My Daily Pause

The judgment day is coming. We don’t know when, but we know how God will divide those who are worthy from those who are not. Paul gives us a good look at the rewards that are being prepared in 2 Thessalonians 1:5-12. Those who think they can somehow “squeak through” haven’t studied their Bible very much.

Thankfully, we have a God that is quick to forgive and desires to find us worthy. God forgiveness is shown in a number of ways throughout the Bible:

1. He is good and ready to forgive. . .” (Psalm 86:5)
2. He removes sin far, far away from us (Psalm 103:12).
   
3. He helps us to forget our sins and move on (Isaiah 38:17).
   
4. He forgets our sins as soon as he forgives them (Isaiah 43:25, Jeremiah 31:34)
   
5. He is compassionate (Micah 7:18).
   

We have a ready and willing God. We  just have to take the action to get his forgiveness.

If you are not a New Testament Christian (or don’t know if you are) take a look at God’s plan for becoming one.

Daily Bible reading for May 21

Psalm 140
Numbers 25
Isaiah 61-62
2 Thessalonians 1

Is it good or bad that God can peer deep into our heart and know everything in it? (Romans 11:33-36) There are no walls or doors to block God from a complete inspection of us. For each of us, I supposed the answer lies in whether we are trying to hide from God!

David celebrated that God knew him inside and out in Psalm 139. In that psalm, he helps us understand that:

• God knows everything about us (Psalm 139:1-6)
• There is nowhere we can hide (Psalm 139:7-12)
• God knew us before we were born (Psalm 139:13-16)

When we focus on the goodness and knowledge of God, we can use that focus to guide ourselves in a way that is pleasing to him – a little like Jeremiah realizing that God knew he was to be a prophet long before he was born. (Jeremiah 1:5)

Daily Bible reading for May 20

Psalm 139
Numbers 23-24
Isaiah 60
1 Thessalonians 5:23-28

If “faith is the substance of things hoped for …” then 1 Thessalonians should be a key part of any believer’s growth. This letter contains:

• Inspiring hope for the young convert (chapter 1)
• Encouraging hope for a faithful servant (chapter 2)
• Purifying hope for the a believer (chapter 3)
• Comforting hope for the bereaved (chapter 4)
• Rousing hope for the slack or sleepy (chapter 5)

As you prepare for your next worship, center it around the hope of Christ’s coming.

If Christ were coming today, what do you have left to do? A great list of action that reinforces hope is in 1 Thessalonians 5:12-22.

Daily Bible reading for May 19

Psalm 138
Numbers 22
Isaiah 59
1 Thessalonians 5:12-22

*List of hopes adapted from The Outlined Bible by Robert Lee. Page 52.

We have another group Bible reading like I’ve mentioned before happening today. We have scheduled 7 hours of reading.

It has taken the entire week of mental preparation and anticipation to be completely ready and excited about it this morning, but I am ready to get started!

One of the verses that jump out at me in anticipation of the event is 1 Thessalonians 4:18 – “encourage one another with these words.” There is so much hope between the lines of God’s word – so much promise, that the time spent together doing a deep reading can be nothing but encouraging. I believe this is why God made the church.

Try it once and you’ll be hooked.

Daily Bible reading for May 18

Psalm 137
Numbers 20-21
Isaiah 58
1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11

Life isn’t a static condition.

• Without physical exercise, the body decays.
• Without mental exercise, the mind fails to learn more and doesn’t retain what it does know.
• Without social exercise, our influence and respect from others suffers.

Paul liked to use the metaphor of the “Christian walk” the way he does in 1 Thessalonians 4:1. This helps reinforce the idea of Christianity being an active and progress oriented lifestyle.

We are to take what we have learned and try to gain momentum with it. The more we get out there showing off God’s love and power, the better we get at it, and the more influence we’ll have. This becomes a life that pleases God. (1 Thessalonians 4:1-12)

With that momentum we can do a number of things:

• We easily avoid misusing our bodies. (1 Thessalonians 4:3-4) This is a difficult habit to break for many.
• We can live peacefully and avoid being busybodies. (1 Thessalonians 4:11a) This is a difficult habit to break for many.
• We can become productive and avoid being a burden to others. (1 Thessalonians 4:11b-12) This is a difficult habit to break for many.

These are some of the cornerstones of an influential lifestyle – A lifestyle that helps us become the salt and light that Jesus was talking about in Matthew 5:13-15

Daily Bible reading for May 17

Psalm 136
Numbers 18-19
Isaiah 56-57
1 Thessalonians 4:1-12