“Maybe I should … maybe I shouldn’t. I think I will, but then again, maybe I won’t. Nope. Yep. Final decision. I most definitely probably won’t.”

Have you ever had a conversation like the above with a friend, co-worker, family member …  yourself? Have you ever had trouble making a firm decision; swinging back and forth from choice “A” to choice “B” like the pendulum of a clock? Tick-tock, tick-tock, yes-no, maybe so.

I must admit I have had trouble trying to stand firm concerning decisions. Most of my wobbliness could be traced back to one deadly sin: people pleasing. In the not so distant past, my “stand firm” decisions were quickly toppled by one opinion contrary to my own. I was as firm as Jello at a July picnic.

My lack of ability to stand firm has cost me plenty (stress, wasted time, consequences, REGRET). After much prayer, soul searching and the storing-up of God’s Word in my heart, I am learning to stand firm, but not on my own two feet. I now stand firm upon the Rock.

To learn what it means to stand firm, and continue our study in 1 Thessalonians, A Life of Faith, please  click on the link below.

1 Thessalonians Part 12: Stand Firm

“ … and we sent Timothy to visit you. He is our brother and God’s co-worker in proclaiming the Good News of Christ. We sent him to strengthen you, to encourage you in your faith.”

Co-workers can be a wonderful blessing. When I was in college, I used to work at a popular pizza place. I had a wonderful co-worker. We were so close we often rode to work together. My co-worker and I covered for one another at work, traded clothes,  shared our hurts and dreams and often saw each other apart from work. Clothes and dreams weren’t the only things we shared, however. On one of our many long trips to work, my co-worker shared the Gospel with me. It is because of her witness that I became a Christian.

Our verse above states, ” He [Timothy] is our brother and God’s co-worker.” Well, my co-worker is “my sister and God’s co-worker.” As a matter of fact, we are sisters and still co-workers today; true co-workers, laboring together as God’s co-workers to bring the message of the Gospel to a lost and lonely world.

You too, can be God’s co-worker. First you must lay down your life, pick up your cross and follow Him.

To do part 11 of The Life of Faith Thessalonians study, please click on the link below.

1 Thessalonians A Life of Faith, Part 11: God’s Co-worker

Before 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 containspart 10 of A Life of Faith, please click on the link below.

A Life of Faith, Part 10: The Word

“… 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   

Walking 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 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 ourwalk 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

Family 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.

“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 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