Day Ten

I love the way Paul closes his first letter to the church of Thessalonica. He closes by giving them some final instructions. I find them very timely for us during this fast. He says:

16 Always be joyful. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 19 Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. 20 Do not scoff at prophecies, 21 but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. 22 Stay away from every kind of evil.  1 Thessalonians 5:16-22 (NLT)

Here are some key phrases that stood out to me:

Always be joyful. Like always? Really, Paul? Always? Even when bad things happen? Even when I lose my job? Even when a family member gets diagnosed with cancer? How? How are we supposed to do this? Well, Paul, probably knowing we’d have these questions, answers the questions. “For this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” In Christ is the key. You and I can’t rejoice always on our own, but in Christ we can. In Christ we can rest in the peace that surpasses understanding. Rejoice always, in Christ, even when it’s hard. 

Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. Did you know that we can stifle the Holy Spirit? We can stifle the Holy Spirit through lack of faith, rejection of His movements, suppression of an expression of the Holy Spirit or sin in our lives. The key to not stifling the Holy Spirit is to be in tune with what the Holy Spirit is doing. And the key to staying in tune with Holy Spirit is emptying yourself of things that keep you from God and filling yourself with things that bring you closer to him (AKA fasting). So you’re on the right track, keep it up!

Hold on to what is good. It’s so easy to focus on the negative in life. There are negative things all around us. And now that we live in a world that is so connected via the internet and social media, it seems there is so much more negative around us. That’s why it’s so important for us to hold onto what is good, even if they just seem like little things. Hold tight to your loved ones. Celebrate everything you can. And keep holding on. 

Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. God will make this happen, for he who calls you is faithful. 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 (NLT)

I love you all and happy fasting,

Pastor Caleb