The Apostle Paul has a wonderful gift of writing. His letters to fellow believers are chopped
full of inspiring encouragements and direct instructions that will motivate the
readers to live the Jesus life. I must admit, living a Christian life isn’t
always easy, but it is always rewarding.
The Christian life has its ups and downs. We will have good days and bad days. We will experience the horrible defects in
people and at the same time; enjoy the best relationships with them. The Jesus life is meant to be proactive. Seek out the best in others. Love deeply from the heart. Share what you have with others. Be a two-mile walker with someone in need. Tell the love story of God. Be Jesus.
Be Spirit-led. Be the face of
everything that is good.
Paul is closing up a letter with the believers in
Thessalonica. In his final words in
1st Thessalonians 5, Paul gives his brothers and
sisters in Christ’s many nuggets of truths that will sustain them in life and
build up the body of Christ. These
truths are not just 1st and 2nd century, but 21st
century truths, too! Paul says:
Be an encourager (5:11) “Therefore encourage one another and build
each other up….” Encouraging people are the people I desire to be around. The Message Bible says it best in Hebrews
10:24, “Let’s see how
inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out….”
Respect the leaders (5:12 & 13) “Dear brothers and sisters, honor those who are your leaders in the
Lord’s work. They work hard among you and give you spiritual guidance. Show them great respect and wholehearted love
because of their work....” The responsibilities of spiritual leaders
are huge. Those who lead with godliness
deserve our utmost respect. Spiritual
leaders must care deeply for every person and generate ways to ensure each one
is being fed spiritually. If spiritual
leaders lead right, respect comes without even having to demand it.
Help the weak (5:14) Weakness can ultimately destroy
us if we stay stuck in whatever is causing our weakness. The way to clean up
someone’s act of defiance is to help him or her through the process of
change. Paul never said cast them out
until they get over whatever is causing the weakness, rather he says to help
them. I get that some may not want help
in the moment, but we must never give up on them. We must never waiver on
offering our support and prayers.
Be Patient (5:14) Patients is a fruit quality
believers receive from the Spirit. I can
relate to folks who have a short fuse life at times. There are mean spirited people who are bent
on making life miserable. It is their
way or the highway. But, Spirit
controlled Christians are patient with them.
They are encouragers. They are
Lovers, not haters. And, they have a
long life fuse of grace.
The Apostle Paul gives more tips on being an effective
believer among the world we live in and among those in the community church we
serve. The effective Christian will be
known not by the church they attend or the stand one takes on a particular
“doctrine” rather by his or her wiliness to be engaged in modeling hope and
forgiveness and peace and joy and love.
The effective Christian will see the value in living out the Jesus story
and being careful to encourage, respect and help others the way Paul instructed
the believers over fifteen hundred years ago.
Our communities will be a better place to live when
believers identify themselves as people who are not perfect, but saved by the
grace of Jesus and who walk in faith and love because they know beyond any
doubt that Jesus is the risen savior! May we all do our best to model the Jesus
life!
Remember, Be God Controlled!
Bria
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