Friday
Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.
May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.
(I Thessalonians 5:12-24, NIV)
The first letter of Paul to the Thessalonian church is one of his earliest and is written with the intention of encouraging recent converts who are experiencing persecution. The church at Thessalonica, a busy seaport metropolis in Macedonia (Greece), was largely a non-Jewish congregation and Paul’s letter offers instructions on godly living as well as counsel about the future of Christians who die before Christ returns.
Today’s verses contain Paul’s practical advice about church life. These are direct, down-to-earth statements about how Christians should act and how they should treat each other. The ministry of Jesus Christ and the ministry of reconciliation taught to his followers, are now practically tied to life within the church. “Live in peace with each other” (v. 13b) – why? Because God is a “God of peace” (v. 23a).
Paul restated the teachings of Jesus and carried his message across the Roman empire. Jesus’ message of non-retaliation is repeated by Paul: “Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong” (v. 15). In the same way, Jesus’ command to be a peacemaker is echoed here. Paul concludes many of his letters to these young churches with familiar instructions: “Live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you” (II Corinthians 13:11).
Prayer
God of peace, teach us to live in peace in your church, to respect those in authority over us, and to help those who are weak. May your church be an example to the world of how people can live in love and harmony. Amen.