1 Thessalonians A Life of Faith, Part 10: The Word

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DOve JPEG 10 edtBefore the days of email, texting and social media, people wrote letters. As a young girl, I had a few pen-pals; good friends who live far away with whom one corresponds via traditional postal mail. In order to create beautiful letters,  I spent my allowance on beautiful stationary, sealing wax and stamps.

The coming of the mailman was an event. Those who are over the age of 40 understand the thrill of a mailman approaching the house with hands filled with letters — especially love letters. The greatest love letter in the world was written thousands of years ago. The letter contains words of everlasting love, words of severe sacrifice and words of passionate grace and mercy. The author of the greatest love letter, also known as The Word, is God. Many attest God wrote The Word by the blood of Christ.  God has written this letter for the one He loves with all His heart … you.

In order to do part 10 of A Life of Faith, please click on the link below.

A Life of Faith, Part 10: The Word

 

1 Thessalonians A Life of Faith, Part 9: Walk Worthy

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“… as you know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged every one of you, as a father does his own children,  that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory. “

1 Thessalonians 1:11-12   

DOve JPEG 10 edtWalking is the oldest mode of transportation known to mankind. Before the wheel, the horse and buggy, and the car, mankind walked. There is something very satisfying, and very thought provoking about walking. Walking provides time to meditate, reflect and pray about problems, challenges and plans.

Walk is the term God uses to describe our relationship with Him …  a walk of faith. Since Jesus calls us to follow Him, we can infer Jesus will walk with us every step of our journey.

As a runner, I know it is important not just to run a race, but to run well. The same applies to our walk with God. Paul charges us to walk worthy of the Lord. What does it mean to walk worthy of the Lord? Does the phrase walk worthy refer to training, style, techniques and form or is it really a matter of the heart?

To continue your study in 1 Thessalonians, A Life of Faith, please click on the link below.

A Life of Faith, Part 9: Walk Worthy

1 Thessalonians A Life of Faith, Part 8: From Cherish to Charge

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DOve JPEG 10 edtFamily is the bedrock element of civilization and culture. God, creator and founder of family, placed the responsibility of family within the institution of marriage.  In God’s perfect plan, children are taught, fostered and nurtured to live a life of faith by a father and a mother.

Most children would agree, mothers have a softer touch than their masculine counterparts. No matter what our age, when we are sick, hurt, or upset, we want our mother.

But, when the chips are down and there is a problem to be solved (or a car to be repaired), fathers are on call.  Sometimes children need a good dose of a dad’s no-nonsense “straighten up and fly right” (especially teen-age sons). Such life-changing talks are best delivered by fathers.

Moms … dads … fathers … mothers …  cherish …  charge.It all adds up to family; not perfect but complete.  Together, fathers and mothers teach  and model  to their offspring how to live a life of faith.

In order to continue your study in 1 Thessalonians: A Life of Faith,  please click on the link below.

1 Thessalonians Part 8: From Cherish to Charge

Please be sure to leave a comment about what you’ve been learning in our Speak Your Mind section at the bottom of the page.

1 Thessalonians A Life of Faith, Part 7: Approved by God

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DOve JPEG 10 edt“You have been approved,” is a very exciting phrase. Hearing that phrase boosts one’s self esteem. It is wonderful to weighed  in the balance and found acceptable, trustworthy, and capable.

Throughout the course of a  life time, we have been approved for college loans, mortgages, car loans and college admissions. These approvals, however,  fall infinitely short in comparison to being  approved by God.

What has God approved us to do? According to 1 Thessalonians 2, we have been approved to communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world. Since we have been approved to carry the Gospel  as we walk out our life of faith, we have a responsibility to be ready in season and out of season to give a reason for the great hope we have. It is an honor and a privilege to be entrusted by the God of the universe with the Gospel.

We (me and YOU) have been approved by God. To do part 7 of A Life of Faith, please click on the link below.

A Life of Faith Part 7, Approved By God

 

1 Thessalonians A Life of Faith, Part 6: The Blessing of Suffering

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DOve JPEG 10 edtGod has given us many blessings, the greatest of which is the gift of life.  We can choose to live a life of selfishness and greed, following after our own desires, or we can live a life of faith,  following in the steps of Jesus.  A life of faith consists of many blessings:  grace, joy, peace, love, fruit, ministry, and yes,  suffering.

At first, it may seem as if suffering and blessing have no point of commonality, but as we shall learn, suffering leads to blessing if we will only trust the Lord.  The present hardship you are experiencing can be re-purposed by God into blessing. Blessing from suffering … what kind of God has that kind of power? The Great I AM.  Living a life of faith is not easy, but it is deeply satisfying, fruitful and rewarding. Let’s dig into Scripture and learn about the blessing of suffering.

Please click on the link below to down load Part 6 of A Life of Faith.

A Life of Faith, Part 6: The Blessing of Suffering