Reading Plan:
1 Thessalonians 5:12-24
Cookbook for Christianity
Author: Bailey Woods
At first glance, this section of scripture seems like just a set of basic instructions for how to live a Christian life. It mimics the pattern of a manual, or cookbook - giving the reader a set of boxes to check. “Put in these ingredients, and you will get this outcome.” It’s as if Paul is trying his best to summarize and “dumb down” the basic requirements of a life lived in step with the Bible and Jesus’ doctrine. In verse twelve, we are directed to respect our elders in the church. Verse fourteen tells us to warn those who don’t live in unity with the church, comfort those who have a timid or anxious personality, stand behind those who are weaker in the faith, and be patient. Verse fifteen tells us to refrain from fighting fire with fire and instead simply pursue what is good. All these instructions are straight from Jesus’ teachings, and many of us, including myself, tend to just breeze through these verses with the “Yeah, yeah, I know” mentality. The danger is that when we do that it’s easy to miss the beauty of some of these scriptures as well as the deeper meaning behind them.
Let’s take a closer look at verses sixteen through eighteen.
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
These verses hit me like a ton of bricks. It feels as if Paul has laid out an impossible set of instructions for us to live by! How are we to rejoice when the bills are stacked higher than our eyes can see? How are we to pray without ceasing when it seems like we’re constantly being pulled in every direction imaginable? How on earth can we be thankful when every time we go one step forward, we’re thrown ten steps back?
What Paul is saying here?
As Christians, we should work towards a default of joy. Even though those bills are high, hey, at least there is breath in your lungs, right? What a blessing!
We should live a life in which we constantly resort to prayer for everything. You woke up this morning? Pray that God would use you today. You feel like you’re being torn apart by the pressures of life? Pray for focus and strength to overcome whatever giants you’re facing.
Thankfulness should be a habit. Put your faith into practice. It’s not that we should be thankful for the bad things, but we should be thankful for whatever lessons and progress come from those bad circumstances.
“For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
The will of God for our existence on this earth is for one reason and one primary purpose: to bring glory to Him. How do we do that? We do that by being joyful, prayerful, and thankful. In return, as described in verses twenty-three and twenty-four, God is faithful to sanctify us, as well as preserve our spirit, soul, and body as blameless in His sight through His grace and infinite mercy manifested in us through Jesus Christ.
Reflection & Response:- It is so beneficial to the growth of our faith when we choose to be thankful regardless of the circumstances. Are you making a habit of finding things to thank God for every day?
- Nine times out of ten, we don’t see the big picture until the storm has passed and everything is calm. Hindsight is 20/20. With this knowledge, it is extremely important that we remain faithful to the Lord in the peaks and valleys of life.
- Prayer: Lord, I rejoice because you’re alive. I am praying this prayer simply to glorify you. Thank you for the countless blessings that I experience unknowingly every hour. May your will be done on earth as is in heaven. Amen.
- Love Your Neighbor Challenge: Pray for your neighbors today. Thank God for putting people in your path with whom you have the opportunity to share God’s love, truth, and grace. Send a text or a handwritten note to your neighbor to let them know that you are praying for them today.
HAVE KIDS?
Use the content below to dive deeper into the Bible Reading Plan with your family.
Family Application: Every day is a new day
- In Thessalonians 5:12-24, we are given a recipe. Just like you follow a recipe to make a delicious meal, Paul gives us a recipe to help us follow God. Paul gives us three big ingredients: joy, prayer, and thankfulness.
- These ingredients might sound really simple; the good news is that they are! We can have joy because Jesus died and came back to life. We can pray; we can talk to God whenever we want to, and He is there. The last one is thankfulness. There are so many things we can be thankful for... We have breath in our lungs. We have the light and warmth of the sun. We get to go to school. There are so many ways to be thankful!
- We talked about some recipes and ingredients for following Jesus that we learn from reading 1 Thessalonians. Find time to eat a meal as a family this week. As you are sitting around the table, have everyone say one thing that made them happy this week and one thing that they are thankful for.
- Prayer: God, you are great! Thank you, Lord, for giving me instructions to help me follow you. God help me celebrate that Jesus is alive! Lord, I love you. Amen.
Holy Week Family Devos
Venture Church has crafted a resource to help guide your family through Holy Week, the week leading up to Easter. Venture Church wants to partner with families in helping kids better understand and reflect on the time leading up to Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection. Starting next week, use the Venture Church app on Palm Sunday to read Day 1 of the Holy Week Family Devos, and during the week, continue reading the Holy Week Family Devos in our Family Application section in your Daily Devo emails or app. Take this time and opportunity to observe this sacred week as a family.