He Who Calls You is Faithful
.
1 Thessalonians 5:12-24
12. But we beseech you, brethren, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, 13. and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. 14. And we exhort you, brethren, admonish the idlers, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. 15. See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all. 16. Rejoice always, 17. pray constantly, 18. give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19. Do not quench the Spirit, 20. do not despise prophesying, 21. but test everything; hold fast what is good, 22. abstain from every form of evil. 23. May the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24. He who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.
These verses come at the end of Thessalonians 1. They are the concluding/summary remarks regarding what to do and how to be prepared when Christ comes at the end of time. Since we don’t know when that will be, we must live every day as if “today is the day.” Paul lays out a very concise summary of what it means to be a Christian and how to live in a world where everyone is not. Admonish the idlers. I don’t think he’s talking about people laying around doing nothing (the modern equivalent of a couch potato?) but rather that he is referring to those who are not using their gifts and graces in service to others. Encouraging the fainthearted and helping the weak addresses helping those who have not fully developed or discovered their spiritual gifts. Encourage them to deploy them, without fear of inadequacy or failure.
Revenge is a wasteful concept. It only hurts the one plotting it! Paul exhorts the Thessalonians not to waste their time and/or energy plotting revenge. Rather we are to figure out how to repay every act with love—whether we received love or ill will is irrelevant. We are to take the higher road and respond to everyone in Christian love. Beyond that, we are to intentionally seek out those whom we have difficulty loving, I think. As disciples, we must witness to them and seek to save their souls. The saved don’t need us to witness to them! They only need encouragement to keep on witnessing!
We are to accept everyone—as they are, where they are. And then we are to help them figure out the next step in their spiritual journey. We are to lift up everyone seeking God’s kingdom and guide those who are not yet saved to the truth. This all sounds exhausting on those days when the biggest challenge is just getting out of the house and going to work!
Do what is right. Discern the truth. Don’t lose hope. Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances. Paul really exemplified these three instructions. Even in prison, he was joyful to be in service for Jesus Christ. He rejoiced because he was being used for the purpose for which God made him! He prayed constantly—for strength, courage, and guidance. And God rewarded him with all of those. Because he really believed that He who calls us is faithful.
Maybe it sounds like I’m beating around the bush a little. But I don’t need to share the boring details of today’s anticipated challenges. These verses pretty well sum up what I’ll be facing. And, fortunately, they also offer the way for me to deal with any circumstances life presents. I do rejoice in the Risen Lord! I am thankful for the gift of grace. I pray constantly to remember gratitude, to have the strength to endure, the courage to witness; the faith to persevere.
I hope you spend your day keeping your spirit and soul and body sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because He who calls you is faithful.
Mary
