'Dear brothers and sisters, honour those who are your leaders in the Lord’s work. They work hard among you and give you spiritual guidance. Show them great respect and wholehearted love because of their work.'

Leaders were appointed from the earliest days of the church. Paul knew that the church could only thrive if it had committed, loving, and wise leaders and so in every place he sought to appoint such people. When ...

1 Thessalonians 5.5-6 NLT

'You are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night. So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be clearheaded.'

When I was in my teens, I did a fascinating six-week course at a local fire-station. Because it was held over a number of weeks I got to know the fire-fighters and became familiar with the atmosphere of the station. In many ...

1 Thessalonians 4.15 and 18 NLT

'We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died... So encourage each other with these words.'

The Thessalonian church lived with the expectation that Jesus might return at any moment. This inevitably triggered lots of questions. It did so then, and has done so ever since. The particular issue that...

1 Thessalonians 4.11-12 NLT

'Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before. Then people who are not believers will respect the way you live, and you will not need to depend on others.'

These are fascinating verses. Paul urges his hearers to strive eagerly to live quiet lives. The Greek literally means ‘seek restlessly to be still’! What ...

1 Thessalonians 4.3-5 NLT

'God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin. Then each of you will control his own body and live in holiness and honour— not in lustful passion like the pagans who do not know God and his ways.'

Life in Thessalonica in the 1st century would have been massively different from our life today. And yet I have no doubt that if the apostle Paul were to write a letter to our ...

1 Thessalonians 3.7-8 NLT

'We have been greatly encouraged in the midst of our troubles and suffering, dear brothers and sisters, because you have remained strong in your faith. It gives us new life to know that you are standing firm in the Lord.'

Paul knew that it was going to be really tough for the Thessalonian church. He had warned them that there would be great difficulties to come and had clearly been deeply...

1 Thessalonians 2.4-5 NLT

'For we speak as messengers approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News. Our purpose is to please God, not people. He alone examines the motives of our hearts. Never once did we try to win you with flattery, as you well know.'

Paul often faced accusations. He was accused of acting out of self-interest, of being deceitful and all manner of other things. He knew that the whole of his min...

1 Thessalonians 2.1 NLT

'You yourselves know, dear brothers and sisters, that our visit to you was not a failure.'

The church in Thessalonica certainly knew that Paul’s visit to their city had not been a failure. But on the face of it, it hadn’t gone very well. It ended up with Paul and Silas being bundled out of the city in a hurry because of the threat from the mob. It must have left them feeling very anxious ab...

1 Thessalonians 1.9-10 NLT

'And they speak of how you are looking forward to the coming of God’s Son from heaven—Jesus, whom God raised from the dead. He is the one who has rescued us from the terrors of the coming judgment.'

When I was preparing for the 11-plus English exam I came up with a really impressive expression that I made use of, whatever the essay title. It was “with eager anticipation”. Whether we were ask...

1 Thessalonians 1.8 NLT

'And now the word of the Lord is ringing out from you to people everywhere, even beyond Macedonia and Achaia, for wherever we go we find people telling us about your faith in God.'

Paul’s first visit to Thessalonica began well and a number of people decided to follow Jesus. (Acts 17.1-8) But, as was so often the case, his success caused jealousy amongst the local Jews who were losing some of th...

'We always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly. As we pray to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and the enduring hope you have because of our Lord Jesus Christ.'

Paul has great affection for these Christians in what we would now call northern Greece. He had spent time with them and knew them well. He knew that they weren’t perfect and, in this letter, he is go...

Psalm 77.5-7 NLT

'I think of the good old days, long since ended, when my nights were filled with joyful songs. I search my soul and ponder the difference now. Has the Lord rejected me forever? Will he never again be kind to me?'

These are painful verses. Asaph, the psalmist, is in the pit of despair. He feels that God has rejected him completely. He looks back at how things used to be, but those memories are painful ...

Psalm 73.21-24 NLT

'Then I realised that my heart was bitter, and I was all torn up inside. I was so foolish and ignorant— I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you. Yet I still belong to you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny.'

The psalmist has been struggling with his thoughts. He admits that he has become very envious of wicked people who seem to him to...

Psalm 71.17-18 NLT

'O God, you have taught me from my earliest childhood, and I constantly tell others about the wonderful things you do. Now that I am old and grey, do not abandon me, O God. Let me proclaim your power to this new generation, your mighty miracles to all who come after me.'

Over the years I have heard a number of people say that they felt that the ideal life would be one in which they did what they wan...

Psalm 69.16-17 NLT

'Answer my prayers, O Lord, for your unfailing love is wonderful. Take care of me, for your mercy is so plentiful. Don’t hide from your servant; answer me quickly, for I am in deep trouble!'

Waiting is never easy. Whether you are waiting for a phone call, a parcel or medical results, waiting can be exhausting. And if life is going really badly then waiting is even more agonising. That’s exactly how ...

Matthew 7.24-25 NLT

“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock.”

The Sermon on the Mount closes with this powerful little parable about two houses. One built on rock and the other on sand. The point is that when the we...

Matthew 7.15-16 NLT

'Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act.'

False prophets make an appearance in both the Old and New Testaments. Jeremiah had a particular problem with them. He believed that he was called by God to inform the people that, unless they turned back to him, a foreign nation would...

Matthew 7.13 NLT

'You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way.'

I am always fascinated to hear people tell me the story of their lives. Although their life journeys are all completely different, they have something in common, and that is the importance of decision- making. They shape our lives to a huge extent and so it i...

Matthew 7.12 NLT

'Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.'

This statement is often known as The Golden Rule. The Jews were familiar with something like this but always in the negative form. Only Jesus used the thought positively. That is to say that we are not merely to stop thieving, lying and killing but to go out of our way to lo...