Let Them Eat Cake- 2 Thessalonians 3:6-18

My oldest son has this t-shirt that I really enjoy. It says, "I'm not lazy, I just really enjoy doing nothing." It's a funny shirt and it's a little true. I really DO enjoy doing nothing. If I could lay in bed watching movies all day while eating a large chocolate cake, that would be a perfect day. Seriously. There's just one problem (aside from the stomach ache I'd get from all that cake, not to mention the sugar rush AND crash). And it's this:

" And now, dear brothers and sisters, we give you this command in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ: Stay away from all believers who live idle lives and don’t follow the tradition they received from us." (2 Thessalonians 3:6)

Drat. Paul is telling me here that he doesn't approve of this plan of mine. Sitting around eating cake all day while watching movies is not a good use of time. It's the epitome of living an idle life.

And if we rewind a couple hundred years (okay, several hundred), we'd see that the Thessalonians were dealing with some of the same issues we face today. I am not the only person who enjoys doing nothing. And there were apparently plenty of people who felt the same way and then acted on that desire in the days of the Thessalonians.

Let's keep reading:

"For you know that you ought to imitate us. We were not idle when we were with you. We never accepted food from anyone without paying for it. We worked hard day and night so we would not be a burden to any of you. We certainly had the right to ask you to feed us, but we wanted to give you an example to follow. Even while we were with you, we gave you this command: 'Those unwilling to work will not get to eat.'" (2 Thessalonians 3:7-10)

I so enjoy doing nothing that I sometimes wonder if this is the example that I am actually setting for my children. Are they learning to work hard even when they don't feel like it? And trust me, I don't feel like it a lot but I still do what needs doing. Or are they learning to sit around too much, to play too often rather than working, and to rush through the jobs they have so they can get back to their precious nothingness? That's not what I want them to learn and I pray that it's not what I'm teaching. Because the fact of the matter is that, like the Thessalonians, most children learn by example. If I am being the example of the person that I want them to be, then I am doing the best that I can.

And then there is this in the scriptures:

"Yet we hear that some of you are living idle lives, refusing to work and meddling in other people’s business. We command such people and urge them in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and work to earn their own living. As for the rest of you, dear brothers and sisters, never get tired of doing good.

Take note of those who refuse to obey what we say in this letter. Stay away from them so they will be ashamed. Don’t think of them as enemies, but warn them as you would a brother or sister." (2 Thessalonians 3:11-15)

So before we start blaming ourselves for any lazy children that we have, it's important to remember that they are not fully grown into who they will be yet. I may have kids who enjoy doing nothing a lot right now and that is okay. They aren't fully themselves yet. They are still learning. And even if they do grow to be lazy (which I doubt), Paul says in verse 11 that despite the example that they set for them, some of the Thessalonians still made poor choices.

We are not responsible for our children's choices. Please read that again. No matter what we do, how we raise them, how we teach them, how we guide, how good or bad an example we are, our children have their own brains and their own free wills. They get to decide who they are going to be as adults. We can't decide that for them no matter how much we might want to. Some of our children will get pregnant too young, do drugs, drink when they're still underage, steal from others, lie to others, and make any number of other bad choices.

Furthermore, we will-sadly-all know people who wander away from God despite their upbringing. We'll know people who settled into a bad job and struggle through their entire lives. We'll know people who marry someone we don't approve of. We'll have friends who choose abortion, who choose an abusive spouse over their children again and again, and more. It's the world that we live in. We live in a sin-filled world.

But read verse 13 again.

"As for the rest of you, dear brothers and sisters, never get tired of doing good." (2 Thessalonians 3:13)

In the middle of the mess, Paul offers these words of hope. Never get tired of doing good. Never get tired of doing what God is calling you to do. Because when we do good, when we do the right thing, we are being lights in the darkness. We are representing God well right where we are. And that is what God is asking us to do. Over and over again throughout the New Testament we are called to strive to be like Jesus. That means doing what we know is right even when no one else does. In this example, it's about overcoming laziness even when others don't. But it's so much more than that too.

That means parking far away at the Sneak a Peak at school even though there is a lovely spot open amidst the other illegally parked cars. It means sharing chicken treats with the neighbor's free ranging chickens and ducks who are always visiting because they like chicken treats too. It means making dinner for your family each night even when your husband is going to be late from work again. It means sitting down with your kids and working through that homework anyway even though you don't want to and you remember hating that particular lesson the first time you went through it (do we really have to learn Algebra four additional times in this house?? I had that in school, I don't want it again).

Paul offers this advice in his letter to deal with the lazy Thessalonians:

"If anyone refuses to obey our clear command written in this letter, don’t let him get by with it. Point out such a person and refuse to subsidize his freeloading. Maybe then he’ll think twice. But don’t treat him as an enemy. Sit him down and talk about the problem as someone who cares." (2 Thessalonians 3:14-15MSG)

Basically this says to me that we shouldn't just watch people doing the wrong thing. We shouldn't sit around and talk about how they are always doing the wrong thing. We should get actively involved and actually tell them. And there is a right way to go about it.

But I have to add to this that I don't think you should be telling people that you don't know that they are stupid. The Thessalonians knew each other. They were a church together. Words of warning and concern mean a lot more coming from someone you know and trust. Having a stranger point out your flaws helps no one. That means that if your kids or your spouse are struggling, it's time to come alongside them and ask them how you can help them through. Maybe it means it's time to take them to God in prayer and hand them over to Him because he loves them so much more than you ever could.

Before you approach someone about something that is going wrong in their life, pray. Always pray about what God would have you do. Always pray about the things that you will allow to escape your lips. Because this isn't about judgment and shaming and "how could you." It's about loving the other person too much to let them continue down this path. If that isn't your purpose in approaching them, then don't do it until it is. Paul said to "talk about the problem as someone who cares." And that's also what I think Paul is saying here:

"May the Master of Peace himself give you the gift of getting along with each other at all times, in all ways. May the Master be truly among you!" (2 Thessalonians 3:16MSG)

Paul is wrapping up his letter at this point and so I will take his cue and wrap up this blog. I pray that something I've written here helps someone, anyone. I pray that we all take a look at our lives and identify the lazy places. And believe me, there is a difference between lazy and taking some much needed rest here and there. Jesus came to give us life to the full, not a full life. Please don't confuse the two. Please don't think I am challenging us all to go, go, go until we drop. That's not healthy either. Talk to God, he'll show you what needs improving and what is just fine the way it is.

Let me end this with Paul's final words in this letter:

" May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all." (2 Thessalonians 3:18)

Running and Negative Self Talk- 2 Thessalonians 3:1-5

"One more thing, friends: Pray for us. Pray that the Master’s Word will simply take off and race through the country to a groundswell of response, just as it did among you. And pray that we’ll be rescued from these scoundrels who are trying to do us in." (2 Thessalonians 3:1-2MSG)

I just got back from a run with my middle son. The human part of my brain says, "you can't do this, you weren't made for this, stop wasting your time. You will never be good enough to keep up with your son. Aren't you lucky he possesses so much patience that he is able to stick with you through this absurd phase of yours?" I read back over those words and I can't believe that I talk to myself like that. I would never say such things aloud, even to my worst enemy (if I had one, which I don't).

Maybe that isn't the human part of my brain. Maybe that's Satan, the evil one or the scoundrel that Paul is describing. Maybe that's my negative self talk that I am slowly defeating with every single run. Because you know what? I know that God gives me strength. I know that I can lean on God to carry me through and provide the endurance that I need to just keep going. And when I run with my baby? I can feel my heart filling up. I can feel the feelings that I work so hard to suppress all the time because what if I offend someone? What if I hurt someone's feelings or let them down? What if I'm just not enough no matter how hard I try? I tell myself that my feelings are wrong and that I have no right to feel them because I am just not that important and I don't know if that's true or not true but it doesn't matter. Because true or not, God cares. He wants to hear about it. And I need to admit them to him so that I can work through them.

And maybe none of that is really what Paul meant when he said those words so beautifully so many years ago. But when I see words like "race" and "countryside" within the verse, I can't help but think of those runs and all the parallels just waiting to be discovered. And my mind jumps on this crazy train of thought and you've seen where it takes me. Those are my real feelings.

"I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." (Philippians 4:13)

And those are God's real words. They are meant for me. I can feel them coursing through me. And I think of them over and over again every time I go for a run with my thirteen year old baby boy. I get the pleasure of seeing Jesus reflected back to me in his face as he cheers me on and encourages me every step of the way, as he cares for my heart and watches out for my endurance by asking if I need a break. He is being Jesus with skin on for me and is being this amazing example. And I have to wonder if maybe there is some little thing that I've done right to have this awesome kid in my life?

And look at this:

"But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one. And we are confident in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we commanded you." (2 Thessalonians 3:3-4NLT)

With every step that I took today, especially as I was striving to finish the last few feet of our path with my son silently cheering me on, I prayed these words in my head. I reminded myself that God is my strength. He is faithful. He will carry me through. The evil one's words are lies that I don't need to believe because God made me strong and capable and faithful. He gave me this unwavering desire to get done whatever I put my mind to. He made me this way. And while I don't always see the value in that, I can see it clearly when I am running behind my son. Because it feels like everything is clearer when I am out there with him in the silence of the countryside.

And I can't help but think that all of those runs are like a symbol for life. How often do we run, run, run until we collapse as moms? We run up and down the stairs getting things done for our kids and our husbands. We find lost things. We fix broken toys and broken hearts and broken knees (the skin, not the bones. I don't have the training for bone repair ;) ). We run to the library to return forgotten books and run to the store to get more milk or forgotten soap. But stuff isn't all we forget. We often forget ourselves in the process.

And there's a parallel in running for that as well. If I forget myself too long on a run, I will collapse because I don't have the proper amount of oxygen getting to my brain or the right amount of water coursing through my body to keep things going. It's the same in our lives. If we forget ourselves too long, we will collapse from exhaustion and be useless to those around us. We must, must, must take care of ourselves too.

And I don't even know how far I have strayed from the original verses at this point, but this is where I feel Jesus leading and this is where I must go! There's a parallel to the runs there too. When I am running with my baby, the world is quieter. I can hear Jesus easier because there is nothing else and no one else screaming for my attention. I need more of that, more of the quiet in my life. I need to purposely carve out that time because I will never stumble into it. I must allow Jesus to lead me there. Am I the only one that feels this? I know that I can't be.

And that brings us to the final verse for today:

"May the Lord lead your hearts into a full understanding and expression of the love of God and the patient endurance that comes from Christ." (2 Thessalonians 3:5NLT)

So here's the deal. This is what I am desperately screaming out to God for today, not only for myself but for all of my family, all of my friends, and all of the people who read these words today. I pray that we can find our patient endurance and that we can fully allow God to take control of our hearts as we soak up the "full understanding and expression of the love of God" that Paul is describing in this verse. These are the vital components to the lives we are searching for- full understanding and acceptance of God's unending love and patient endurance in our lives. I pray that we can see us as God sees us. His creations, fearfully and wonderfully made.

Be blessed today and don't forget to be a blessing!

Overflowing Thankfulness Even When the Path Changes- 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17

"Meanwhile, we’ve got our hands full continually thanking God for you, our good friends—so loved by God!" (2 Thessalonians 2:13)

I love this imagery that Paul is using. Can't you picture it? Your hands just overflowing with all the thankfulness? I imagine tons of little paper hearts with thank you notes written on each one. My hands are trying to hold them all, but they are pouring down over the sides and pooling at my feet. My little hearts are all different colors by the way. They have names on them, events that I've experienced with my friends, and things that they've done. Some of the words I think I'd see? I would have a pink heart that said, "hospital visits" and a red one that said, "unicorn necklace." A purple one would say, "dinner at a diner" and a yellow one would say, "coffee breaks." I have an orange one that says, "veggie straws" and a blue one that says, "chicken talk."

Do you feel this way about your friends? I know I don't always feel this way. I often take them for granted when I should be overflowing with thankfulness to God that I have them at all. Friends are such a blessing. If you nurture the relationship correctly, friends can be closer than family. They can be the stand-ins when your family isn't around or when it simply doesn't exist. I don't have a biological sister, but I do have several friends that stand in as sisters to me in that empty place and I am so thankful for it. Do you have any friends that are close enough to be family?

Let's keep reading, because today's verses are going to be awesome:

"God picked you out as his from the very start. Think of it: included in God’s original plan of salvation by the bond of faith in the living truth. This is the life of the Spirit he invited you to through the Message we delivered, in which you get in on the glory of our Master, Jesus Christ." (2 Thessalonians 2:14)

From his talk of thankfulness and friends, Paul goes on to talk about how God has chosen these people, his friends, to be a part of salvation, to be a part of his plan. Over the last few weeks, I have heard over and over again from various sources that this- the place we are living right now in our lives- is God's plan A. He doesn't have a plan B for us. The place he has us, the things we are doing, the people we are affecting, and the lives that we are living? It's God's plan A. He wants to use us exactly where we are. Isn't that a thrilling (and maybe a little scary) thought?

This year, after homeschooling my kids for six years, I felt God calling me to send the last one to public school. I could almost hear him whispering-through my son's very excited voice about wanting to go to school- that it would be okay, that God knew what he was doing, that I could trust Him. So I enrolled the last kid in public school and took a deep breath. I closed my eyes and opened my hands like a little kid waiting for a surprise from her daddy.

And over the last few weeks, He has taken a few things out of my hands. It started with homeschooling of course, and then he lifted serving with high schoolers from my plate and the possibility of volunteering at my kids' schools. Those were two big things that I thought for sure I'd be doing, but I'm not. And at first, I was a little sad, but I have to keep trusting that Jesus knows what he is doing here.

I've also had to say no to a bunch of opportunities. I was offered a couple of jobs that I declined. It was suggested that I apply to a few places. Others see my free time and seem to think they need to "do me a favor" and fill that empty time because why would I want to leave my time so empty? I only get a little bit of it here on earth, I should use it all to the max, right?

But that's not what God's been telling me these last few weeks at all. He has led me to this verse over and over again:

"I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (John 10:10b)

It says nothing about living a life that is overflowing with stuff and time that is packed to the gills. I need the empty time. I have to have it there. God wants it there in my life. He reminds me of that each and every time a fun opportunity comes along. There have been several that have tempted me, but I keep saying no. Why? Because I want to live my life to the full just as Jesus called me to do, not have a full life.

At this point, some may be wondering what I plan to do with all that empty time. Others don't care I suppose, but then why are you reading right now? ;) This is one thing I plan to do:

"So, friends, take a firm stand, feet on the ground and head high. Keep a tight grip on what you were taught, whether in personal conversation or by our letter." (2 Thessalonians 2:15)

Paul called his readers to remember what they were taught. One way to remember what you were taught is to study it. When we were taught new concepts in school, we studied for the test to prove that we knew the information. We can apply that idea similarly here too. There's not really a test, but studying God's word draws us closer to God because it's the way that God speaks to us. I don't come upon these verses that speak to me so clearly about my present circumstances by accident. I honestly believe that God is guiding me here. I pray each time that I write these posts that He will speak to me and show me what He wants me to know. It still amazes me every time that he shows me new things.

And then there is this:

"May Jesus himself and God our Father, who reached out in love and surprised you with gifts of unending help and confidence, put a fresh heart in you, invigorate your work, enliven your speech." (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17)

Do you know what I see when I read these verses? God loves me. He loves me so much that I am worth every effort. He has continually reached out to me. He has loved me fiercely and worked out surprise after surprise in my life as precious gifts. And that realization leads me to thinking about all of my own surprises and gifts: my husband, my children, my family, my dear friends, my home, my neighbors, our chickens, the ability he has given me to write, the spark of an idea or ten, the Bible to study and learn and grow closer to Him, coffee (of course)...I could go on and on.

My list of things to be thankful for is a long one (seriously, I took the challenge that Ann Voskamp offered up in her book One Thousand Gifts). If you've never done it, I highly recommend writing out all the things that you are thankful for. It's a great spirit lifter and opens your eyes to the positive things around you rather than all the negatives that are so very easy to see. At least they are for me...am I the only one?

In those verses, I also see a promise. I see God promising that he is there to be my help and my strength. He is there to be my confidence and my courage when I am afraid. He is there to give me a new, unblemished heart that is open and ready to follow Him. He is there to guide my hands as I write because that is the work that I feel Him calling me to do. And He will be there when I am called to speak aloud about Him because that is the scariest of them all on that list. At least it is for me.

Take a moment and read those last verses again. Think about the following questions:

1. What is God calling you to release to Him?

2. What has God given you in your life as a surprise?

3. What are some of the gifts God has given you, whether they are physical things, relationships, or abilities that you have?

4. Are there ways that you are using your time that you need to release to Him to free up that time to spend with Him?

5. Are you thankful for your friendships? Are there any that you dread?

I pray that you have an amazing day today and that God shows you what he wants you to know and what you need to hand over to Him to handle. Be blessed today and remember to be a blessing too!

Decisions, Decisions...2 Thessalonians 2:1-12

"Now, dear brothers and sisters, let us clarify some things about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we will be gathered to meet him. Don’t be so easily shaken or alarmed by those who say that the day of the Lord has already begun. Don’t believe them, even if they claim to have had a spiritual vision, a revelation, or a letter supposedly from us." (2 Thessalonians 2:1-2)

It seems like every year lately, someone comes along claiming that they know the end of the world is near. They claim to have heard from God himself that Jesus is coming back on a certain day and we should all make sure we are ready. I'm telling you now, it's a lie. God isn't going to give us some strange sign or forewarning beyond what he has already promised in the Bible. And the Bible tells us- through Jesus' own lips in the gospels- that NO ONE knows the day, the time, the hour that He will return.

Apparently, this same issue has been going on for centuries because here's Paul addressing it halfway through his second letter to the Thessalonians. Honestly, people are obsessed with what we don't know. Let's see what Paul can tell us about what will happen leading up to Jesus' return:

"Don’t be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed—the one who brings destruction. He will exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God." (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4)

Paul urges us not to be fooled and then says that there will be many people rebelling against God before God returns. There will be people leaving the church and falling away. He goes on to describe the one who will come before God as well. Paul calls him the "man of lawlessness" here and the NASB adds that he is the "son of destruction." I believe that this is what we often refer to as the "antichrist." Whatever you call him, he will do something that is unforgivable. He will claim to be God.

Paul goes on:

"Don’t you remember that I told you about all this when I was with you? And you know what is holding him back, for he can be revealed only when his time comes. For this lawlessness is already at work secretly, and it will remain secret until the one who is holding it back steps out of the way. Then the man of lawlessness will be revealed, but the Lord Jesus will slay him with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by the splendor of his coming." (2 Thessalonians 2:5-8)

There is no way for us to know exactly what Paul said when he was with the Thessalonians. It isn't recorded anywhere that I know of. But that doesn't matter so much. He goes on to further explain his opinion of things. He says here that God is holding this man of lawlessness back until the time is right. And when he finally is released, he won't have much time to get anything done before Jesus is here obliterating him. Paul says that "the Lord Jesus will slay him with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by the splendor of his coming." Isn't it amazing that our Jesus is that powerful?

It reminds me of this sign we have here in our house. It says, "Don't tell God that you have a big problem, tell your problem that you have a big God." And isn't that so true? Our big God is way bigger than any problem we can face including all that Satan is trying to do to destroy our lives. God can handle it. We can trust him with it.

It's tempting to assume here that the man of lawlessness that Paul is talking about is actually Satan, but it's not. Paul goes on from these verses to say this, which shows us that Satan is indeed not the man to which he is referring:

"This man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles. He will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on their way to destruction, because they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them. So God will cause them to be greatly deceived, and they will believe these lies. Then they will be condemned for enjoying evil rather than believing the truth." (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12)

I'm not going to pretend to understand all that these verses mean. "God will cause them to be greatly deceived?" The only way that I can make that statement right in my mind is by realizing that we follow and love an amazingly patient and loving God. He has given us SO. MUCH. TIME. to figure out where we stand with Him. He has waited centuries- and is still waiting- for us to come around. If it gets to be end times and you still haven't come around, at that point, God is saying it'll be too late. There is such a thing as waiting too long to come to God's side.

And making no decision, I have to warn you, is a decision all by itself. To be on God's side, you must choose it. He will not force you onto his side. He loves you too much for that. He isn't going to force the issue. He is persuing with you unending, relentless love, but he will never force himself on you. Choose him. Choose him before it truly is too late.

I pray now that if you are on the fence about this and still reading, that your heart would be softened and you would be given eyes to see Jesus for who he truly is. I pray that you will take the time to really look at the Bible, really read it and see what you think. Check out John for a great starting place to read about Jesus, the one who loves you.

Be blessed today and remember to be a blessing to someone else!

It Takes a Village! 2 Thessalonians 1:3-12

"You need to know, friends, that thanking God over and over for you is not only a pleasure; it’s a must. We have to do it. Your faith is growing phenomenally; your love for each other is developing wonderfully. Why, it’s only right that we give thanks." (2 Thessalonians 1:3)

You know, I read this over and over again to myself this morning and it occurred to me that we don't do this much in our culture. At least, not in my experience. How often do you look around you at the amazing people in your life that are selflessly giving and doing God's work and THANK HIM for putting them there? I think that we often take people for granted and I wonder, based on this passage from Paul's second letter to the people of Thessalonica, if we shouldn't be doing the same? Should we be thanking God for each person he has placed in our lives? And shouldn't we also be telling those people what a blessing they are?

Encouragement is a beautiful thing and oftentimes, we need it. I know in my own life there have been many times that I've done what I knew needed doing without any thanks. Honestly, it's the life of a mom many days. You get cups of milk and clean up spilled macaroni; you wash clothes and unload the dishwasher; you make dinner and listen to all the tough things that happened throughout the day for everyone else in your family. And many times? It's not only met without thanks, but with some lovely whining and fighting sprinkled in for good measure.

And that's not to say that we should be doing the things that are in our lives just to get a little praise and recognition, but it also wouldn't hurt to hear that someone noticed what you did and saw the value. As moms, we could be doing this for one another but it feels like, more often than not, we rip each other down further instead. I wonder what our lives would be like if we followed this one simple verse from Paul every day with each other?

Rather than saying, "You know, breast is best" to the mom with a bottle of formula, we could say, "You're doing a great job today."

Instead of saying, "I would never put a paper diaper on my baby," we could be saying "I saw a coupon for that brand in the mail the other day, could you use it?"

The words, "Public school is terrible these days; no child should be subjected to that!" to another mom who's crying about dropping her baby off at school aren't helpful. "You are making the best choices for your child right now. Great job!" would be far better, whether you homeschool, cyber school, or use a public or private school.

I think that as a culture, we are often better at these words from Paul:

"We’re so proud of you; you’re so steady and determined in your faith despite all the hard times that have come down on you. We tell everyone we meet in the churches all about you." (2 Thessalonians 1:4)

In my circle at least, I feel like we are pretty decent at lifting up those who have been knocked down. We see a fellow mom who is struggling and we all join together to lift her up. I see it repeatedly on my Facebook feed. Meal trains, Gofundme pages, pictures of notes other moms have gotten from each other, and even flowers sent from one mom to another.

When a person is already down, I think sometimes it's easier to see them there. Why? I don't know the answer, but maybe it's because they stand out more down there. Why do we have to let them get to that position before we lift them up? Why can't we walk alongside one another so that we know when down is coming and can help carry the burden? Wouldn't that be great?

But in our social media filled world, I guess it's actually more difficult. We think we know everything there is to know about our friends and acquaintances because we see pictures and statuses and emojis of all kinds coming off their pages. We see the articles they share and the hundred Pinterest posts they've shared and we're sure they have it all together. They don't need us. In fact, maybe it's us that need them but we can't say that because we have to be independent! We can't NEED anyone! We need to be able to function on our own! We are women! We have this! Isn't that what society is teaching us? Aren't those the very thoughts that are pushed into our minds every single day? That weakness is unacceptable? That needing others is just another sign of weakness?

But it's all a lie! We were built to do life in community! Paul talks about living as a body of Christ in 1 Corinthians 12. He talks about how each body is made up of many different parts and that each part relies on the other parts for various things. If you haven't read it recently (or ever), I highly suggest you turn there and take a look. He does an amazing job of explaining all of this.

Working together in our communities, let's see what Paul says we should remember as we go through the rough stuff as a united front:

"All this trouble is a clear sign that God has decided to make you fit for the kingdom. You’re suffering now, but justice is on the way. When the Master Jesus appears out of heaven in a blaze of fire with his strong angels, he’ll even up the score by settling accounts with those who gave you such a bad time. His coming will be the break we’ve been waiting for. Those who refuse to know God and refuse to obey the Message will pay for what they’ve done. Eternal exile from the presence of the Master and his splendid power is their sentence. But on that very same day when he comes, he will be exalted by his followers and celebrated by all who believe—and all because you believed what we told you." (2 Thessalonians 1:5-10)

The fact of the matter is that we live in an imperfect and sin-filled world. Trouble is going to happen. This isn't heaven. But rather than falling down and suffering alone, we should be working together in community with one another and seeing what we can learn through the suffering. God always uses the evil for good in some way. Oftentimes, he will use it to draw you closer to Him. He will develop your character through it. He will build endurance in you through it. Paul actually talks about this in another of his letters elsewhere in the Bible. Romans 5:4 says this:

"And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation."

So push through the tough stuff, push through your suffering and challenges because God has this. He will take care of it for you. It's not your job to hand out justice. He will do it for you. Just lean into Him and allow your community to help you through it. My BFF actually refers to her community as her village. As in "it takes a village to raise a child?" She calls us all her village and leans in when she needs help. I love that she demonstrates this for those of us in that village.

Do you have a village? Who is in it? If you don't have one, you should. Who can you ask to join you in your village? I'd suggest starting with family members and close friends. Work your way out if you need to. Some villages can have different levels. Maybe you only trust really close friends to babysit so you only ask them. That's okay. The outer level can handle things like meals and prayers, right? Let's get better at this one. Let's get better at banding together as moms in our communities and leaning into one another. It would make our burdens so much lighter!

As you work to build your village, find people that can fill the following jobs: laughter, encouragement, a listening ear, prayer, grace for where you are, physical labor, back-up on the tough days, and Godly advice for the unknown. I don't know how to describe these better than this, but when you find the person that fits, you'll know so long as you are asking God to guide you to them! Some people may fill multiple rolls. I have one friend who is great to get me laughing and to lift me up. Another is wonderful for offering me Biblically sound advice. Still another encourages me, listens to me, and prays for me. I depend on this village of ladies. I pray you find your own village too because life is tougher without it!

I want to end with these words of prayer from Paul because they are my honest and heart-felt prayers for all of us:

"Because we know that this extraordinary day is just ahead, we pray for you all the time—pray that our God will make you fit for what he’s called you to be, pray that he’ll fill your good ideas and acts of faith with his own energy so that it all amounts to something. If your life honors the name of Jesus, he will honor you. Grace is behind and through all of this, our God giving himself freely, the Master, Jesus Christ, giving himself freely." (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12)

An Introduction to a Study of 2 Thessalonians

Yesterday we finished up our study of 1 Thessalonians, written by Paul. I don't know if I mentioned this then or not, but experts believe that 1 Thessalonians was likely the first letter Paul ever wrote to a church in his time. 1 Thessalonians was written around 51AD and 2 Thessalonians was written around the same time between the years 51AD-52AD.

The interesting thing about 2 Thessalonians is that it is questioned whether or not he actually wrote it. According to The MAP by Nick Page, 2 Thessalonians "has attracted a lot of debate about its authenticity."

The biggest issue with it is the writing style. 1 Thessalonians was passionate and excited. Paul didn't mince words there. 2 Thessalonians is more reserved. In 1 Thessalonians, Paul says Jesus will return suddenly. In 2 Thessalonians, he talks about signs leading up to Jesus' return. The argument for Paul having written it is that perhaps people were misunderstanding his last letter thinking that Jesus was coming back at any moment whereas he clarifies in this letter that it may be awhile.

Either way, most agree that it is more likely than not that Paul wrote this letter as well. The writer also introduces himself as Paul, together with Timothy and Silas as you can see here:

"I, Paul, together with Silas and Timothy, greet the church of the Thessalonian Christians in the name of God our Father and our Master, Jesus Christ. Our God gives you everything you need, makes you everything you’re to be." (2 Thessalonians 1:1-2)

In the interest of focusing on why we're here- to study the Bible, not start a debate- we are going to assume what the bulk of the world already believes. We are going to assume that Paul wrote this book exactly as it says in the Bible already.

Through this book, we will be studying Paul's words about the Thessalonians' faithfulness. We will read about Paul's encouragement to them that God is a God of judgement and that those causing their suffering will be punished. From there, we will move into the signs that Paul sites as evidence of Christ's imminent return. He talks about the antichrist and other signs. He then moves into several verses about prayer and finishes up with his blessing on the Thessalonians.

This book is very short- just three chapters. It won't take us long to get through it at all.

Join me tomorrow when we get started on this little book!

Be blessed today and don't forget to be a blessing to someone else!