Dave's Diary

Daily Readings: 2 Thessalonians 1-2 and Psalm 1 (Yip, we’re starting all over again)

Shortly after writing 1 Thessalonians, the apostle Paul received a report (see 2 Thess. 3:11) that the Thessalonian church had accepted the strange claim that Paul was teaching that “the day of the Lord has come” already (2:1–2). Paul sent them this second letter in about A.D. 49–51 to clarify the truth about the 2nd coming of Christ, and to encourage them to stand firm in their faith to the very end.

While it’s tempting to get side-tracked into the details Paul shares about the return of Christ and the final judgment, I’m drawn to his exhortation at the end of chapter 2. After all, what we know about the future return of Christ is only relevant to us in so far as it affects the way we live today. Otherwise, it remains theoretical and a mere distraction.

Paul exhorts them, in the light of Christ’s future return to remember:

“¹⁵… God chose you as firstfruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. ¹⁴ He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. ¹⁵ So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter. ¹⁶ May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, ¹⁷ encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.“

Just as He had for the Thessalonian Christians, God has a purpose for having saved us too. He intends to transform us into the image of His Son Jesus (i.e. to sanctify us) through the Holy Spirit’s power at work in us. By this transformation, Jesus will be glorified through our lives. And this will not only happen when Christ returns. It is meant to happen in the here and now of our everyday lives. Whether Christ returns soon or only after our lifetime, our objective is the pursuit of His glory through our increasing Christlikeness in “every good deed and word”, here and now!

So let us hold fast to the trustworthy teachings of Scripture, let us trust the daily guidance and inspiration of the Spirit, and let us strive with all His power at work in us to glorify Christ in our lives today. That way, if He returns today, He will find us ready. And if He does not, He will have been glorified through us, and we will do the same tomorrow … until His return in final glory, for all the world to see.

Life application: Ask the Lord to show you one small act of Christlike kindness you can do for someone in His Name today. Then go and do it … simply for His pleasure and to reveal Christ in our world.