Today’s Podcast
Today’s Scriptures
Today’s Bible reading plans include:
Ready – 1 Thessalonians 3
Set – 1 Chronicles 22; 1 Thessalonians 3
Go! – 1 Chronicles 22-24; 1 Thessalonians 3
1 Thessalonians 3
1 But after all our attempts to come to you were frustrated, we decided it was best for Silvanus and me to stay behind in Athens by ourselves 2 and to send Timothy (our dear brother [and servant of God], our partner in the good news of the Anointed One) to strengthen, comfort, and encourage you in your faith 3 so that you won’t be shaken by the sufferings and wither under this stress that we know lies ahead. 4 Certainly you remember that when we were with you, we warned you of the suffering we would have to endure; now, as you well know, it has happened. 5 This is why I couldn’t stand it anymore and sent Timothy to report on the state of your faith: because I was worried the tempter had tested you and, if so, all of our hard work would have come to nothing.6 You can imagine my relief and joy when Timothy returned to us with such good news about you, about your faith and love for us, about how you have such good memories of us and long to see us as much as we long to see you. 7 Hearing this about your faith, brothers and sisters, brought comfort to us in our stress-filled days of trouble and suffering. 8 For if you are set firmly in the Lord, then we can truly live. 9 What thanks would ever be enough to offer God about you for all the jubilant celebration we’ll feel before our God because of you? 10 We remain vigilant in our prayers, night and day praying to once again see your faces and to help complete whatever may be lacking in your faith.
11 May God Himself, our Father, along with our Lord Jesus, [the Anointed One, navigate our way to you. 12 May the Lord flood you with an unending, undying love for one another and for all humanity, like our love for you, 13 so that your hearts will be reinforced with His strength, held blameless and holy before God, our Father, when our Lord Jesus, the Anointed, the Liberating King, appears along with all His holy ones. [Amen.]
Today’s Devotional
From today’s background scripture God might say:
People who tell you they like inspections are probably lying to you. No one likes inspections. But inspections are sometimes important. Paul sent Timothy to inspect the church he began in Thessalonica. He gave them instructions before he left. He gave them My word and left them procedures. He entrusted them with the treasure of the gospel and the objective of growing the church. He wanted to know if what he planted had grown. There was no better way to do so than to send someone back to check. That’s what an inspection does.
You’ll remember in his letter to the Corinthians, some steered away from the message he entrusted to them. The information he obtained from the Corinthians required follow up that was not so pleasant. So Paul sends Timothy to check up on the church in Thessalonica. What Timothy found was a growing vibrant church standing in the face of persecution.
Timothy found some things that needed correction and took care of them. Every organization needs improvement, including My church. Of course it needs improvement, it is filled with flawed people. Until all of you join Me in glory, it will continue to need improvement. Inspections help to find those areas that need improvement and help correct them. They are healthy for the church body just like physical examinations periodically are healthy to find those things that need correcting in your physical body.
You inspect your car. You inspect your house. You inspect all the mechanical apparatus around you to make sure it functions properly. Why do you hesitate to inspect your spiritual life? What are you afraid you will find? Don’t you want to know what is working well and what needs improvement? Don’t you want to know how to get better in your relationship with Me and others? Don’t you want to better share the gospel with those around you?
Do some self inspection. Do some inspection of your church. Look at your processes against the instructions in My word. Look at your life, your ministry, your actions in light of my guidance and see how they stand up. Then make the corrections that are necessary. Remember, inspections are an important part of making improvements wherever you are. You want to get better. It’s a natural part of what you do, just direct it to the right areas of your life. Do some serious inspecting starting today.
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