Unbusy and Greatly Encouraged
S - May our Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word. 2 Thessalonians 2-3
O - God's desire is that I should be changed because of saving faith. The changes he wants to make should result in good deeds and words (sharing the gospel and speaking kindly). Paul's prayer here is that they would be encouraged and strengthened by Jesus himself and by God's loves and grace and that this would be seen in their good works and speech.
A - So often we are so busy in "good deeds and words" that we leave so little time in our lives for prayer and for reading God's Word so that his love and grace encourage and strengthen us. We can become hollow people, madly rushing and running to do good and yet with little time to ponder why. I need to be a man of prayer, a pastor who prays, one who really knows God and is encouraged and strengthened by Him. Then I will encourage and strengthen others as I work and speak. I need to actually schedule time to read, pray and study so that I am strengthened for deeds and word. Simply making it a priority and putting it in my diary is what is needed. This is a wiser approach than madly trying to meet every need and fix every problem and then see if there is time left over for God to encourage and strengthen me.
P - Father, thank-you for all that you have done for me and our church. Thank-you that you are a God who wants to encourage and strengthen me. I will make time to receive this from you. Amen.
Daily Reading 2 Thessalonians 2-3
O - God's desire is that I should be changed because of saving faith. The changes he wants to make should result in good deeds and words (sharing the gospel and speaking kindly). Paul's prayer here is that they would be encouraged and strengthened by Jesus himself and by God's loves and grace and that this would be seen in their good works and speech.
A - So often we are so busy in "good deeds and words" that we leave so little time in our lives for prayer and for reading God's Word so that his love and grace encourage and strengthen us. We can become hollow people, madly rushing and running to do good and yet with little time to ponder why. I need to be a man of prayer, a pastor who prays, one who really knows God and is encouraged and strengthened by Him. Then I will encourage and strengthen others as I work and speak. I need to actually schedule time to read, pray and study so that I am strengthened for deeds and word. Simply making it a priority and putting it in my diary is what is needed. This is a wiser approach than madly trying to meet every need and fix every problem and then see if there is time left over for God to encourage and strengthen me.
P - Father, thank-you for all that you have done for me and our church. Thank-you that you are a God who wants to encourage and strengthen me. I will make time to receive this from you. Amen.
Daily Reading 2 Thessalonians 2-3
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