April 11th - 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope, comfort you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say. Whether we are conscious of it or not, our thoughts about the future have a huge impact on how we live today. That’s probably most easily seen when we are worried about something – perhaps a visit to the dentist, a meeting with our boss, or a tense issue in the family which needs to be resolved. In this letter, Paul was particularly concerned that the Thessalonian church should have a clear understanding of the future that God had in store for them. He was quite clear that the return of Jesus was at the heart of this, but he was alarmed that some people had decided this was a reason to give up their jobs. Paul knew that the believers needed to keep committed to their regular employment alongside a confidence that the Lord might return at any time. Paul wanted his readers to look to the future with hope because the best was yet to be. It’s really important that we handle the word hope carefully. Most of the time, there is a maybe in our voice when we use the word. We hope it will be sunny tomorrow or that the train will run on time. We would be delighted if these things happened, but we’ve lived long enough to know that they might not work out like that. However, there is no maybe in the hope of the New Testament. We are talking about certainties. Because we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and know that our relationship with Him is eternal, we look death in the face with peace and confidence. The biggest lie materialism tells us is that this life is all that there is. It’s very easy for us to fall for that lie and to become sucked into the world’s way of thinking. The hope we have in Christ lasts for time and eternity, and Paul wants that knowledge to transform the way in which we live our daily lives. Question What impact does your eternal security have on your daily life? Prayer Lord Jesus, thank You for the gift of eternal life. I pray that the way in which I live today will reflect the fact that I have a totally secure future. Amen