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Read Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken. Reflect Have you experienced the benefits of having a mentor

Read 1 Corinthians 12:12-13, 27 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body…Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. Reflect All believers have been gifted by God with certain abilities and interests for the benefit of His church. What gifts has He given to you that you can use to serve His body of believers? When p

Read Hebrews 10:24-25 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. Reflect Why is it important to go to church? What are the spiritual health benefits of gathering with other believers? My alarm goes off. Ugh. Workout time. Immediately, I think “do I have to?” The answer is, no. No one is making me. I am a grown adu

Read Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Reflect Prayerfully consider your own transformation story. What were you like before Christ? How have you changed since knowing the Lord? I love transformation stories. Home renovation shows are one of my favorite things to watch. It’s amazing watching designers and carpenters wor

Read Psalm 119:7-11 I will praise you with an upright heart, when I learn your righteous rules. I will keep your statutes; do not utterly forsake me! How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! I have stored your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Reflect Consider your spiritual diet. Are you starving yourself spiritually? Are you trying to survive on j

Read 2 Timothy 3:16-17 Abstain from every form of evil. Reflect All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” I want to get in better shape. But the truth is, I am where I am in my physical fitness journey and there are no shortcuts to where I want to be. If I want to get healthier, I have to start right where I’m at. The same

Read Colossians 3:12-13 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Reflect Why do you think it is so difficult for us to forgive someone? Regardless, why does Paul say that we must forgive others? For most of us, forgiveness is not something that comes nat

Read Mark 10:42-45 And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Reflect How does Jesus’ d

Read 1 Thessalonians 5:25-28 Brothers, pray for us. Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss. I put you under oath before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Reflect What should we be doing while we wait for Christ’s return? Today we conclude Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians. One of the major themes has been to be ready for Christ’s return because it will come “like a thief in the night” (1 Thessalonian

Read 1 Thessalonians 5:24 He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it. Reflect How has God proven faithful in Your life? We hear empty promises all the time. Politicians promise to fix all the problems in the government. Our kids promise to clean their rooms. Our boss promises he’ll re-evaluate that potential promotion next quarter which is the same thing he said last quarter and the quarter before that. We find ourselves thinking things like, “I’ll believe it when I s

Read 1 Thessalonians 5:23 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. Reflect How has God transformed your life? How has He made you more holy? Sanctification. Chances are, you’ve read or heard the word before. But do you understand what it means? It’s a big word, but an important concept to understand. So today, we’ll look at the word “sanctification” more clos

Read 1 Thessalonians 5:22 Abstain from every form of evil. Reflect Prayerfully consider: are you allowing any form of evil in your life? What is it and what do you need to do about it? When it comes to things we know are wrong, we tend to think we can dabble in it as long as we just don’t get carried away. We push the boundaries and keep going as long as we don’t get caught. We play with fire and think it’s fine as long as we don’t get burned. But the apostle Paul didn’t allo

Read 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21   Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good.     Reflect   How can we know if a spiritual teaching is true or false?     Have you ever heard anyone say something like, “The Lord spoke to me and said_____.” Or maybe you’ve felt like God was leading you to do something but you had no idea if that feeling was from the Lord or from your own heart. How are you supposed to know if a message is truly from God? How are we supp

Read 1 Thessalonians 5:19   Do not quench the Spirit.     Reflect   What is the role of the Holy Spirit? How can we cooperate with His work in our lives?     In John 14:16-17, Jesus promised: “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” In verse 26, He added, “But the Helper, t

Read 1 Thessalonians 5:18   …give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.     Reflect   When you think about God’s will for your life, what comes to mind?     We all want to know God’s will for our lives. But when we think about God’s will, we often just think about our futures. Usually, we have a tough choice to make and we really wish God would just outright tell us which option is His will for us. It is definitely good and wise to

Read 1 Thessalonians 5:17   …pray without ceasing…     Reflect   How would you describe your prayer life? Is prayer your first resource, your last resort, or somewhere in between?     Sometimes in life, all we can do is pray. Chances are, you've been in circumstances that were completely outside of your control. All you could do about the situation was to take it to the Lord in prayer. Oftentimes, we attribute the need for prayer with a feeling of helplessness. We don’t consi

Read 1 Thessalonians 5:16   Rejoice always…     Reflect   How often do your circumstances determine the level of your joy? What does that tell you about the source of your joy?     If you’ve been watching the news lately, you may be tempted to think, “How can we rejoice at a time like this?” It’s true that there is much for us to be grieved about. Nations are at war, people are dying violent deaths, crime is on the rise, natural disasters are causing devastating damage around

Read 1 Thessalonians 5:15   See that no one repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.     Reflect   When someone sins against you, what is your first instinct? Do you generally act on that instinct or do something else?     Anyone who has ever been around children has heard this line: “They did it to me first!” A child who gets hit usually hits back. If one toddler takes another toddler’s toy, the other toddler usually fights back. If on

Read 1 Thessalonians 5:14 And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. Reflect As the family of God, what responsibilities do we have towards each other? Way back in the beginning, we were introduced to the first brothers, Cain and Abel. Tragically, we know how the story ends. Cain killed Abel out of jealousy and anger. When the Lord asked Cain where Abel was, Cain infamously responded: “I do not know; am I

Read 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves Reflect Prayerfully consider the duties of the pastors and elders at your church. What challenges do they face and what sacrifices do they make to serve you well? October has been designated “pastor appreciation month” or “clergy appreciation month.” But

Read 1 Thessalonians 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. Reflect Think about a time when another believer encouraged you. What were the circumstances? How did their words impact you? The world is a harsh place. That is a reality that feels more real on certain days than others, but it is a fact. Nations war against nations and have since the beginning of time. The streets of our cities are full of crime. Illnesses and diseases

Read 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10 For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Reflect How is the eternal destiny of a believer distinct from that of an unbeliever? In his commentary on 1 and 2 Thessalonians, John MacArthur pointed out that in all of this diverse world, there are only two kinds of people: There are believers and unbelievers; the redeemed a

Read 1 Thessalonians 4:7-8 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for the helmet the hope of salvation. Reflect How should believers be distinct from unbelievers? When you were growing up, did anyone ever tell you that “nothing good ever happens after midnight?” Well, the apostle Paul would probably agree because in today’s verses, h

Read 1 Thessalonians 5:4-6 But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. Reflect Think about the contrasts presented in these verses between believers and unbelievers (light/dark, day/night, asleep/awake). How else can believers be contrasted with unbelievers? Chances