Daily Grace
God’s Love Stretches to the Limit
There is a Scripture that most of us find beyond our reach without God’s help. At least I do. Peter asks something of us that doesn’t come naturally to any of us. “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8). “Deeply”...
Believing in Jesus Changes our Lives
“But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel, that you might...
God’s Power is at Work in Us
“With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith” (2 Thessalonians 1:11). It’s impossible to imagine a...
Spiritual Growth is a Process
“We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing” (2 Thessalonians 1:3). Our faith can grow. Not only can it grow, it has the power to...
Thanksgiving
“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). In one survey several years ago a television ministry asked viewers what their number one question is. The response: How do I know God’s will for my life?...
Value Relationships with Others
“And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone” (1 Thessalonians 5:14). One thing is certain about our Christian lives. We don’t live in isolation from each other....
Death Cannot Defeat Us
“Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who...
We Are Different Now
“For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life” (1 Thessalonians 4:7). I once struggled with the concept of holiness. I identified it at times as external things like styles and fashions that set people apart as Christians. It’s much more than that....
May Love Increase and Overflow
“May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you” (1 Thessalonians 3:12). It’s not easy to love everyone. It doesn’t come naturally. How can we love people who are our enemies when they use every...