Letters From PaulSample

PREPARE

Take a moment to quiet your heart as you set aside today’s distractions.

Ask God to prepare you to read and receive his holy Word.

READ: 1 Thessalonians 5:12–26

Dear Friend,

We beg you, our friends, to pay proper respect to those who work among you, who guide and instruct you in the Christian life. Treat them with the greatest respect and love because of the work they do. Be at peace among yourselves.

We urge you, our friends, to warn the idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. See that no one pays back wrong for wrong, but at all times make it your aim to do good to one another and to all people.

Be joyful always, pray at all times, be thankful in all circumstances. This is what God wants from you in your life in union with Christ Jesus.

Do not restrain the Holy Spirit; do not despise inspired messages. Put all things to the test: keep what is good and avoid every kind of evil.

May the God who gives us peace make you holy in every way and keep your whole being—spirit, soul, and body—free from every fault at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you will do it, because he is faithful.

Pray also for us, friends.

Greet all the believers with the kiss of peace.

Love always,

Paul

REFLECT

Paul wrote this letter early in his ministry. He was writing to the church in Thessalonica, which had experienced intense persecution. Despite this, the church was thriving and remaining faithful to Jesus Christ. Paul was overjoyed for them and wrote to encourage them in their faith and warn them of common issues in the early church. Where do you see other believers remaining strong in their faith despite difficulties? How does this encourage your own faith?

Paul encourages his readers to be thankful in all circumstances. Consider the different circumstances you have experienced in your life. Have you felt thankful through all of them? How have God’s gifts—the Holy Spirit, the Bible, prayer, and the Christian community—increased your thankfulness during challenging times?

PRAY

Paul ends this letter with a benediction: “May the God who gives us peace make you holy in every way and keep your whole being—spirit, soul, and body—free from every fault at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you will do it, because he is faithful.” Consider God’s faithfulness as you pray today. Thank him for his promise to do everything he has said.