The Daily Dose

The “lawless one”

Don’t you remember that I told you about all this when I was with you?  2 Thessalonians 2:5

The next part of this chapter is very interesting and very relevant to us today.  Paul reminds the Thessalonians what he had previously told them about what would be going on when Jesus returns.  The interesting part is that we can use this scripture to identify the times we are living in today.  We can identify that Jesus has not returned because these things have not happened. 

Let’s take a look at what Paul described. 

1. The Holy Spirit is holding back the revealing of the “lawless one”
2. The mystery of lawlessness is already at work;
3. After the church/Holy Spirit is taken away, then the “lawless one” will be revealed.
4. The coming of the “lawless one” is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders,
5. Unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
6. For this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie,
7. Those who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness will be condemned.

This plainly explains that the Holy Sprit in the body of Christ, the church, is restraining the “anti-christ” from being revealed.  When the church is taken up to heaven, then he will come.  There is no point to be looking for him now and trying to figure out who he is.  He will not be revealed until Jesus come to get us, therefore it is not for us as believers to know who he is.  When he does come, it will be obvious who he is because he does signs and wonders like no one else can.  Whether they are tricks or real, it just doesn’t matter because people will be deceived into believing that he is God in the flesh.  All those who believe and fall for the lie will be condemned.

Paul finishes this part of his letter by telling the Thessalonians how thankful he is for them because they believed and that God has set the apart for His glory!  He concludes by offering hope in grace, comfort for their hearts and that God would establish them in every good word and work.  That is a great closing and excellent prayer for us, also.

Today I want to encourage you to not be looking for the “lawless one”.  Don’t be wondering who it is or when he will be known.  Instead, be looking to the eternal One, the One who can save your soul from destruction.  Then pray the prayer of hope by grace, comfort for your heart and be grounded in every good word and work.  We don’t know how much time we have left here, but we do know He is coming soon.  Make every day count for eternity by sharing the love of God in the world you live in.

Today’s scripture reading: 2 Thessalonians 2:5-17

Rumors

Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord has already come. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2

This passage is a good example of what happens when rumors get started.  In the apostle Paul’s day, someone started a story that Paul was teaching that Jesus had returned and taken the Christians with Him to heaven.  The only problem with that was that the Thessalonians were still here.  They became unsettled and alarmed by this message and who wouldn’t?  So, when word got back to Paul of the rumors that were going around about his teaching, he quickly wrote a letter to the Thessalonian church to assure them this story was not true.

The same thing happens today.  I’m sure all of us have become unsettled, angered and even hurt by a story we were told that wasn’t exactly accurate.  Especially if it was said that it came from someone we trusted.  It happens quite often that people will repeat part of what a pastor or teacher said and then those who hear immediately jump to the wrong conclusion.  Many public ministries suffer damage due to rumors that are started because someone disagreed with something that was said or twisted it’s meaning.  What about when someone predicts when the LORD will come?  That really gets people upset.  Everyone seems to want to argue that it isn’t time yet.  Almost as if they are not even looking for Him.  I agree that these predictions are not necessary, but let’s face it, in the world we live in, He could come at any time now.

The point of all this is, rumors start even about the best ministries out there. Paul’s ministry team was probably the greatest team ever since the church began, and there were many determined to bring him down.  This is an excellent opportunity to recognize that just because you have seen or heard it on the internet (aka facebook) doesn’t necessarily mean it is true.  Don’t believe everything you see and hear.  Search it out for yourself and by all means, DON’T REPEAT IT!!  There is enough damage done without you adding to it.  The saddest part about it is the judgment that will be faced someday for spreading stories about God’s ministers.  Whether true or not, it is not the place of a believer to condemn or put down any ministry.

Today I want to encourage you to not repeat rumors or bad reports for that matter.  Don’t be the person that searches for what they can find wrong with a ministry.  Look and rejoice about what God is doing in them instead.  We are all imperfect people which means there are no perfect ministries/ministers.  Pray for those who are in the public eye and scrutinized for everything they say and do.  Just because you hear stories doesn’t mean they are true and if they are true, let God take care of it.  He’s pretty smart and He will avenge those who are wrongly using His name.

Today’s scripture reading: 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4

His faith and power

Therefore, we always pray for you that our God would count you worthy of His calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, 2 Thessalonians 1:11

This verse makes me smile.  Think about it.  Paul is praying that God will fulfill all the pleasure of His goodness for the Thessalonians.  Not only that but also that they would walk out God’s good pleasure with faith and power.  The truly amazing part of this is that God wants to do this for you and me today.  It says right here, it gives God pleasure to do good works in me and through me.  That is, according to His goodness which is far better than anything I can imagine.  So why wouldn’t I trust Him with every area of my life.  He wants good for me and He is well able to get it to me. 

So what does it look like to walk out God’s good pleasure.  Your life will look like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bring forth fruit in its season, whose leaf does not wither and whatever you do will prosper. (Psalms 1:3)  When God works His good pleasure in you, He always gives you the victory (1 Cor. 15:57) and always causes you to triumph/win (2 Cor. 2:14).  That is so clear in His gift of Salvation.  Romans 8:32 says that He did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, so why wouldn’t God, along with His gift of Jesus, also freely give us all things?  Certainly God would not have given us the best gift He could give and then hold everything else back from us. Now He has nothing to lose.  He wants us to have all things that are necessary to live a godly life.  2 Peter 1:3 says that by his diving power, God has given us all thing that pertain to life and godliness through our relationship with Christ Jesus.

So now the question is, how does God fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness in me?  The answer is in the last part of the verse. By walking in faith with His power.  Another translation says: He gives you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do.  This speaks to me because it is how I live my life.  When I get a nudge or prompting from the Holy Spirit, I look to God for the faith and power to accomplish it.  It doesn’t always look possible and sometimes it doesn’t even make sense in my natural mind.  However, I know He is able to do the great task, no matter what it is if I will yield to Him and take the steps of obedience as He walks me through the process.  Maybe it’s in finding a place to live, encouraging my family, serving in ministry, writing books or even things as simple as praying for my husband and watching God do amazingly good works in and through him.  Now I surrender my whole life to God’s good pleasure because there is no greater way to live.

What about you?  Today I want to encourage you to look for God to show up in your life with the good pleasure of His goodness by walking in obedience in faith and power.  God doesn’t demand obedience from us so that He can control and manipulate us, God requires obedience from us so He can get His good pleasure to us.  He knows where all the good things are that He has planned for us and if we follow His direction, we will run right into them!

Today’s scripture reading: 2 Thessalonians 1

He will pay back?

God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you.  2 Thessalonians 1:6

This passage reminds me of another scripture.  It is Romans 12:19 that says Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.  Both of these passages are clear that we are not to repay anyone for an evil done.  Our part is not to pay back, our part is to forgive and to love.  God does the pay back and that is only after the one deserving of it has had every opportunity to repent and ask God to forgive them.

God’s plan and desire is for His people to love and forgive other people to the point that they are open to hear the message of the gospel.  So why is this so difficult to do?  Why is it against our nature to let go of hurts and words that come against what we stand for in the Kingdom of heaven?  As was discussed a couple days ago, it doesn’t have to be hard if you make it a practice.  Just like you practice growing your faith and increasing in love, you can practice forgiving others. 

The first place to start is choose a scripture that you can turn to in the time when you want to fight back.  At the point that a wrong is done to you, say something like: Ephesians 4:32 – be kind to one another, forgiving each other just as God in Christ Jesus forgave you. Matthew 6:14 If you forgive others when they sin against you, you heavenly Father will also forgive you. Colossians 3:13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Luke 6:37 – Forgive and you will be forgiven or Mark 11:25 – And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.

Of course, there are others, but selecting a verse ahead of time to go to when you know it is right to forgive, will lead you in the direction of making the habit of forgiveness. Then, pray for the person that has come against you.  Prayer will open the door to connect them to God.  In lifting that person up in prayer, you are draining your hurt feelings out and filling back up with love at the same time.

I’ve seen it happen so many times, never really considering why.  When I was mistreated, reprimanded, humiliated or embarrassed by someone, I focused on forgiving and praying to rid myself of the hurt I felt.  Not long after, I would hear of failure or misfortune coming to them.  I didn’t will that, I didn’t even think it, my only concern was to keep my heart headed in the right direction.  Whether it was God, or just a result of a prideful attitude, the fall came to them none the less.

Today I want to encourage you to let God handle the payment for a wrong done.  Keep yourself and your heart clean from the bitterness and resentment that can result from payback.  Forgive and pray and if you find you can’t do this, ask God for help.  He will empower you.  God will avenge you and you don’t even have to have anything to do with it.

Today’s scripture reading: 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10

Increasing in faith and love

We always thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing.  2 Thessalonians 1:3

Here is a couple of good questions:  Is your faith growing more and more?  Is your love for other believers increasing?  This is what Paul talked to the other people of God about when he mentioned the Thessalonian church.  Their faith was growing, even in the middle of severe persecution.  They were pressing into God and the result was that they loved each other more.  I’m sure this was evident in their looking out for and encouraging each other and praying for one another.  That is the way we show that we love other believers.

So we can go back to the original questions.  Is our faith growing today?  Are we pressing into God and His Word to walk closely with Him in all areas of our lives?  Do we practice walking by faith and not by our own circumstances and feelings?  Are we lining our words and actions up with the standard of God and His word?  Do we love others in a way that we put the needs and care of others before our own?  Are we determined to take care of other believers or do we just look out for “number one”?

So, what is the evidence of your faith growing and your love for others increasing?  Well, the number one indication will be how you respond to persecution.  Do you run? Do you fight or do you take it patiently?   2 Thessalonians 1:4 says So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure:  The evidence of the Thessalonian’s faith and love was that they endured the persecution with patience and faith.  That is a high standard and cannot be confused with wrong motivation or heart.  They honored God in all their responses and continued to encourage one another.

Today I want to encourage you to step into a closer walk with the Holy Spirit in every area of your life.  Begin by spending quiet time with Him each day in His Word.  Talk to Him about all of the things you are facing and going through.  Press into Him with humility and patience when persecutions come against you. Then reach out to other believers and encourage and love on them in their struggles.  It looks like we are coming up against some rough times ahead, go ahead and get prepared for them now by surrendering all and He will take you safely through whatever come your way!

Today’s scripture reading:  2 Thessalonians 1:1-10

He is the faithful One

He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.  1 Thessalonians 5:24

He will do all these things.  If He said it, you can be sure He will do it.  He is the God who cannot lie.  He is faithful and will also do everything He said He will do.  That is true for you personally.  Anything God said in His Word that He will do for you, believe that He will.  Even if you haven’t seen it yet or you don’t even look close to what He has said you are, believe it is on the way.  Somewhere people got the idea that God is going to do whatever He wants to do and you can never know what that will be.  The truth is yes!  God can do what He wants to do and He told us in His Word what that is.  He wants to bless us.  He wants good for us.  That is what you can know and depend on.  Let’s take a look just at the things said in the previous verse.

It says He sanctifies you completely.  He picks you up and sets you apart from everyone else in the world.  You are special to Him.  He has His eye and hand on all that you do.  You are special to Him.  It also says He preserves your whole body, soul and spirit blameless.  It means you are not guilty of everything wrong you have done.  There is no guilt on you.  Not because you did anything, but because He is faithful to do it.  If those were the only two promises given to you as a child of God, that would be a pretty good deal:  He picked you up out of the mess of the world you were in and then removes all the guilt of the wrongs you ever did.  That is very good news.

However, there is so much more.  When He saved you, He made you clean (1 John 1:9), He made you the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21), He made you more than a conqueror (Romans 8:37), He has blessed you with every spiritual blessing from heaven (Ephesians 1:3), He gave you eternal life (John 3:16), by His stripes you were healed (1Peter 2:24).  The list could go on and on. The truth is, everything God has He wants you to have.  He wants for you to be successful in all you do.  He wants you to know and depend on His goodness to always be what you need when you need it.  He is the faithful One!

Today I want to encourage you to watch as you read the scripture for all that God has done to bring you close to Him.  Focus on His faithfulness.  He is not a god that is trying to control or dominate you.  He is you loving Father who created you to love and nurture.  His desire is only good for you all the days of your life.  Things happen in life, but not always because He willed it but He will always be with you through it.  He is here to walk through life with us giving us wisdom and insight to live life victoriously.  He is the faithful One!

Today scripture reading: 1 Thessalonians 5:23-28

Press into Him

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.  1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Here we go with the rest of this list in chapter 5 of actions for successful living.  The apostle Paul continues with his exhortations to the Thessalonian church teaching them life principles that will bring them fulfillment in their walk with God.  As we explore this list, we can easily identify areas that will help us even today to walk closer with our Savior.

1. Rejoice always
2. Pray without ceasing
3. Give thanks in all things
4. Do not quench the Spirit
5. Do not despise prophecies
6. Test all things
7. Hold fast to what is good
8. Abstain from every form of evil

First, we are to rejoice always, pray without ceasing and give thanks in all things.  Right away we can become overwhelmed and think this seems impossible to do.  These steps are not actions you can decide one day that you are going to do and then the next day you perfectly do them.  These are life habits and attitudes that have to be developed and grown inside of you in the same way you develop and grow in any area of life.  You practice.  So the number one place to start is committing your actions and attitude to God and ask for His help.

You can pray a prayer something like this:  Father, I know there are areas in my life where I need to make adjustments.  My desire is to honor and glorify You and I know that I cannot do that without Your Spirit’s help and empowerment.  Today I want to ask that You would empower me to live a victorious life by: always rejoicing, continually praying and talking with You and that I would give thanks wherever I am and in whatever I do.  I ask that I would not quench or shut down the voice of Your Holy Spirit inside of me (which is Your voice) and that I do not despise prophecies/inspired messages, but that You would show me how to test all things that come my way so that I can know the truth and receive it. Thank you for helping me to hold on tight to the good and give me the wisdom to recognize every form of evil, call it what it is and get far from it.  I ask all these things in the mighty name of Jesus, Amen.

Of course, you don’t have to say those exact words, but if you start each day with this heart, you can begin to make this list your lifestyle.  Soon these habits will become the result of pressing into God more each day.

Today I want to encourage you to pray the prayer of commitment to walking life closer to your loving Father.  Even if you already walk close to Him, it is important to keep growing and learning more of His goodness.  He is infinite and eternal, and certainly we always have room to expand our connection with Him.  He told us in his Word that when we ask we receive and when we seek, we will find.  Let’s begin to ask for more and seek more of Him in our lives today.

Today’s scripture reading: 1 Thessalonians 5:14-22

Love others

Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all. 1 Thessalonians 5:14-15

The next two verses begin a list of conduct of living for the Thessalonian church.  Paul gives them steps to order their Christian lives by. He says:

1. warn those who are unruly/rebellious,
2. comfort the fainthearted/anxious,
3. uphold the weak in spirit,
4. be patient with all
5. See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone,
6. always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.

Wow!  That’s quite a list!  Quite frankly, a list of not so easy things to do.  A list of things that do not come naturally.  However, these actions can be cultivated to become second nature.  All it takes is a little practice.  I want to make a note here that all these items are to be done in love, not with hostility.  For example, warning those who are rebellious is not to be started with the phrase “I’m warning you!”  It is in the attitude of coming along beside someone to walk through life and encouraging them to soften their heart, especially toward the things of God and His people. Gently help them to see God’s great love for them and let that be the inspiration for breaking down walls.

Comforting the fainthearted, upholding the weak and being patient with everyone can easily be done in love.  By preparing your heart ahead of time to be aware of people in these conditions, you can already be in a position to be compassionate when they step into your life.

Don’t repay evil for evil, but rather pursue what is good for you and those around you.  Pay back doesn’t accomplish anything and certainly doesn’t encourage others to walk closer to God.  When you feel a wrong has been done to you or someone you love, be prepared to first of all forgive, second recognize that hurtful act came out of brokenness. Thirdly, the love of God is the only response strong enough to break through.

Today I want to encourage you to make a plan to incorporate these actions into your daily walk.  Decide today that you are going to walk in the love of God toward all those around you.  These are steps you can take to become effective for Kingdom progress and also for living a fulfilled life.  Let’s take these examples from the early church on how to show the love of God to others.  You will be a blessing to all those you come into contact with and will be blessed yourself in the process.

Today’s scripture reading: 1 Thessalonians 5:12-22

Esteem highly

And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish (give direction) you, and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. Be at peace among yourselves.  1 Thessalonians 5:12-13

These next verses in 1 Thessalonians (verses 12-22) are a comprehensive list of exhortations to the church.  I will spend the next few doses unpacking these admonishings because I am quite sure they apply to us today just as much as they did to the church in Paul’s day.  Today we are looking at verses 12 and 13.  Paul starts out his list by talking about those who labor among us and are over us.  In today’s church, this can be a long list of people ranging from pastors to small group leaders to team leaders of various teams within the church.  Paul says to first of all recognize them.  He does not say this with the intention of knowing who they are when you see them. He is saying to recognize they are there to help you grow spiritually and also as an authority to submit yourself to.  He says to esteem or honor them very highly in love because they labor/serve for your benefit.  They are serving as a leader in the church so that they can encourage and help you to grow strong in your faith.  They are not doing it because of what they get out of it, especially if they are volunteers.

Next Paul says to be at peace among yourselves.  That means when the leader is not around, you serve each other just as the leader would if they were with you all.  You honor and respect your peers.  Even if there are some that you don’t always see eye to eye with, make every effort to focus on the things you do agree on.  Make it your goal in every relationship you have to turn your attention to the things that draw you closer together and to God not the topics that push your away from each other.

These are the heart and attitudes we are to take with our fellow believers.  Our goal should always be to work together in agreement to get God’s plans accomplished here in this world.  We are here for His honor and glory not our own.  That is where we need to start in working with others.

Today I want to encourage you to recognize, acknowledge and identify those who labor and serve around you.  Those who are in the Lord to help you grow in faith and lead you in the way to go.  Begin to esteem them highly in love and be at peace with those around you.  This is crucial behavior for the work of ministry.  It is also vital to the plan of God for us to first love each other before we can love the lost and broken world.

Today’s scripture reading: 1 Thessalonians 5:12-22

No Surprise

But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.       1 Thessalonians 5:4

I take issue when people bring up the scripture that no one knows the time when Jesus will return for the church.  I know that in Matthew, Jesus Himself said: “no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen in Matthew 24:36 However, He also rebuked the Pharisees because they could not discern the times. (Matthew 16:3)   Jesus expected the priests and the religious people of His day to be able to recognize the timing of His arrival here in the earth.  He expects the same thing of His people today.  How do I know?  Today’s verse is only one of a number of passages that says the church, His family, are not in the dark and will not be caught off guard.  In fact, Peter tells us not to be taken off guard. (see 1 Peter 4) We are to be watching and noticing what time it is. Look around, it’s pretty easy to see that the time is close.  Sure, we don’t know the day or the hour, but we can certainly discern the time and it is now.

Let’s go through a short list of scriptures that tell us how we can know:  2 Timothy 3:1-5 says there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Matthew 24:7 says nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.  Daniel 12:4 says people will be running to and fro, and knowledge will increase.”  Matthew 24:14 says the gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.  1 Timothy 4:1 says in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons,  Luke 21:11 says there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.  Matthew 24:12 says lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.  2 Peter 3:3-4 says scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.”  Luke 21:25 says there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves.

The world is not headed in this direction, we are there right now.  It’s easy to take a look around and shake your head to show your disapproval, but really, the way the world is today should be no surprise to us.  By looking at the scriptures, it is clear that we are in the last days.  The good news is, God is still saving people.  The fact is, more people are getting saved than ever in history.  As quickly as the evil can be spread in the world today, the good news of salvation can move just as fast.  The resources we have available today are making it possible to reach the nations of the world with the love of God.

Today I want to encourage you to discern the times and know that Jesus’ return is soon.  Even if we are here another 10 or 20 years, we are closer than we have ever been before.  Use this time to reach out to the world around you.  Serve and love others like you never have before.  Look for opportunities to bless and build up those who are lost and hurting.  We are not in the darkness and we know time is running out. Make the most of every day and follow the Holy Spirit’s direction so that you can be a part of all He is doing in the world in these last days.

Today’s scripture reading: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-10