For a description of the (Y2) reading plan, see the “About” page.
1 Thes. 3
“How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you?” (1 Thes. 3:9). It is interesting to me that Paul’s great joy, for which he overflows with gratitude to God, came from something that offered no benefit at all to him. Remember, Paul was dealing with persecution and prison when he wrote this.
Typically, when we are in the midst of our own personal struggles, we get lost in them. We can often be very hard to encourage under such negative circumstances, even when the encouragement is aimed directly at us. Somebody expressing their love and support for us or having somebody serve us in some way helps. Still, we persist in our sorrow and despair. Not so with Paul. Knowing that the Thessalonians were standing firm in their faith in spite of the opposition they faced was enough to make his spirit soar. That’s what I call Godly love!
2 Kings 15-16
Who did Ahaz seek help from when invaded by Aram? What were the results? Man, oh man, does Ahaz ever give us a great picture of human nature! It goes way beyond his looking to the king of Assyria to save him. When he saw an altar he liked in Damascus, he had a copy made to replace the bronze altar in God’s holy temple. He continued to perform the sacrifice rituals as prescribed, only using his altar instead of God’s. That one he set aside to use “for seeking guidance” (from 2 Kings 16:15). He then proceeded to ‘redecorate’ the rest of the temple “in deference to the king of Assyria.” (from 2 Kings 16:18).
Here’s what I see in that. God gave very specific instruction for every detail of the temple, all of its artifacts, and every ritual performed in offering sacrifice to Him, whether for atonement, thanksgiving, or anything in between. His desire was for obedience, reverence, and wholehearted devotion. King Ahaz thought that he could continue to offer sacrifices to God while doing certain things his way. He didn’t see the importance of God’s design. In doing all of this, he set God to the side, thinking He would be available to him for guidance if and when Ahaz decided he needed or wanted it.
Isn’t that just so human? So many people think they can disregard God’s design while putting on the appearance of service to Him. They go their own way and do their own thing, according to their own desires, but expect that God will be there to guide them if they get in a tight spot and nothing else seems to be helping. I can assure you, these are among the people of whom Jesus spoke in Matthew 7. “Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” (Matt. 7:23).