If you read the suggested passage each day, by the end of 30 days you will have read the entire New Testament.
Day 24
30-day reading plan: Philippians-2 Thess.
Daily Verse: 1 Thessalonians 3: 7
Therefore, brothers and sisters, in all our distress and persecution we were encouraged about you because of your faith.
The first letter to the Thessalonians is the oldest Christian literature written about 50 AD. It was written some 20 years after Christ died and 20 years before the first Gospel was edited into its final form. Though this letter to the Thessalonians is the earliest letter, Paul didn’t found this church until his second missionary journey.
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The church was enduring fierce persecution and Paul was a great encourager. He refers to himself as their mother or father and repeatedly calls them brothers and sisters. He has a very close bond with this church. He calls them his glory and joy. He felt that if they had fallen away from the faith that his work would have been in vain.
It seems that Paul’s identity is closely tied to the success or failure of this church. Maybe he got too close. Which begs the question, “why was he closer to this church than the others he founded?” He didn’t spend any more time there than he had at other churches. For some reason, he’s tied up with this one.
We too can get too caught up with something, like a ministry or job. It becomes our identity and its success or failure becomes our success or failure. We should remember that we are more than what we do for a living and more than any one role.
Our identity comes from being a child of God. No amount of success or failure can blemish that character. When we try to define ourselves by anything outside of ourselves, we can easily find ourselves questioning our worth or work if things don’t go as we had hoped. Be encouraged by your brothers and sisters in faith to remember that above all you are a child of God.
Question for reflection:
By what do you define your worth and character?
30-day reading plan: Philippians-2 Thess.
Daily Verse: 1 Thessalonians 3: 7
Therefore, brothers and sisters, in all our distress and persecution we were encouraged about you because of your faith.
The first letter to the Thessalonians is the oldest Christian literature written about 50 AD. It was written some 20 years after Christ died and 20 years before the first Gospel was edited into its final form. Though this letter to the Thessalonians is the earliest letter, Paul didn’t found this church until his second missionary journey.
vi
The church was enduring fierce persecution and Paul was a great encourager. He refers to himself as their mother or father and repeatedly calls them brothers and sisters. He has a very close bond with this church. He calls them his glory and joy. He felt that if they had fallen away from the faith that his work would have been in vain.
It seems that Paul’s identity is closely tied to the success or failure of this church. Maybe he got too close. Which begs the question, “why was he closer to this church than the others he founded?” He didn’t spend any more time there than he had at other churches. For some reason, he’s tied up with this one.
We too can get too caught up with something, like a ministry or job. It becomes our identity and its success or failure becomes our success or failure. We should remember that we are more than what we do for a living and more than any one role.
Our identity comes from being a child of God. No amount of success or failure can blemish that character. When we try to define ourselves by anything outside of ourselves, we can easily find ourselves questioning our worth or work if things don’t go as we had hoped. Be encouraged by your brothers and sisters in faith to remember that above all you are a child of God.
Question for reflection:
By what do you define your worth and character?
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