To what do you aspire?
How do you mind your own business?
What is reality?
Aspiration is great; yet, reality hits the moment we struggle with temptation, distraction, weakness, and personal failure. Perfection is over-our-heads to comprehend, let alone achieve. Apathetic, irritating, stubborn and nosy behaviors aren’t helpful. Retaliating wrong for injury happens—if maliciously, unintentionally, out of fear, or by misunderstanding. Unless the spirit of selfless love motivates our actions, the good things we do are tainted by impure motivation. In this broken world, we seem to think we can alter what isn’t ours to fix rather than concentrate on cleaning up our own act.
Only innocent Jesus did the perfect will of God in order to save us through faith by grace. Because of His great love, God lowered Himself to be born of a virgin woman. God the Father gave up His Only Son to take punishment for the underachieved aspirations of the world. God has defeated the devil at the cross where Christ suffered, died, was buried, on the third day rose from the dead, and ascended to heaven to intercede for us with God the Father—all this to redeem and protect you and me.
In the faith, His Word supplies wisdom, entrusts and reminds us to
- pray the Lord would fill hearts with healthy desire
- resist selfish quarreling, whining, complaining
- be cautiously alert about evil all around us
- flee from evil
- in good times and bad, act and respond appropriately
- focus on Jesus for hope
- initiate and kindly welcome tender, gentle communication
- encourage anyone who is willing to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ
- pause
- forgive
- confess sinfulness
- thank God
- appreciate God’s joy and peace
- know the loving Lord is in control
Kindness isn’t guaranteed to be received.
Well-meaning actions might be harshly rejected. Planted seeds may not come up, grow at the rate, nor in the season we expect them to flourish. Our salvation, and that of anyone, is not up to us. We rest upon Scripture’s assurance; it’s the Holy Spirit who connects each individual person to Jesus. In receiving the faith, we’ll grow up to desire God’s gifts. When disappointments show up, by grace, we’ll pray for help and that things will improve. We’ll do our best to take a warm, soft, patient approach to follow the golden rule with ethics of reciprocity (not necessarily treating others how they actually poorly treat us).
Born sinners, we behave badly due to our human nature.
Sin and its consequences first entered God’s perfect creation in the Garden of Eden. The tempter wanted Adam and Eve to lose faith and everything which is good. Although they knew better, they failed—and our hearts know right from wrong, yet we still make wrong choices. Life gets messy and chaotic when we and others fall for the devil’s lies. Humanity has nothing to offer God because no one does good at the standard of our Lord’s perfect goodness. Thankfully, we may have peace because Christ died for us to cleanse us in body and soul. Forgiveness is available for nearly every sin (Matthew 12:31).
The Holy Spirit does the work to provide faith which protects and helps people grow.
Our Creator welcomes prayers offered by the faith, hope and love which God gives through the Gospel’s power in the Holy Spirit. We are free to ask to be forgiven, for proper work to do, for discernment, plus, for encouragement to treat everyone with dignity as we also forgive and pray for them. We pray for strength, a way out of temptation, direction to address situations and how to proceed cautiously. Our Lord wants us to ask Him to fill us with loving desire to gently restore each other without creating embarrassment and for patience as we live alongside people with whom we disagree.
Aspiring to fulfill the Creator’s purpose for our lives involves receiving the gift of forgiveness He provided at the cross.
By the means of God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense (GRACE), spiritual blessings and gratitude are established within us. Capability to trust the Creator is placed into us by grace. When life gets complicating, the Holy Spirit remains with us in the middle of painful circumstances He allows in order to accomplish His purposes. Mercy we show others flows from God’s mercy for us. Love is bold to genuinely apologize and care; it’s not noisy, manipulative, prideful, deceptive, or greedy for an award.
1 Thessalonians 4:19-11
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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, and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you,
1 Thessalonians 4:9-11 |
Where does inspiration come from?
Inspired by the Bible, God’s chosen people aspire to imitate His Son, our Savior Jesus who perfectly obeyed His Father. The trouble is, we can’t perfectly do this; yet, that does not stop us from trying. Thankfully, there’s a place called God’s House to congregate, worship, receive forgiveness and absolutely leave refreshed and motivated time-after-time. It’s important to find a church that teaches the Bible is the only source of revealed truth—concerning Jesus Christ, faith and salvation—by which the church is governed. God’s Word is for us. It connects us to the faith and fills us with promises to be fulfilled on Resurrection Day. Have you read the book of the 1 Thessalonians in the highly recommended Bible? There’s no end to growing in God’s love blessing all people in the congregation at His House!
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. 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13
1 Thessalonians 5:16-19
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Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 |
Why always, without ceasing, in all circumstances?
Why not? Jesus is always there—our only hope—wants our prayers and deserves praise! Our Creator, who cannot fail, became a Substitutionary Atonement: We only live because He died. He emphatically understands our every emotion, trouble, temptation and distress as well as each happy moment. His Spirit enables us to believe, live joyfully, and have peace!
Our Compassionate Judge expects us to apologize to others and is generously merciful when we approach Him in regret and sorrow. He desires to hear us ask for help to increasingly live life the perfect way He designed for us. Repeatedly and patiently forgiving our failures, He persistently renews us with His grace. No one is alone. God supplies wisdom to spiritual leaders and physical/mental health professionals trained to help as well as Christian friends who share His love.
Life is a process in which Jesus is the way to rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in all circumstances! We do none of these things without the faith and counsel the Holy Spirit establishes in us through His Word. Faith, forgiveness, life, and salvation are gifts received in Baptism—we are united with Jesus’ death and resurrection—regenerated, dying to sin and rising to new life as we remember the gift every day.
The good virtue of patience is learned by experiencing distressing times.
Like adoption, we become children of God through Baptism; not by the work of our choice or actions, but in Him choosing to set us apart and make us holy. His marvelous Light delivers us from the power of sin and frees us to love Him and one another.
Mercy and power for us at the Lord’s Table strengthens our endurance and
assures us with the peace of His holiness. While we are suffering, we
receive His affection, comfort, growth and maturity in the faith. Christ
absolves and rescues His brothers and sisters who call out for His
help.
We see dimly now. Christ, at any moment, will return to restore believers asleep in the grave and receive those still alive who are guarded by His redemption! Everyone will look up to God who will completely wipe out the sin and tears of those who trust Him! In the everlasting new heaven and earth, all will clearly see the glory of His perfect character!
Good News!
By continuously hearing and experiencing God’s Word, the Holy
Spirit feeds the body, mind, and soul with unlimited benefits. Be aware though, there’s a bad news option…
Quenching the Spirit.
To
snuff out Divine Energy which keeps us spiritually alive would be to
intentionally lose our way and end up dead to God. It is possible to
take an option to consciously, continuously reject Him. To not trust Jesus for
salvation by our own choice, thinking we must earn our own way or
by denying our desperate need for Him—actually choosing to stay away
from the church, in effect, ignoring the
Holy Spirit’s gifts—is to quench the Spirit, refuse God’s mercy,
determine one’s own unsafe
path toward the deathly destination everyone deserves by God’s wrath,
justly separated for eternity in hell. Jesus did the work to save us and sent us the Spirit which we may reject (bad choice), however, for redemption we must receive it thankfully—not quench it!
It doesn’t seem fair that Jesus took our punishment.
Christ’s loving purpose for us is to be our Substitute to save us from sin, death and the power of the devil. God’s grace is good for us. The Holy Spirit reminds us of God’s faithful mercy so we have joy in this life and certain hope for paradise everlasting.
For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness.
1 Thessalonians 5:5
In gratitude for being kept completely blameless in Christ, we are privileged to share the overflowing love of God’s Word. As Baptized children of light who study how, when and where the Lord guides us, we seek to take a posture of humility as we encourage and are at peace beside each other. Anchored in the faith given to us, prepared, informed through the Word, as we wait, we’re confidently ready for the unpredictable moment when
what will happen when Christ returns happens!
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. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24, 28
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