Ephesians 5:15 (ESV) 15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, It is said that misery loves company. So does sin. Sinners love to get others to partake in their sins. They are often successful, especially with those who are unwise and gullible (Proverbs 14:15). Solomon warns us about this. […]
Ephesians 5:15 (ESV) 15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, Walking wisely will save us from all kinds of grief. Life is full of trouble, some of which is outside of our control. Some of the problems of life, however, are self-induced. When we live unwisely, it puts us […]
“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away: and there was no more sea” (Revelation 21:1). Revelation twenty-one gives us a figurative glimpse of what heaven will be like. The picture of God wiping away all tears, and the thought of death, […]
Paul’s final exhortation to the brethren at Thessalonica, at least in this first epistle, is to abstain from every form of evil. Contextually, Paul is referring to false doctrine. In the previous verses, he exhorted, “Do not quench the Spirit. Despise prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast to what is good.” While we made a […]
1 Thessalonians 5:20-21 (ESV) 20 Do not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything; hold fast what is good. We saw in our previous blog that we are to test the spirits, that is, those who proclaim God’s revealed Word (1 John 4:1). Paul is teaching the same thing here but with a broader application. Yes, […]
As we continue to look at Paul’s final exhortations to the saints at Thessalonica, let us keep in mind that he was writing during the time of miraculous gifts. Because of this, his exhortation does not mean exactly the same thing to us today as it did to the saints at Thessalonica, though we can […]
Too many people do not think of the Spirit as they should. We need to understand that the Spirit is a member of the Godhead, meaning that He is a divine being. In other words, the Spirit is God (Acts 5:3-4). The work of the Spirit is to convict sinners. John 16:7-8 (ESV) 7 Nevertheless, […]
How often do you give thanks to God? It is not good enough to give thanks to Him once in a while, or just when things are going our way. Our appreciation for God, and all that He has done, and continues to do for us, should be constant. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (ESV) 18 Give […]
The next exhortation in Paul’s closing remarks to the church at Thessalonica is to “pray without ceasing.” This is an exhortation to which we all should give heed. Paul was not the first one to give such advice. Jesus told His disciples that “they ought always to pray.” Do you pray consistently? That is the […]
The young church at Thessalonica faced severe persecution. Paul boasted to other churches about their steadfast faith amid such persecution and afflictions (2 Thessalonians 1:4-5). Nevertheless, Paul still expected them to have a joyful attitude. He exhorted them to simply “rejoice always” (1 Thessalonica 5:16). The church at Thessalonica was not the only church to […]