Tag Archives: 2 Thessalonians

10 For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.” This is how welfare used to be run. People came with this attitude. They wanted to work for what they received. They didn’t want a free handout. The shift happened about aContinue reading “30July 2011 2 Thessalonians 3:10”

6 In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us. Idleness is not something new. There have always been those with the ability to work, but who don’t. Early in theContinue reading “27Sep2010 2 Thess 3:6”

14 If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of him. Do not associate with him, in order that he may feel ashamed. Shame can be a wonderful thing! Shame is one of the ways that God signals us that we are out of safe bounds, that we are treadingContinue reading “27Jul2008 2Thess 3:14”

5 May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance. I never thought of my heart needing direction before reading this verse today. But when I think about it in retrospect, I have allowed this process many times in my life. Before I was a Jesus-follower I allowed my heart to beContinue reading “26Jul2008 2Thess 3:5”

15 So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter. Notice that Paul makes no distinction between the teachings passed on to the Thessalonians orally and those passed on in written form. He says they need to stand firmly on andContinue reading “25Jul2008 2Thess 2:15”

13 But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. Some people want to make getting a relationship with God very difficult, but it is very simple.Continue reading “24Jul2008 2Thess 2:13”

3 We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing. The central process in the Jesus-follower’s life is growth. If we are not growing we are dead. When a plant stopsContinue reading “23Jul2008 2Thess 1:3”

I’m finding that not all “believers” are believers. In some of the rest of my devotions I read in The Message this passage. There could be no truer message. Some claim, some practice. Those who have a living faith, a faith that mirrors what we see in Scripture, a faith reflected in the lives ofContinue reading “2 Thessalonians 3:2”