Read 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12
From
Paul, Silas, and Timothy—
To the
people of the church in Thessalonica, who belong to God our Father and the Lord
Jesus Christ:
2 May
God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.
3 Our
brothers and sisters, we must thank God at all times for you. It is right for
us to do so, because your faith is growing so much and the love each of you has
for the others is becoming greater. 4That is why we ourselves boast
about you in the churches of God. We boast about the way you continue to endure
and believe through all the persecutions and sufferings you are experiencing.
5 All
of this proves that God’s judgement is just and as a result you will become
worthy of his Kingdom, for which you are suffering. 6God will do
what is right: he will bring suffering on those who make you suffer, 7and
he will give relief to you who suffer and to us as well. He will do this when
the Lord Jesus appears from heaven with his mighty angels, 8with a
flaming fire, to punish those who reject God and who do not obey the Good News
about our Lord Jesus. 9They will suffer the punishment of
eternal destruction, separated from the presence of the Lord and from his
glorious might, 10when he comes on that Day to receive glory from
all his people and honour from all who believe. You too will be among them,
because you have believed the message that we told you.
11 That
is why we always pray for you. We ask our God to make you worthy of the life he
has called you to live. May he fulfil by his power all your desire for goodness
and complete your work of faith. 12In this way the name of our Lord
Jesus will receive glory from you, and you from him, by the grace of our God
and of the Lorda Jesus Christ. [1]
Think
This is a rough week of convicting readings. But do not lose sight of the hope contained
in them. God is busy making us worthy of
his kingdom – as we open our hearts to his transforming power (vs 5 and vs 11).
Pray
Lord, I’m not worthy of the life you have called me to live;
but by your power – transform me. Make
me worthy.
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