently,
and he wanted them to be ready for Him to make a sudden appearance. Jesus hasn’t come and still we hope and live
as though he were coming – that’s what He wants. These verses basically constitute a guideline
for godly living. Three verses stand out
to me in this passage. The first is
verse 16 – “Rejoice evermore” (KJV). As
a young college student I had a friend who thrived on joy -- I thrived on the
melancholy side of life. I was the
babysitter for their children. For every positive ray in life she found, I
could find two negative. I missed the mark on Paul’s rejoicing scale. This was
a man who could certainly find the negative and the macabre – Rome had a price
on his head at many times throughout his writings and still he found cause to
rejoice – not in his circumstances, which are subject to change, but in the
unchanging God who rules the circumstances of his life. The words Paul uses here seem intended to
bolster the courage and confidence of his readers, rather than intended as a
rebuke for an attitude they are not assuming. [1]
He seemed to greeting them “Hi –
cheer-up – look-up.” He had just
reminded them of that great hope that Jesus is coming. That’s every reason to rejoice.
The second verse that speaks to my heart is verse 18: In
everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Chris Jesus concerning
you” (KJV). Thanksgiving in all
situations—the acknowledgement that that God is in control and we are in
trustful submission; that’s the heart that honors God. It’s difficult to thank and praise God for
all things, but God is honored when the storms of life we can say “Thank you.” Count Zinzendorf demonstrated that spirit of
submissive thanksgiving. His heart’s
desire at age twenty one was to go into in the ministry, but his grandmother
forbade such a course of action saying it was inappropriate for a nobleman to
enter the ministry. He obediently followed his grandmother’s desires and
entered the service of the State at Dresden. He did so in submission and
thanksgiving, looking for ways to serve his God there in the State. In response, he gave the Moravian one of their
most beloved hymns, “Jesus, Still Lead On.”[2] Here is the first verse:
Jesus, still lead on, till our rest be won,
And, although the way be cheerless,
we will follow calm and fearless,
Guide us by Thy hand to our fatherland.[3]
And, although the way be cheerless,
we will follow calm and fearless,
Guide us by Thy hand to our fatherland.[3]
The third verse is about God and reminds me that He is
faithful (vs. 24). God is one who “can be relied on. “[4] In a day when people question the veracity of
every political leader and most religious leaders, we have a God who can be
trusted. Because he can be trusted – Let
us use an adaptation of the words of Zinzendorf’s hymn as watchword … “Jesus lead
on --- we will follow until we reach our home.”
[1]
Implied from Blue Letter Bible. "Dictionary and Word Search for chairō
(Strong's 5463)". Blue Letter Bible. 1996-2013. 12 Aug 2013. <
http:// www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?
Strongs=G5463&t=NASB >.
Strongs=G5463&t=NASB >.
[2] John
Weinlick, Count Zinzendorf (Nashville: Abingdon, 1956), p.56.
[4] Blue
Letter Bible. "Dictionary and Word Search for pistos (Strong's 4103)".
Blue Letter Bible. 1996-2013. 12 Aug 2013. <
http:// www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?
Strongs=G4103&t=NASB >
Strongs=G4103&t=NASB >
No comments:
Post a Comment