1 Timothy 1:5

The goal of such instruction is love—the love that comes from a pure heart, a good conscience, and sincere faith.

This verse shows us a set of three biblical convictions:

• Love is at the heart of God’s commands
• Purity of heart is more important than external acts of obedience
• Heartfelt sincerity is essential for pleasing God

1 Timothy 1:9

We recognize that the law is laid down not for people who are in the right, but for the lawless and disobedient…

As Christians, the law is not for us.

We do not follow a set of guidelines. We follow a person.

That person was unleashed upon the earth about two millennia ago by Jesus himself.

We do not require a list of rules to let us know what not to do. The Holy Spirit takes care of that for us.

Now we can keep ourselves in some check with the law, as the Spirit will not prompt us to do anything against it. Always remember that there are other spirits out there for your following. So you want to be sure you are following the Spirit of Jesus, who will be in line with apostolic teaching.

If you’ve accepted your rightful place before God because of Jesus Christ’s work and, therefore, experienced regeneration and inner transformation, then you do not follow the law because you have the Holy Spirit as your guide—a real, live person.

It is those without this divine conscience that need to be shown what not to do by the law.

It’s interesting that when Paul talks about weaker Christians, he is usually referring to those who are fastidious rule followers. Maybe they’ve not embraced the Spirit, or people are abusing the law and Scripture to persuade them that they better keep to the rules or else, or the evil one might be distracting them with law so that they do not experience the freedom and power of the Spirit.

Take notice of the overall tenor of the New Testament, post resurrection,  and see if it advocates following the law, rules, or even Scripture itself; or does it advocate following the Spirit?

Are we to follow words on a page, or the voice of the living Person Jesus promised would guide us?

In Paul’s mind and in his theology, the other-directed love that characterizes authentic Christian existence is to be found in and through conversion and the indwelling Spirit, not in a superficial reading of the law as a moral code.

~Philip Towner

To be clear, I am in no way advocating antinomianism.

2 Thessalonians 3:1

Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified, just as it is with you…

I asked a stupid question today. Not intentionally…my question just came out wrong and sounded really stupid. I was at Bible Study and we were reading Hebrews 11:6 which reads “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” I struggle with this statement, so I raised my hand and asked if by “reward” Paul meant a reward like a Maserati or a reward like eternal life? I know, I know. Ridiculous, right?  

I felt horrible, of course, because I really didn’t mean it the way it sounded. I knew that Paul didn’t mean a Maserati – they didn’t even have those back then. But there is this gray area between needs and wants which is very muddy. On top of that, we hear so many messages telling us to believe God for more, sometimes it’s hard to know for sure if by accepting our lot in life we’re being content or being complacent. At times I feel myself ignoring wants and needs and not thinking to ask for them because I’m not sure if what I want is even important (especially given the fact that God knows best). Although I talk a good “faith game,” I secretly sometimes feel that God doesn’t care about the trivial aspects of my life (although I know that He is a compassionate high priest who cares). I also know that He’s sovereign and that He knows our hearts and motivations before we ask and that as a “good, good father” He will sometimes say no because what we ask for will hurt us. I know all of that in my head, yet I struggle and privately have had others confide that they struggle with this too. I mean, I would use that Maserati to drive people to church, of course. Thank God, the better half of the “Battering Ram of Racial Reconciliation” had asked me to write this Ripple. My reading as I prepared to write led me to 2 Thessalonians 3:1, “Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified, just as it is with you…” and I felt like even more of a crunchberry. 

Matthew Henry’s commentary on this verse illuminates it well. “This was the great thing that Paul was most solicitous about,” he writes, “He was more solicitous that God’s name might be sanctified, his kingdom advanced, and his will done, than he was about his own daily bread.” Boom, roasted! In case you haven’t used it in a while, solicitous means “meticulously careful” or “full of desire.” Wow. Because God’s thoughts are so much higher than our thoughts, and His ways are so much higher than our ways, it’s hard to grasp how He could love our sinful, selfish selves and even be so kind as to answer our prayers when His only true goal and purpose is salvation for all mankind. When we hold that lens up to our every desire, most…maybe almost all…will fail to measure up. Paul became the great writer, teacher, and theologian that he was because he understood that, prayed for it, and was full of desire for it. As we grow and become more like Christ through the process of sanctification, His kingdom should always be what is first and foremost in our minds and hearts and the object of our prayers and desires. If we grasp that, we will become ever more content with whatever rewards He provides and not embarrass ourselves in Bible Study. 

In Christ,

H.R. Shaw

Writer & Editor

Certified Joyologist

Pallikan/Shaw 2020 Campaign Chair

Robin is the most excited one in this picture.

2 Thessalonians 2:10-12

…they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved.

For that reason God sends upon them a strong delusion, leading them to believe the lie,

so that judgment may come upon all who did not believe the truth but took pleasure in wickedness.

That verse 11 is one of those mysteries of Scripture.

And makes me  little nervous.

It seems that you may reject Christ to the point of your heart becoming so hard, that a strong delusion (sent by God!) will lead you to believe the lie.

And just what is the lie?

The lie which has led people astray from the beginning—”You shall be as God!” (Genesis 3:5)

The idea that you are your own God, and therefore can do whatever pleases you and better yourself by your own human efforts.

Every refusal of God’s love through Christ hardens your heart one step closer to permanent rejection.

Refusing Christ is not just rejecting a belief system or a religion. You are rejecting a person. You are rejecting love.

You are rejecting the ultimate, greatest, most self-sacrificial, incomprehensible love shown you by the Person responsible for your very existence! The One who gave everything—EVERYTHING–for you.

How horrified and deeply hurt I would be if our daughters grew up to not only be immoral, deceitful people regularly committing acts of injustice and taking pleasure in it; but also if they failed to acknowledge my existence and refused to accept any of my love and rejected me as their father.

So many believe the lie, worshipping and serving the creature rather than the Creator. So many fear, revere, and meditate upon people more than God. They exchange the truth of God for the lie (Romans 1:25).

2 Thessalonians 1:5 & 11

…to find you thoroughly worthy of the kingdom of God…

To that end we always pray for you, that our God may deem you worthy of his call….

In one commentary, I found that the word translated here as “worthy” means the true balance that comes from congruence.

As in, our lives being congruent with God’s intentions.

That is what we are to become.

To become.

Just because we are chosen by God for the Kingdom, doesn’t mean we are ready for the Kingdom. As the old saying my wife Ana reminded me of goes: “God doesn’t call the qualified, but qualifies the called.”

This is weird for us because what we’re used to—the kingdom of this world—is that you’re typically chosen because you’re ready. You need to possess the necessary skills before you are chosen to be on the basketball team. To make first chair in the symphony, you must’ve already perfected your instrumental skill.

But in the Kingdom of God, it seems we’re chosen, given a prestigious place of privilege, and then shaped, pruned, purged, perfected…shown what we’re made of.

We have to go through many trials in order to get into the shape needed for the next phase, task, calling, responsibility. You might think of it as going through doorways that get progressively more narrow. In order to fit through the next doorway, you’ll need to shed some baggage you’re carrying, or maybe even bodyweight.

Perhaps you need to learn how to love a difficult-to-even-like person before moving on. Maybe you must learn patience, either with other drivers, an annoying co-worker, people of a different political persuasion than you, and on and on we could give examples.

No one is so just that he does not need to be tried by affliction to advance or to establish or prove his virtue. ~Augustine

Everything difficult in life, big or small, can serve to mold us into Kingdom shape…if we allow it, if we learn from it, if we trust God through the midst of it.

And in some places in the world, like in Thessalonica in the first century, people endure extreme difficulties of persecutions for their faith. It is in the perseverance of trusting God through it, in the midst of it, that they—we–are perfected.

I don’t claim for one second to understand how all this works, but it gives us something to chew on today….

I understand some of the analogies are not perfect, but hopefully the points are clear or at least thought-provoking.

1 Thessalonians 5:14

And, my dear family, we beg you to warn those who step out of line. Console the downcast; help the weak; be warm-hearted and patient toward everybody.

This is an extremely helpful, practical verse.

While journeying with the body of believers—all different types of people in radically different places in life—we must be observant and discerning if we are to move forward appropriately.

Here we have three different conditions:

• Those who step out of line
• The downcast
• The weak

Necessitating three unique and proper responses:

• Warn
• Console
• Help

Those who are out of line need to be warned, or admonished, to get back in line so as not to cause division. There are standards, traditions, and disciplines for a reason. Though we are all individuals, we are also a community, and there are some basics we all need to adhere to if we are going to be unified in spirit.

People who are downcast, or faint of heart, need consoling. They need encouragement. They need someone there beside them to encourage them not to quit even though they feel like it. The Greek word Paul uses is made up of two words: para, near; and muthos, speech. Instead of scolding the faint-hearted from a distance, we must get close to them and speak tenderly.

And the weak need to be held up so that they don’t fall. Paul is referring to those weak in the faith who had not grown strong in the Lord. They may need instructing in the faith, mentoring, and/or a  “success model” as my friend Rex calls it. The weak need support.

The mistake we can make, which I feel is ultimately a form of laziness, is using a one-size-fits-all approach to everybody.

Some treat everybody as out of line, or “lazy” as some translations put it.  Well, when someone is downcast, and you warn and admonish or scold them, it tends to drive them further down into their hole. Warning those who are weak isn’t much better, as they probably won’t even get what you’re saying, still longing for support.

Equally, we can’t treat every person as downcast. Tenderly consoling someone who is being an out of line, rebellious butt-head does nobody any good. And you can encourage a weak person all you want, which may do a little good, but they will still lack the instruction and mentoring that they really need.

And lastly, treating everybody as if they’reweak can also be heartless and damaging. Giving instruction to someone who is really downcast can be downright awful. We must be able to truly see someone who is deeply discouraged, and not just try to “teach” them out of it. And attempting to mentor someone who is simply out of line falls into this apples to oranges approach to peoples as well. Those who are determined to go their own way will not take personal responsibility for their behavior, no matter how good your example, and will most likely succeed in draining your energies.

But there is a common manner in which we are to handle all types—warm-hearted and patient. Whether warning, consoling, or supporting, we need to do so with patience and with a warm heart toward the person we are helping.

I hope this was as helpful for you as it was for me–sorry so long today!

1 Thessalonians 4:11

You should make it your ambition to live peacefully, to mind your own business, to work with your own hands…

I wonder how much more peacefully I could live if I used what energy capacity I have, for minding my own business, and not keeping in mind other people’s business.

What if I did not give any thought to what others should be doing unless specifically asked by them and/or prompted by the Spirit to do so? And when prompted by the Spirit, likely it would be to pray for and serve that person in some manner.

What if I spent most of thought life on cultivating my awareness of God’s presence, Jesus’s sacrificial love, and the Spirit’s promptings?

I bet, over time, I would spend little to no energy judging others, thinking about what they should be doing, and, therefore,  live more peacefully.

Just guessing.

I’m experimenting with taking every judgmental thought that I catch, and turning it back on myself with, “What do I need to work on?” and “What do I suck at?” These two lists are growing rather lengthy, I’m humbled to admit.

Somewhat ironically, minding your own business can free your mind enough to sense the Spirit and mind God’s business, the business of healing the world.

Appropriate focus on self before God allows and empowers proper focus on others, in order to serve and to heal.

1 Thessalonians 3:6

But now Timothy has returned to us from you. He has brought us the good news of your faith—and your love; he has told us that you always have good memories of us, and that you are longing to see us, just as we are to see you.

Did you know that First Thessalonians is the oldest letter written by the apostle Paul that we have?

And did you know that First Thessalonians is the first Christian writing in existence that we know of?

Pretty cool.

Paul wrote it in A.D. 51 to the church in Thessalonica (modern day Thessaloniki) about six months after he founded it.

So what was the occasion for writing the oldest Christian letter in existence?

Being overjoyed by a good report.

I like that!

Paul was forced to leave Thessalonica sooner than he desired, due to persecution. He knew it would be tough for the Thessalonians too, and was growing concerned over their spiritual lives. So he sent Timothy back to check on them and encourage them so they wouldn’t be pulled off course by their sufferings.

Timothy returned to Paul with very good news of their faith and their love, still intact.

Paul must have been ecstatic!

In response, he penned this letter, the oldest extant Christian writing, in order to further encourage them in their faith in Christ, love for each other, and giving thanks always.

It’s interesting to ponder that this first Christian letter was written to a community who was actually doing well, for the purpose of expressing joy over them, thankfulness for them, and encouragement to keep going, to stay on target.

I see from this the great need to encourage those who are faithful, who are doing good day after day, not in an obvious faith crisis or trauma, and how they need to be spurned on like anybody else.

We all need encouragement in the Lord. It’s amazing how just some notice and acknowledgment can invigorate you to keep on going. Many of you have emailed how you’ve been encouraged by one or more of these writings, and you just don’t know how uplifting that is. Yes, we perform for an audience of One, yet we also are inspired through one another as we thoughtfully bestow blessing—God’s smile—upon one another.

It’s easy to overlook those who are doing just fine.

Who can you encourage today who seems to be doing well?

Abounding in the work of the Lord is only one step removed from abandoning the work of the Lord through complacency.

~Bruce Wilkinson & Kenneth Boa

1 Thessalonians 2:4

Rather, we speak as people whom God has validated to be entrusted with the gospel; not with a view to pleasing people, but in order to please God, who validates our hearts.

Only God can really validate our hearts, knowing exactly what our motivation is.

People validate our ego, our pride–not necessarily intentionally.

Pleasing people can feel fulfilling, but a smile from God is fulfilling.

Doing everything for an audience of One is the surest remedy for the stress involved with trying to make people happy with you, like you, think you’re impressive…

All attempts to obtain significance and worth from anywhere but God are, in the end,  depressingly futile.

But resting in and operating out of  your identity in Christ and in who you are because of who God is—that is exhilaratingly empowering.

Satisfying, like nothing else.

1 Thessalonians 1:6-8

When you received the word, you had a lot to suffer, but you also had the Holy Spirit’s joy.

As a result, you became a model for all the believers in both Macedonia and Achaea

For the word of the Lord has resonated out from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaea; your faith in God has gone out to people everywhere. This means that we haven’t had to say anything.

How you suffer can be the greatest witness for Christ of your entire life.

More than what you say.

Even more than what you do.

Or don’t do.

It is in rough times when what we are truly dependent on for Life can be shaken out.

This is tough stuff.

But it can be a time of immense growth. A time for the purgation of that which is not God or leading to God.

This is the stuff of the Spirit.

Colossians 4:2

Devote yourselves to prayer; stay alert in it with thanksgiving.

This is simply some of the best advice in the history of the human race.

Take it.

It is typically best, if possible, to have a set time and place daily for devoted prayer.

To stay alert, make sure you do your best to maintain focus on God, the One with whom you’re speaking, more than on what you’re saying. That has been a huge help to me.

Gratitude should be a part of every part of your life. God designed your brain to be healthy when in gratitude. We’re just now showing this to be true scientifically….as if we needed that kind of proof.

Colossians 4:17

And tell Archippus, “Pay attention to the ministry you have received in the Lord, so that you can accomplish it.”

I love this translation. We’ve all been given a ministry. You are in some unique position, like no one else on the planet, to minister God’s goodness to someone in your life—someone who has no other channel of Christ like the one they have in you.

Pay attention to it.

Sometimes it’s that simple. Just paying attention. So that God can accomplish a really good work…through you.

Warren Wiersbe’s pithy comments with regard to Archippus are inspiring:

Since the Lord gave him his ministry, the Lord could also help him carry it out in the right way. Ministry is not something we do for God; it is something God does in and through us.

We are able to fulfill our ministries because we have been “filled full” through Jesus Christ.

We usually don’t have to go looking around for ways to get involved in ministry; for something to do for God.

Rather we need to simply listen to what God is asking of us. This is done, at least in part, by paying close attention to what is going on right around us and saying, “OK.”