I think chapter 5 is my favorite chapter in 1 Thessalonians, but my favorite verses are:
16 Always be joyful. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
19 Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. 20 Do not scoff at prophecies, 21 but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. 22 Stay away from every kind of evil.
I like the way The Voice translates this section as well:
Celebrate always, pray constantly and give thanks to God no matter what circumstances you find yourself in. (This is God's will for all of you in Jesus the Anointed). Don't suppress the Spirit. Don't downplay prophecies. Take a close look at everything, test it, then cling to what is good. Put away every form of evil.
I LOVE Celebrate Always!
9 For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on us. 10 Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when he returns, we can live with him forever. 11 So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.
ReplyDeleteI like that message. So often, I hear evangelists quoting the negative about going to hell. This is a much more positive way of putting it.
1 Thessalonians 5
ReplyDelete2 You know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.
4-5 But, brothers and sisters, you don’t live in the dark. That day won’t take you by surprise as a thief would. You belong to the day and the light not to the night and the dark.
7 People who sleep, sleep at night; people who get drunk, get drunk at night.
I didn't realize this was there so plain! Nothing new under the sun.
8b We must put on faith and love as a breastplate and the hope of salvation as a helmet.
16-17 Always be joyful. Never stop praying.
23-24 May the God who gives peace make you holy in every way. May he keep your whole being—spirit, soul, and body—blameless when our Lord Jesus Christ comes. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this.