1 Thessalonians 5: 9 God did not choose us to
suffer his anger, but to possess salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us in order
that we might live together with him, whether we are alive or dead when he
comes. 11 And so encourage one
another and help one another, just as you are now doing.
============
Getting revenge was
all I could think about. Various bullies had attacked me unprovoked. Being
small and scrawny was no longer an option. “I will lift weights and become
stronger so I can fight the bullies” I thought to myself.
- My plan was built out of hatred relabeled as hurt.
- I thought the only option was to fight or hurt.
- I figured that if I must suffer, someone else was going to suffer.
Paul, Silas and
Timothy gave some great news! “GOD did not choose us to suffer HIS anger, but
to possess salvation through our LORD JESUS CHRIST.” They further
explained that JESUS died for us that we
might live together with HIM. They gave
some great instructions, namely encourage and help one another.
My Observations
- Life can get difficult, so GOD wants me to get encouragement from others and give it to those HE sends me to.
- Pain and suffering are all around us, so GOD wants me to understand HIS love by accepting HIS SON as my Savior.
- GOD’s impending wrath is not meant for those who believe in JESUS as the Savior, so HE wants me to accept JESUS so HE can change my heart to encourage people in times of struggle.
Encouragement and
help seem like a better plan than attack and fight. I mean, festering over
wrong and planning an attack and countering the attack is a huge waste of time
and makes everyone tired and exhausted. No one wins. BUT GOD has a better way.
HE sent HIS SON to
die for my sins. I should be encouraged by that, so much so, that I go out and
encourage others to believe in HIM and live for HIM. When trouble comes, GOD
wants me to help others so they can praise HIM. I am glad GOD cares for us
enough to choose us for encouragement.
Challenge
- Who will suffer GOD’s anger that the writers mention?
- Have you ever thought of a plan that included revenge or rage?
- Will you change your plan to include encouragement to follow GOD and help those who do not know JESUS, understand HIS love and provision today?
No comments:
Post a Comment