SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9/22/2014
11:01 AM
My Worship Time Focus: Persevering
Hope
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: 2 Thess. 1:4
Message of the
verses: After a rather long absence
from the book of 2 Thessalonians we are not back into it, and we will stay in
this book until the end of the month when we will then begin the book of
Ezekiel, something that I am looking forward to.
“4 therefore,
we ourselves speak proudly of you among the churches of God for your
perseverance and faith in the midst of all your persecutions and afflictions
which you endure.”
I once looked up how many times the word “therefore” is
found in the NASB and it came out to over 900 times. Therefore is a very important word in the
Bible as it goes back to something mentioned in a previous verse or even
chapter, and it is important to look back when we find this word to see what
the author is referring back to. In this
case I believe that Paul is referring to the things he wrote in verse
three: “3 We ought always to give thanks
to God for you, brethren, as is only fitting, because your faith is greatly
enlarged, and the love of each one of you toward one another grows ever
greater.” He speaks of their enlarged
faith, and also their growing love for the brethren so Paul no uses the word “therefore”
to refer to these things and moves on to what we see in verse four which speaks
of their “persevering hope.”
Let us begin by looking at 1 Thessalonians 3:3-5 where
Paul writes “3 so that no one would be disturbed by these afflictions; for you
yourselves know that we have been destined for this. 4 For indeed when we were
with you, we kept telling you in advance that we were going to suffer affliction; and so it
came to pass, as you know. 5 For this reason, when I could endure it no longer,
I also sent to find out about your faith, for fear that the tempter might have
tempted you, and our labor would be in vain.”
Paul was fearful that the persecutions, that he knew would come upon
them, might case them to lose their hope, and so he sent Timothy and then got
the report back from them that they did not lose their hope. This was an answer to Paul’s prayer for
them.
The letter that Paul first wrote to the Thessalonians (1
Thess.) was full of praise for the things that they had accomplished for the
Lord in such a short time of becoming believers in the Lord and this shows that
Paul was proud of them in the Lord, and so he tells of their success in the
Lord to other churches that He had contact with. We see this when we read from verse four “we
ourselves speak proudly of you among the churches of God.” Paul, Timothy, and Silas were three important
people that were used by the Lord in the early church and to be praised by them
would bring joy to the hearts of the Thessalonians.
As we go in verse four we see what these men were proud
of and that was their perseverance and hope in the midst of all of the
persecution that they were going through.
John MacArthur write the following about the word “perseverance” “(hupomone)’ is not resigned, stoic
acquiescence but patient, courageous enduring of trouble. The word literally speaks of ‘remaining under’,
or sustaining hope under difficulty. It
is not a grim waiting but a joyful hoping.
As it does in Romans 3:3, Galatians 5:22, and Titus 2:10, pistis (faith) has the sense of ‘faithfulness.’ Paul was thankful for and proud of how the
church remained faithful to the Lord despite the persecutions (hostility from
enemies of the gospel) and afflictions (suffering resulting from persecution)
they endured. They refused to renounce
their faith, let their love grow cold, or abandon their hope.” It is no wonder that Paul spoke so
wonderfully about them to other churches, for they truly were a great example.
I want at this time to quote from Warren Wiersbe on what
he writes on verse four: “Their patience
was increasing (v.4). Perhaps ‘perseverance’
would be the best translation of this Greek word. Tribulation works out endurance’ (Rom. 5:3,
literal translation). You do not become
patient and persevering by reading a book (even this one) or listening to a
lecture. You have to suffer.”
Suffering tests our faith, and if the believers in
Thessalonica were not true believers they would have not endured very long as
we see from the first parable that our Lord spoke in Matthew thirteen when he
spoke about the seed and where it was planted.
He said to His disciples in explaining this parable “20 “The one on whom
seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and
immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet he has no firm root in himself, but is
only temporary, and when
affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls
away.” This was surely not true
of the Thessalonian believers.
Spiritual meaning
for my life today: 1 Corinthians
10:13 says “There hath no temptation
taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not
suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation
also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” Now the word translated temptation can also
mean test for we receive tests from our Lord in order to confirm our faith, but
the evil one tempts us and so we can overcome these temptations by the Word of
the Lord as He will provide a way of escape.
It is my desire to overcome temptations and to pass tests as the
Thessalonians did.
My Steps of Faith for Today:
Trust the Lord to show me what the “things
above” are so that I can keep my mind on them.
This refers to what is written in the first two memory verses that I am
working on.
Memory verses for the
week: Colossians 3:1-9.
1 Therefore if you have
been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, as
the right hand of God. 2 Set you mind on
the things above, not on the things that are on earth. 3 For you have died and your life is hidden
with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who
is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. 5.
Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to
immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to
idolatry. 6 For it is because of these
things that the wrath of God has come upon the sons of disobedience; 7 and in
them you once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you also, put them all aside:
anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you laid
aside the old self with its evil practices,
Answer to yesterday’s Bible
question: “Timothy” (Acts 17:13-14).
Today’s Bible
question: “What two chapters in the
Bible are almost identical?”
Answer in our next SD.
9/22/2014 12:36 PM
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