Daily Devo- I Thessalonians 5:12-28 "God's To Do List For You"

I Thessalonians 5:12-28

12 We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. 14 And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. 15 See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. 16

 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil.

23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.

25 Brothers, pray for us.

26 Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss.

27 I put you under oath before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers.

28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. (ESV)

 Lord as I look at this passage, I see one thing after another that You have commanded I do. Not suggestions. Not things to do if I like and agree with someone, but commands. 

 to respect those who labor among you

I need to show respect for the preachers, elders, pastors, teachers, etc., who are working around me, The command to respect has NO qualifiers on it.
are over you in the Lord and admonish you

This tells me that I will have someone in authority over me. I must accept that
esteem them very highly in love because of their work.

I need to love those who are laboring for my very soul.
Be at peace among yourselves.

Stop fighting and being selfish! God says to be at peace. And He doesn't say, "Only if you get YOUR way"
admonish the idle

The lazy need to be told there is work to be done. They need to be shown that being a Christian is not about sitting in the pew for an hour, but a life of service to God.
encourage the fainthearted

Those that are frightened we must encourage to hold on.
help the weak

Those who are weak in their faith need to be helped along so they can grow. Not tossed aside and ridiculed.
be patient with them all.

There are no qualifiers in this command. That word ALL, means in the Greek, ALL. It applies to all those God has just talked about. Tough command. We must be patient with people. Reason? God is, Thankfully, patient with us!
See that no one repays anyone evil for evil,

This one really needs no explanation. If someone hurts you, do not hurt them back. Easy to understand. VERY hard to do because the world screams something different. People that are supposed to be Christians will scream something different too at times. God has the right way.
always seek to do good to one another and to everyone

This is what we do to the people doing evil to us. We do good to them. This is what we do to people who do good to us. This is what we do to people that do not know Jesus. We do good to everyone so that people see the character of Jesus. No BUT......'s allowed!
Rejoice always

 Rejoice no matter what. Find something to rejoice in. God alone is enough to make you rejoice. Jesus alone is enough to rejoice in. Just rejoice. It is a great substitute for complaining and anger.
pray without ceasing

Prayer time in a quiet place is awesome. But you cannot stay in that closet forever. Pray with every step you take. While you drive. While you work. While you are having a conversation with others. FYI: Your eyes can be open while you pray!!!
give thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Be thankful for where you are. The situation you are in is God's will for you at that moment. What can you learn? How can you grow? If He is telling you to move then move. He will lead the way. (Clarification: In no way am I saying that God is calling you to stay in a dangerous or abusive place! That is NEVER the will of God!) Be content.
Do not quench the Spirit.

Listen to the Spirit in your life. That is why he resides in you. To prompt you. To teach you. To lead you in the ways of the Lord. Do not keep trying to snuff Him out of your life! You need the Spirit!
test everything

By God's Word. All of God's Word. Do not just look for a verse out of context that agrees with your position. You want to be in agreement with God's position!
hold fast what is good

Hang on to the good. Hang on tight. It is not easy. It is easier to hold on to the evil because it feels better sometimes. Hold on to God's Word, The Spirit, God's Church! Great starting place. Hold on tight!
Abstain from every form of evil.

Do not do what is against God's Word. Ever. There is never a reason to do something different than God says to do. The evil in the world will destroy you. Just walk away! Actually, RUN!
the God of peace himself sanctify you completely,

God and only God will sanctify you. That means He has set you apart for a special purpose. Only God can do that. You must believe he has done that, and done it completely.
may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ

We must keep ourselves blameless. Our spirit, our soul and our physical body. God wants us to give ourselves fully to Him, to submit and be blameless!
He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.

God is faithful. He will do what he says he will do. We must trust Him to do what he says he is going to do!
Brothers, pray for us.

Pray for the leaders. And each other. This is not optional. God commands it.
Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss.

The word ALL is used here AGAIN. Greet each other like you love each other and are all in the same family and on the same team.
I put you under oath before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers.

It is YOUR responsibility to tell others what God says! Even the hard parts. This is a strong statement, "I put you under oath" these are things God wants people to know!
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you

I wish I could say I was going to do this list perfectly today and everyday. I know better. I will try. I will be led by the Spirit, but when the time comes when I do mess up, I will cling to this last item on the list. The grace of Jesus will be right there with me. It will pick me up, dust me off and set me back on the right path to continue to do these things. Grace. We cannot LIVE without it. We need to know this, because we are called to show the Grace of God everyday!

Thanks for bearing with me. But this To Do list of God's had to be shared. 

I am off now to begin, will you join me? I hope so, for it is then you will find yourself chasing after hearts!

Chasing After Their Hearts,

Glenda Johnson

Daily Devo- Luke 19: 28-40 "Obedience and Praise"

Luke 19: 28-40

28 And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, 30 saying, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’” 32 So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them. 33 And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34 And they said, “The Lord has need of it.” 35 And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. 36 And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. 37 As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, 38 saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” 39 And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” 40 He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.” (ESV)

 Lord as I read this passage this morning, I thank You and praise You for who YOU are! When You told the disciples to go get the donkey colt You needed, they did it. The owner of the colt gave it to You without arguing or wanting something in return. It was instant obedience. Oh Lord, I desire to obey You that way. What You ask me to do, may I listen and obey exactly. And immediately.

I also see that not only did Your disciples obey, but they loudly sang Your praises. They were singing and praising and testifying to what You had done and acknowledging You as the Messiah. They did this even though once again the Pharisees in the crowd stepped in to complain.
 I see You handling the Pharisees. You let them know that You were not going to rebuke Your disciples, that even if they were quiet, the very rocks on the ground would sing your praises.  Oh Lord, thank You for dealing with the Pharisees in my life. Let me remember to focus on You not on them!

Lord I see that I just need to obey, and sing Your praises that testify as to who You are, and You, oh Lord, will deal with the modern day Pharisees!

Today:
I will immediately obey the word of God as each choice is presented to me as I walk through this day.
I will sing praises and testify as to  who Jesus is, I will not be quiet, even when the Pharisees in my life are telling me I am wrong and to be quiet.
I will let Jesus deal with the Pharisees.  

Chasing After Their Hearts,

Glenda Johnson

The List Keepers

<sup>I am thinking a lot about forgiveness today. As I do, I am comforted in the fact that Jesus has forgiven me for many things. I have discomfort today as well. My discomfort come from "List Keepers" You know, those who think it is their "God-Given appointment" to dig up anything wrong you have ever done in your life and "bring it into the light" for all to see. So as I struggle with a battle going on in the earthly realm, God gently reminds me, that the spiritual realm is where my strength come from. 


As I was praying this morning, this is the passage that came to my heart:</sup>

^{Luke 7:36-50}

 Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner."

Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to tell you."
      "Tell me, teacher," he said.

 "Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?"

 Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled."
      "You have judged correctly," Jesus said.

 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."

 Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."

The other guests began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"

 Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

 ^{As I read through this passage, a couple of things really jumped out at me.}

"If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner."

^{Really?! Jesus knew exactly who she was. Some say this was the woman who had been caught in adultery, that Jesus forgave. Whomever she is, people knew her sins. Furthermore, in reading this, unless you participated in her sin with her, you knew about it because it was being talked about. By "list keepers".}

Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."

 Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." 

She loved much. That is a powerful statement coming from the one who is the author of love! And Jesus also says she had MANY sins, and that they had ALL been forgiven.

That is comforting to me! Jesus can forgive my many sins. My love for Him matters! My love for other people matters! "List keepers" don't take into account love. That never seems to make it on the list.

  Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

These words spoke right into my soul this morning. I can go in peace knowing my sins have been forgiven and my faith has saved me!

One of the hardest things for Christians to do, is allow others to be forgiven. If Jesus has forgiven someone, do we the right to "keep a list"?

Hebrews 8:12 

For I will forgive their wickedness
      and will remember their sins no more.

To keep a list is to say you have more authority than God. That is a scary place to be. 

But The love thing.......Much love......

I wanted to know just what Jesus defined as love, since He equated her having loved much with forgiveness. Here is what I found:

1 Corinthians 13:1-7

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 

This is a powerful passage. This describes love the kind of love that God has for us. 

  

it keeps no record of wrongs.

  If we want to love like God, we MUST not keep any record of wrongs.

The response to that tends to be, "OK, I'll forgive, but I do not have to trust you!"

always trusts

If we are to love like God, we must trust. There is no love without trust. There is no argument that can be made to this except to choose to disobey God's Word.

I too, can be a "list keeper" of sins. As a matter of fact, I am guilty as charged. But today, I will burn that that list out of my mind, and out of my heart. The only reason I should care about someone's sin, is to lead them back to Jesus! Not to throw them and their sin into the public arena for ridicule. I have the ministry of reconciliation, not humiliation! And if Jesus has already forgiven that sin between the two of them, I am entering a realm that I do not belong in! And I don't know what has gone on between Jesus and another in their private prayer time!

I choose to be forgiven because I have much love.

For Jesus.

For others.

I am thankful Jesus remembers my sin no more!

I think I may become a " list keeper" of a different sort.

I will keep a record of the good I see others do and recognize it.

That is the start to Chasing after God's Heart!

Chasing After Their Hearts,


Glenda Johnson
womanaftergod@gmail.com
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