Hello there!
Today, I am here to share with you another devotional from Our Daily Bread. Praise God for resources like these. I will add on some of my perspective and take on it as well. Also, I will give a mini-update on how I am feeling since my cold (which turned into a severe fever) last Friday night.
The scripture reading is in 1 Thessalonians 5:9-28. Brief context: Paul was writing to the church of Thessalonica (if you're a historical head like me, check out this resource on the place and brief history of Thessalonica!) Below is the Scripture reading in ESV (English Standard Version).
9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.
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,[a] 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.
In the workplace, words of encouragement matter. How employees talk to one another has a bearing on customer satisfaction, company profits, and co-worker appreciation. Studies show that members of the most effective work groups give one another six times more affirmation than disapproval, disagreement, or sarcasm. Least productive teams tend to use almost three negative comments for every helpful word.
Paul learned by experience about the value of words in shaping relationships and outcomes. Before meeting Christ on the road to Damascus, his words and actions terrorized followers of Jesus. But by the time he wrote his letter to the Thessalonians, he had become a great encouragement because of God’s work in his heart. Now by his own example he urged his readers to cheer one another on. While being careful to avoid flattery, he showed how to affirm others and reflect the Spirit of Christ.
In the process, Paul reminded his readers where encouragement comes from. He saw that entrusting ourselves to God, who loved us enough to die for us, gives us reason to comfort, forgive, inspire, and lovingly challenge one another (1 Thessalonians 5:10–11).
Paul shows us that encouraging one another is a way of helping one another get a taste of the patience and goodness of God.
Prayer: Father in heaven, please help us to give others a small taste of the mercy and kindness You are forever offering us.
What could be better than working to bring out the best in one another?
This passage and encouragement from Paul is so evident and real in today's world. I have had plenty of experiences where many pessimists have come into my life to discourage me or tease me for being holy and righteous. I firmly believe that God used that experience to build me up and guard myself from being like those types of people. Instead, I look to Romans 12:1-2, a rather popular verse in the Bible which says:
12 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 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.
Amazing how Paul was used by God to encourage others to not be conformed to this world, but to be transformed! He had such a radical transformation on the road to Damascus! God definitely works in mysterious ways.
As light and salt in this broken world, we must remain steadfast in our conduct, diction and outlook of others. As a baby Christian prior to 2015, I was very cynically minded, meaning I did not look out for the best in people. I still wrestle with this everyday - I must be constantly reminded of God's love towards us all. He loves people, but not the sin we commit daily.
In this lifetime, our lives will never be perfect. We will be sick, tormented, abused, hurt, and broken; however, may we cling to the promises and warmth of our Lord Jesus Christ, who saved us with His innocent blood. Through this, we are saved. Not by our works, but by the Lord.
May we continuously rejoice in the Lord. When people bring us down, hurt us, abuse us, there is a natural intention to stay in those emotions. I believe that God uses those moments of hurt to see how glorious and wonderful His grace is to us; so, do not suppress those feelings. If there is a real issue in your life, do not be afraid to speak out and share it with others/professionals. There is power in numbers, power in support, power in encouraging friends. In the same breath however, we must not sulk and stay in those emotions forever. We should not beat ourselves up, reliving those moments and continuously seeking reconciliation with the other party. Unfortunately, not everyone is forgiving and loving.
Despite this, we must always see that we are all sinners. All broken. And we all need a Savior. This is Jesus. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
Most certainly, He will use us as vessels and channels of blessings to others. May we not quench the Spirit working in us, and using us for His ultimate glory.
God bless you. I hope this was an encouragement for you all to remain steadfast in your faith, and continuously pursue holiness and sanctification in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Quick health update...
DISCLAIMER: I go about in-depth about how my health is - so if you're disgusted, feel free to leave and upvote and comment and end your reading here :D
Yesterday, I posted a daily bible inspiration explaining my fever and cold that I first felt last Friday night, and how it worsened yesterday. Every time I attempt to swallow air, I feel inflammation in my chest. I believe that the phlegm is inside. This morning, I was encouraged by the amount of phlegm that I had taken out. I took my usual 1,000 grams of Vitamin C (I had a friend Steem reply me yesterday. I do not have the certain type that he mentioned, and I did not want to overdose on Sodium, so I'm sticking with, 1-2 grams per day max.), 1.5 servings of multivitamins, Apple Cider Vinegar with 8 oz of water, and Irish Black Tea. I also took a shower and it definitely helped with my overall temperature.
I would say that if yesterday I felt around 20% healed (praise God even for small healing!), I would say now I'm around 50-60% better, which is a lot better. I am a lot less tired, and more energetic; however, I do cough and sneeze a lot, am still slightly cold even in hot conditions, and have the inflammation as stated above.
If you guys have time, may you kindly please pray for me? I would greatly appreciate it. God bless your hearts.
Have a great day everyone, and God bless :) Leave a comment and upvote if you liked today's daily bible inspiration!
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