“I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?’ Then I said, ‘Here am I! Send me.’” Isaiah 6:8.

He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8.

(God) gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. James 4:6, 10.

Our chapter, Thessalonians 1, was the earliest of Paul’s epistles written between AD 49 and 54. I’m not sure why the epistles of Paul were not listed in order because it would have helped us make sense of how soon Paul saw the return of Jesus, the Son. In the notes it said this is one of the most personal of all Paul’s epistles with the central truth that is the future hope of the advent, or return, of Christ. Paul and Silvanus and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace. We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers; constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father, knowing, brethren beloved by God, His choice of you; for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God has gone forth, so that we have no need to say anything. For they themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.

Can we savor these words…steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father…brethren beloved by God…the joy of the Holy Spirit…a living and true God…Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come. Have we lost something in the thousands of years since Jesus was resurrected and returned to the Father? Because He is as close as we allow Him to be. I wrote yesterday about this worlds systems crumbling and falling and that may sound dire, but is it truly? Isn’t that the way of all the systems of this world? Kingdoms rise and fall. Shifting sand. What about in our own lives? Death of loved ones. Marriages ending. Sickness and disease. Loss of jobs and income. Uncertainty of how to go forward. There is one sure way to go forward in every circumstance and need. A simple prayer. Jesus help me. Give Him you. Trust Him and His love that does not fail. He is our strength and our hope in our circumstances whatever they are and however long they endure. As you look to Him note the warmth of His love and the peace of His presence bringing calm. He is stronger than you and me. His love is real. When you hear His quiet voice within speaking to your spirit, open your heart and let Him in. Here am I! As you hear voices in this world screaming with hate, and there is too much hate in our world, choose His voice to listen to as He speaks truth to your spirit. God is love…in Him is no darkness at all. Let Him show you the way with His love lighting the way forward out of the darkness of this worlds power of hate and confusion. The darkness is still all around us in this world but it cannot overcome the light of Creator God, Father, Son, Spirit. But our God is faithful and Him we can trust and follow. You, too, can know…brethren…beloved by God…His choice of you!