Live to Please God

 Meditations on 1 Thessalonians

June 21, 2021

Live to Please God

Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you in the name of the Lord Jesus to live in a way that pleases God, as we have taught you.

1 Thessalonians 4:1a

Read: 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8

Paul gives very practical advice to the young Thessalonian church, and he covers the basics of life that still apply today: sex, money and death. We will look at these over three days. As we do, we will see that Paul depends of three things to make his points: the commands of God, the presence of God, and the power of the Holy Spirit. It is not a coincidence Paul’s counsel takes a trinitarian shape.

I’ve read that Saint Francis referred to his body as, ‘brother donkey.’ I think that is an appropriate nickname we all can appropriate in our life. Our mission is to cooperate with the Holy Spirit in transforming our wayward flesh into obedience to God’s commands. God has a better way for us to live together in community, and Paul is urging us to reach for this high standard.

My Takeaway: The word holy, or holiness, is used three times in this brief passage. (V. 3,4,7) God is Holy, and we his followers are called to be holy. This theme is mentioned seven times in the OT, and twice by Peter: 1 Peter 1:15,16. This should cause us to pause and consider how we are applying this standard to our lives.  

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2021 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.