The world fumbles around in darkness, but you're called to live in the light.
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Previous DIG DEEPER posts on 1 Thessalonians
1 Thessalonians 5 Summary
The Old Testament prophets are a very diverse group of guys, coming from all sorts of different backgrounds, but they all pointed to one thing in particular: Yom Yahweh - The day of the LORD. Here's how the prophet Isaiah describes what that day will be like:
See, the day of the LORD is coming —a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger— to make the land desolate and destroy the sinners within it. - Isaiah 13:9
We saw glimpses of this as we read through Revelation. Today Paul tells us that although this day will catch most people by surprise (v1-3), it need not surprise us, since we are children of the light and of the day (v5). For us, the Day of the LORD is something to look forward to, not be afraid of, because
God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ (v9).
Dig Deeper
You know that feeling when you finally get to sit down after working for hours and you sort of drift off to sleep? Don't do that. Figuratively speaking, of course. It's fine to take a short snooze now and then, but the point is we live in tremendous comfort in 21st century Minnesota, so it's easy to let that comfort soften our outlook for the Day of the LORD and let our Spiritual Disciplines slip as we snooze in comfort.
You can't do this alone. You need to be present with other Christians each week, and they need you. Together we encourage and build up one another (v11).
Most importantly, remember that your sanctification is the result of God's work, not your own. This is the tension that you live in as a Christian: actively build yourself and others up, but know that it's the God of peace Himself who will sanctify you completely (v23).
AAA Prayer :
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: God of peace, who is coming to bring justice to all things (v2, 3)
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (v16-18)
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
