In step

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Scripture Reading — 1 Thessalonians 3:6-10

Timothy has . . . brought good news about your faith and love.
1 Thessalonians 3:6

Paul was overjoyed! He had sent his disciple, Timothy, back to the city of Thessalonica to check on the church they had recently planted there. And Timothy had returned with amazing news!

First, the background: Paul had spent only a short time in Thessalonica, establishing a community of Christ-followers, before an angry mob opposed to the gospel chased him off. Paul knew the deep challenges that the new Christians faced there in his absence, living in a culture that was deeply opposed to Christianity. He wouldn’t have been surprised if everyone had gone back to their former ways of life in Judaism or Greek tradition.

But Timothy came back with a report that the new Christians in Thessalonica were standing firm despite the challenges. They remained full of faith in Jesus. They even longed to see Paul again!

That doesn’t happen by accident. The God who raised Jesus from the dead also brought these people to life in him, and he kept them there. You might say that every standing-firm, new Christian was an ongoing resurrection story, a new creation, proof that God was up to something big: the renewal of all creation.

If anyone is in Christ, as Paul says in 2 Corinthians, there is a new creation. The old has gone. The new has come!

Lord, all of us who are new creations in Christ are glad to have your resurrection power at work in us. Thank you! The old is going away and the new is coming. Help us to see and rejoice. Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

Scripture Reading — Romans 16:1-5

They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them.
Romans 16:4

What level of risk are you comfortable with? Are you willing to invest your money in something that could make a great profit but could also make a significant loss? Or would you rather keep your money safe in a bank?

Priscilla and Aquila were two ministry colleagues of Paul, and we can find parts of their story in Acts 18. These two new creations, people who were united to Christ in faith and becoming more like Jesus, did risky things in the name of protecting Paul and providing for him in order to share the good news of Jesus more widely. They were risk-tolerant when it came to spreading the gospel. They understood that risks taken in the name of Jesus are not necessarily risky in the long term. That’s because the future of all believers is secure in Christ.

Paul was grateful for these two new creations. The Gentile churches to whom Paul was able to minister, in part because of Priscilla and Aquila’s faith-filled risk tolerance, were also grateful.

I am grateful too. God made new creations out of these former unbelievers, and as new creations they have shown us what it means to hold everything but God loosely.

Thank you, dear Father, for re-creating Priscilla and Aquila through the Spirit of Jesus and calling them to work alongside Paul, taking risks for the sake of spreading the gospel. Turn our hearts in that direction as you re-create us too. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

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One of the verses most sorely and regularly taken out of context is Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God.” We (rightfully) understand that the Bible calls individual believers into supernatural peace and practical rest. But this tranquil, green-pasture, Christ-my-shepherd picture is not the scene of Psalm 46. Here’s the intense song with its surrounding lyrics:​

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“The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice, the earth melts.
The LORD of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Come, behold the works of the LORD,
how he has brought desolations on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the chariots with fire.
‘Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!’
The LORD of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.”
Psalm 46:6-11 (ESV)​

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The declaration “Be still!” interrupts a bloody conflict. Warring nations lay down their weapons in obedience to the Lord of Hosts, and He ushers in a total peace that makes His glory and utter sovereignty undeniable. The stillness that breaks into the psalm is all the more powerful given the chaotic setting of international war.​

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What a word of hope for our Middle East news cycle. One day a ceasefire starts, the next day it’s violated, the next day its expiration date changes, and so on (catch up here). But the Lord will one day still war’s raging roller coaster.

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Until that day, let’s come before our Great Peacemaker, asking that His will would be done on Earth as it is in Heaven:​

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God our Fortress,
You have shed a glimmer of hope as weapons fall, skies quiet,
and the weary and war-torn burst with joy onto ruined streets.
Do we dare hope for peace?
One war spiraling into another has worn down Your people,
pressing in on all sides and reducing life to rubble.
Sons and daughters have been shipped off and lost.
Children have been orphaned and gone hungry.
Homes have been leveled and treasures lost.
The thorns of conflict have grown up
and choked out all that is good and beautiful,
and we are weary of praying for peace.
As this fragile truce totters, we offer an urgent, simple prayer:
May it stand.
King Who Holds All Things Together,
Hold together this agreement.
Grow in the hearts of all parties a true desire for lasting peace.
Bring clarity where vague terms undermine consensus.
Multiply the work of peacemakers to grow and bear fruit
across the Middle East and around the world.
Bring justice and freedom for prisoners of war,
and resolve tension about leadership and resources.
Open twisted, blocked lines of communication,
and grow buy-in and confidence so that peace endures.
Revive the people this war has devastated.
Bringer of Enduring Shalom,
You alone have the power to still raging armies
and usher in final peace.
But the rest You are bringing does not depend upon our enemy
agreeing to Your list of demands.
Your will—peace and renewal for the whole world—will be done.
May it be so in our world and in my life.
Amen​

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