1 Thessalonians 3
Strength in the Fight!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, December 11.
Paul’s third chapter to the Thessalonians talks about how Paul was concerned that the “tempter” had worked to make his efforts “useless” in the lives of the congregation (1 Thessalonians 3:5). This remains a real concern for church leadership to this day.
The spiritual reality is that the church lives with a continuous clear and present danger. We can expect afflictions in this life and the devil (the tempter) is always on the prowl looking for his next victim to devour. The key to this clear and present danger is you having a real personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
That is why each of us are invited into a daily time with God in His Word: studying it, memorizing it; praying it and applying into our everyday lives.
This is one of the reasons I write these devotions and make these daily calls: to encourage and help you keep your eyes on Jesus and to remain effective in your Christian life. I want to care for the spiritual well-being of God’s people the best way I know how—biblically following the teaching of the New Testament and as the apostles modeled it for pastors and elders: “We … will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:4).
So, as Paul prayed for the believers in Thessalonica in 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13, I pray now for you: “Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you, and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.”
Seize the moment and find strength for today by starting your day with God—in His Word and in prayer with Him.
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.