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

Read 1 Thessalonians 5:3 While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. Reflect When you think about Judgment Day, what thoughts or images come to mind? What has formed your views on end time events the most? You don’t have to be a Christian to be preoccupied with the idea of the “end of the world.” Just consider how obsessed Hollywood is with the concept

Read 1 Thessalonians 5:1-2 Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. Reflect What should Christians be doing to make sure that we are ready for the day of the Lord? Why do you always lock the doors to your house before you go to bed? Why do so many people buy expensive camera systems to secure their homes or participate i

Read 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words. Reflect When you read today’s passage, what thoughts or feeli

Read 1 Thessalonians 4:15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. Reflect Have you ever been afraid that Jesus would return and you would be left behind? What do you think caused that fear? When I was in elementary school, I rode the school bus home. One afternoon, I went to the bathroom after school and got delayed having to wait my turn. When I was fi

Read 1 Thessalonians 4:14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. Reflect How do Paul’s words encourage you today? Is Jesus dead or alive? This has been a hotly contested question for about 2,000 years. Some people say that His resurrection was impossible and refuse to believe it by creating counter-theories. One theory claims that His body was stolen. But how could it have been stolen

Read 1 Thessalonians 4:13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. Reflect Think about the last funeral you attended. What was the general feeling in the room? I can’t think of anything worse to experience than the death of a loved one. It is devastating and heartbreaking. Death feels so wrong to us. We can’t seem to reconcile the idea of someone being alive and vibrant one minute, bu

Read 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 …and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsides and be dependent on no one. Reflect How can a quiet life be a witness to unbelievers? We know that Jesus said He was coming back soon (Revelation 22:20). But what in the world are we supposed to be doing while we wait? That is what the church at Thessalonica was struggling with. They were so

Read 1 Thessalonians 4:9-10 Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more… Reflect What are some ways brotherly love should be demonstrated in Christian communities? If I asked you to name the “City of Brotherly Love,” you’d likely say, “Philadelphia, Pen

Read 1 Thessalonians 4:7-8 For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you. Reflect According to Paul, what is God’s will for our life and how does He help us accomplish it? One of the greatest tragedies in many of our churches today is the rejection of God’s teaching on sexual matters, even from the pulpit. I have seen Christian leaders who take a stand for a biblical sex

Read 1 Thessalonians 4:6 …that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. Reflect Who is the ultimate judge? Who decides what is right vs. what is wrong? Why? In today’s verse, Paul was continuing a thought, so let’s look back at the previous verses for context. “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each

Read 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God… Reflect How do God’s commandments pertaining to sex differ from the world’s sexual ethics? It may be difficult, but try to imagine living in a society even more sexually immoral and perverse than our current one. Like I

Read 1 Thessalonians 4:2 For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. Reflect How has following God’s instructions blessed your life? Are there any instances in your life that would have turned out better if you had simply obeyed the Lord? I’ve heard many people lament that life doesn't come with an instruction manual. In their view, people are all just doing the best they can, trying to figure out life as they go. But here at Back to the Bible, we know