Daily Devotion by Ray Stedman

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR MARCH 10TH​

How To Pray​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: 1 THESSALONIANS 3:1-13

Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith. Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you. May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.
1 Thessalonians 3:10-13

Do you ever wonder what to pray for when you, your family or your friends are going through deep struggles and sorrow? Paul reminds us in Romans 8 that at times we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit helps us. That is God's promise to us. Here we have a good example of how the Spirit helped the apostle to pray for exactly what these people needed.
There are three things about prayer we may note: First, he prayed earnestly. He did not get down beside the bed at night and say, Bless my friends in Thessalonica. Paul thinks about what these people are going through, sets the problem before God, and reminds him of his promises. He takes time to think deeply on their needs.

Second, he prays frequently. Morning and evening, whatever he is doing, his lips are moving in prayer because his heart is concerned for them. Whenever he thinks of them, he prays.

Finally, he prays specifically. He wants to see them face to face, so he laid that request before the Lord. He also wants to supply what was lacking in their faith. They needed to know a great deal more about the Christian view of life. Next, he prayed to overcome Satanic hindrance. Are you finding it difficult to get to where you want to go? Pray that God will open a way for you, either physically or spiritually, to the goal you have in mind. Jesus said, Ask and it shall be given. Seek and you will find. Knock and it will be opened(Matthew 7:7). Paul knocked on this closed door, asking that he might get back to Thessalonica. Later accounts reveal that God answered that prayer.

He then prayed that their love might increase. I meet with pastors and they often talk about how to measure a successful church, but their measure of success is often that of numbers. In the New Testament, success is gauged by how much people love each other, forgive one another, listen to one another, support and pray for one another and reach out to those in need around them.

Finally, he prays that they might continue to live righteously until the Lord comes. Paul is praying that the rest of their lives might be marked by blameless living. That does not mean sinless. Blameless means they were dealing with what was wrong, not covering it up or pretending it was not there. They dealt with it in their own hearts with the spiritual resources that God provides, and were thus enabled to turn from evil and walk closer and closer with God.

Father, I am grateful for the access you give me into your presence, and the encouragement you give to pray. Teach me to pray.

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Life Application​

How can Paul's prayer aid you in praying for your own family, friends and church? Use it as a guide in your intercessory prayer this week.

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR MARCH 11TH​

How To Please God​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: 1 THESSALONIANS 4:1-2

As for other matters, brothers and sisters, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more.
1 Thessalonians 4:1

The apostle must have actually held classes in Thessalonica. Evidently he systematically taught them on many subjects. We may think of the ancients as very different from us, but they really were not. These people who lived in this bustling seaport city of Thessalonica felt the same kind of pressures and drives that we do. In all the realism and wisdom of the Scriptures, the apostle taught them how to handle life in all kinds of areas.

The most important thing is that they learned from him how they ought to live in order to please God. That is the number one subject in the curriculum of the Holy Spirit. The Christian's business is to live to please God. The idea here is that we owe it to God to please him! Why? Because Jesus has done a great thing for us. He died for us, that we might live no longer for ourselves but for him who died for us. The great truth we must learn is that we no longer belong to ourselves. We must no longer let our own desires take first priority in life. Jesus died on our behalf, in our place. We deserved that death, but he took the penalty himself. Now we belong to him.

He has invaded our being by the Holy Spirit, and the purpose of our lives has been transformed. We are to live no longer for ourselves but for him who died for us and was raised again from the dead. That is the first priority in the Christian life. Every appeal to the Christian in the New Testament is made on that basis, and that is why Paul puts it first here. As someone has said, the main thing is to see that the main thing remains the main thing. We ought to remind ourselves every day that our business is not to do what we want done but to please the Lord who has redeemed us at such fearful cost.

Further, Paul exhorts them that, just as they have been doing this, they ought to do so more and more. The Christian life is one of growth. There is progress to be made. A wider realm of application ought to be visible in our lives. All of us have had some aspect of our lives that we were disturbed about when we came to Christ. It may have been a deep sense of inferiority, or of shame or anger for our inability to be what we ought to be. We came to Christ because we needed help. Not only was that area surrendered to him, but every aspect of our life is to be his to control.

The apostle reminds the Thessalonians of the clear instructions he gave on how to live to please God. Notice these are given in the Lord Jesus. This is not just Paul's advice as a religious leader. These are the words and desires of our Lord Jesus himself.

Lord, teach me how to live and please God in the power of the Holy Spirit, for you have given your life for me.

​

Life Application​

What are some ways that you know you can please God? What are some things in your life right now that you know do not please God?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR MARCH 12TH​

The Beauty of Holiness​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: 1 THESSALONIANS 4:3-6

It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God.
1 Thessalonians 4:3-5

A lot of people have very confused ideas about what constitutes sanctification. Some think it is a kind of religious sheep dip, an experience of cleansing and commitment entered into once for all. Once they have been dipped, everything is fine. Others think sanctification is an extraction process. God uses a kind of magnet to extract all the sin, and from then on they can live to please him. Some people actually think they have not sinned for years. Obviously, nobody has told them the truth yet. Deeper investigation would reveal how wrong they are.

Actually, the word sanctification is almost the same as the word translated holiness. It comes from the same root. When I was younger, most people thought of holiness as grimness. I did not like holy people. They looked like they had been soaked in embalming fluid, grim and dull; they frowned on anything fun or pleasurable. But that is not holiness. I like the good English word wholeness, which also derives from the same root. Everybody wants to be a whole person. The Old Testament speaks about the beauty of holiness, the inner attractiveness apparent when someone begins to function inwardly as he or she was intended.

The second thing Paul says about such wholeness is that it includes moral purity. You cannot be a whole person if you indulge in sexual immorality. Let me put it plainly: Immorality means no sexual wrongdoing. No pre-marital sex or extra-marital sex; no homosexual sex; no pornography. These things destroy the wholeness that both you and God want. There is nothing more beautiful than a young person who has his or her life in order. At times I have been saddened to watch beautiful young men and women, raised in godly homes, who reflect moral beauty in their lives, but they begin to let their standards go when they get out into the world. Watch them a year or two later and you will see the hardness in their faces. Things have begun to drift. There is a downward slant to life. They are beginning to lose the beauty of wholeness that God has in mind.

In this day in which we live, many think that it is too late; they already have messed up their lives. But the glory of the gospel is that the word is not that we must never do this; rather the word is, Do it no longer. That is what you find all through these passages. Let us live no longer for ourselves but for Him who loved us and gave himself for us (Romans 8:37). All of us have messed up our lives in one way or another; we have destroyed the wholeness. But the glory of the good news is that in coming to Jesus, through his work on the cross on our behalf, he can actually give us a new start. All the past is wiped out and forgiven. We are restored. If we acknowledge that we have done wrong and accept God's forgiveness through Christ, we are a chaste virgin again in Christ. What glorious good news that is!

Lord, I desire to be holy, not in a grim sort of way, but in a way that reflects the beauty of your own character.

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Life Application​

How would you define holiness? Is this something attractive to you?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR MARCH 13TH​

Body Control​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: 1 THESSALONIANS 4:4-8

…that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God. … The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.
1 Thessalonians 4:4-7

Learning how to handle our bodies properly is not easy. God gave our bodies to us. Included in the gift of our bodies is a remarkable capacity to churn out hormones that pour into the bloodstream and have a profound effect upon the way our bodies function. At puberty, new hormones appear and we experience sexual changes, together with very powerful drives that urge us, and almost seem to compel us, to certain sexual activities. Society tells us those urges are natural and ought to be satisfied whenever opportunity affords. They argue that the sexual appetite should be satisfied just like the urge to hunger, thirst, or sleep.

They are right that sex is a natural function, but what they are not saying, and what the Scriptures reveal, is that all natural functions need degrees of control. When a flooding river is controlled by banks, its intensity is increased. That is why marriage constitutes a kind of channeled control for sex. There is ample provision made for the stream, but the limits increase the intensity and enjoyment. That is what God has in mind as part of the process of producing a whole person.

So Paul says that we are to learn how to control our bodies in holiness — wholeness — and honor. Control contributes to this. You are in charge of your own body. You are not bound to it or a slave to it. In order to learn control, you must avoid the slavery of lust. Paul taught these believers not to give in to that city's sexual pressures. They should learn how to handle their bodies rightly and thus reflect the beauty and glory of a life that is whole.

They should also learn to respect the rights of others. What does it mean to not wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister? Let me put it plainly: It means no adultery; no prostitution; no pornography. All such behavior wrongs others. It steals the property of others and destroys their rights. The tenth commandment says, Thou shalt not covet your neighbor's wife nor his ox nor his *** nor anything that is his (Exodus 20:17). That is what some of the Thessalonians were doing. Their conduct destroyed the wholeness of their own lives, and it also hurt and impacted others.

Pastors hear many stories of families being ruined by adultery. There is enormous heartache that goes along with this behavior. God so loves us and so longs to see beautiful, whole people that he will take drastic action when we violate his will. Silently, invisibly, his judgment falls. Believer and unbeliever alike cannot escape the painful results of sinful choices. If we choose to sin, there will be evil results. We cannot avoid it. We can be forgiven, but that does not change the results. Forgiveness restores the broken relationship and gives us strength to walk on in freedom in the future, but it does not change or eliminate the hurt of the past.

Father, thank you for your grace and mercy in this area of my life. Strengthen me to control my own body in a way that honors you.

Life Application​

To what degree have you learned to control your own body? How can you take steps to gain control?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR MARCH 14TH​

Keep Loving and Keep Working​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: 1 THESSALONIANS 4:9-18

Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. … Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more, and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, … so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.
1 Thessalonians 4:9-12

Keep loving and keep working is Paul's excellent advice. First, keep loving! Keep your attitude toward others warm and gracious. Watch how you speak. If you offend, correct it. I once said an ungracious word to a man who was trying to help me with my microphone. I had to go to him afterward and confess that. We must keep loving and forgiving one another, and refrain from being bitter, resentful, sarcastic or critical toward another.

God, through his Holy Spirit, teaches us how to love one another. God's love has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit which has been given to us (Romans 5:5 RSV). If we welcome that love of the Spirit, we can manifest love to each other. If we choose to be bitter, then that love will not be manifested. But if we reject the caustic word, the sharp attitude, then we can show kindness, mercy, and grace to one another. By means of the Spirit, believers have a new capacity to love that the world does not possess.

This does not mean we will immediately feel loving. Christians feel the same way non-Christians do. But the good news is that though we may feel this way momentarily, we can reject that feeling. We do not have to regard others as rivals or enemies, but as victims in need of sympathy and help. Then, by drawing upon the grace that God has given us, we can begin to act lovingly. The apostle tells them to love each other more and more. They should apply it in increasingly wider areas, reaching out to one another.

Secondly, they should stay busy with profitable labor. Some believers had stopped working because they thought the coming of the Lord was at hand. Thus they became a burden to others. As weeks went by and the Lord did not come, they ran out of food. They would have starved if Christian friends had not come to their aid. They became a burden to the rest of the church.

Paul will deal with that more sharply in the second letter, but here he is saying that true faith in Christ does not produce fanaticism. It does not encourage people to abandon everything, dress in white robes and go out on a hilltop, waiting for Jesus to come. One of the last words of our Lord to his disciples was, Occupy till I come (Luke 19:13). Even he did not know what day that would be. These Christians were making fools of themselves by stressing the immediacy of the coming of the Lord to such a degree that they stopped working. Their extreme action turned many against Christ. The apostle corrects that kind of thinking in these words: Keep busy, providing your own needs, so you do not become a burden to others and win the respect of the outside world.

Lord, Jesus, teach me to love like you loved, and teach me to work like you worked.

Life Application​

Are you complicating life too much, avoiding the simplicity of both love and work?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR MARCH 15TH​

The Times and Dates​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: 1 THESSALONIANS 5:1-5

Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, Peace and safety, destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
1 Thessalonians 5:1-3

The phrase the times and the dates indicates that the apostle is discussing the time of the Lord's return. All of us seem to want to know the date, but Paul had taught the Thessalonians that they would not know that date precisely. He says he does not need to write to them about this. That is because they had been reading in the Old Testament about the day of the Lord and the description and characteristics of that day were familiar to them.

This is the first mention in the letter of the phrase the day of the Lord. This is very important to understand, that it is not a single 24-hour day. Rather it is an extended length of time, covering a number of events and perhaps even extending into the millennium, the thousand-year reign of Christ that follows.

Although we cannot name the precise date when the Lord will appear and begin the day of the Lord, there are three characteristics of that day that we can look for and understand. The first characteristic is that it will come stealthily, like a thief in the night. A family once told me that while they were sleeping upstairs in their home one night, someone entered their home and stole several items of value. A thief enters silently and unobtrusively and does his work. That is the way the Lord will come. He will come stealthily, at a time when peace and safety seem to prevail, when nothing out of the ordinary is expected.

The Day of Lord's second characteristic is that it is a terrible, destructive judgment. Sudden destruction will come, says Paul. The Old Testament gives many warnings of this, as the Thessalonians had come to understand when they read descriptions of the day of the Lord. And, as a third characteristic, it is inescapable: They shall not escape. The apostle likens it to a woman in travail, one whose time for giving birth has come.

When our first daughter was born, we were living in a trailer on the campus of Dallas Seminary. At 2 o'clock one morning my wife indicated that it was time for her to give birth. I put her in our old clunker of a car, which promptly refused to start. We had to enlist the aid of the garbage collectors who were doing their rounds to push the car and get it started. A car that has to be pushed to start always heaves and jerks before the engine finally begins to run, so that by the time we arrived at the hospital, the baby was well on its way! When a woman is in travail, she cannot change her mind. That is what the apostle is highlighting. The world cannot escape the terrible judgments of God. This is a most sobering thought. The only way we can handle it is to find the means of escape provided in Jesus Christ.

Thank you, Father, that I can rest in the fact that you know the times and dates, and you have provided a way of escape through the Lord Jesus.

​

Life Application​

Are you staying alert and prepared amidst the everyday affairs of life, looking for the Lord's return?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR MARCH 16TH​

Awake and Sober​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: 1 THESSALONIANS 5:6-11

So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober… Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
1 Thessalonians 5:6-8a,11

Here is some down-to-earth advice on how to live today: First, do not go to sleep. What Paul means is, do not fall into fantasies like, the purpose of living is to try to gain wealth or fame. The purpose of life is to use your abilities and your time to fulfill the will of God; to find adventure, excitement and drama in that instead of wasting time in self-indulgence. Do not go to sleep. Do not lose sight of reality. This is the hour when God is about to move on earth again. We ought to understand that and live in the light of that truth.

Second, be sober. Paul is not saying we must be grim and humorless, that we must never enjoy any recreation. He is urging that we take life seriously. Do not spend your time amusing yourself constantly. As the apostle puts it to the Ephesians, Buy up the opportunity because the days are evil (Ephesians 5:16 RSV). Take advantage of the contacts you have with people to help them, to reach out to them. Love, support, encourage and minister to one another.

Our staff boarded a plane in Chicago for the final leg of our return trip from Israel. It was late at night, and there was no dinner to be served, so the flight attendants had a lot of time on their hands. Several of our pastors gathered with them in the back of the plane and began to talk with them about the Lord. They were eager to hear and had never heard anything like this before. One of them received the Lord and said she would be at church in the next few days; another received a Bible. These young women were spiritually hungry and ready to listen. The pastors were tired; they had been flying for thirteen hours and had missed a lot of sleep, but they were so caught up with the excitement of sharing with these flight attendants, they never slept a wink. They felt fulfilled; they were experiencing tremendous enjoyment of life.

And finally, encourage one another, and build each other up. It is so easy to lose sight of God's perspective. In a world that shoves God off to the side and is forever caught up in the things of the moment, it is easy to lose perspective, to think that life ought to be beautiful and wonderful. It is so easy to slip into the attitude of the world that protests in the face of trial, Why me? What have I done to deserve this? That is why we need to encourage one another and help one another to understand that no job is insignificant when done as unto the Lord (Romans 14:8). No task is meaningless when it involves reaching out in help to someone else. God is not forgetful of our labors of love, the apostle tells us. Scripture says, Do not to grow weary in well doing, for in due season you will reap if you faint not (Galatians 6:9).

Father, open my eyes to the opportunities around me today, that I might encourage someone and build them up in you.

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Life Application​

Think of one person you can encourage and build up today. Make a plan and carry it out.

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR MARCH 17TH​

Those Who Labor Among You​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: 1 THESSALONIANS 5:12-13

Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.
1 Thessalonians 5:12-13

Paul intended that this word should govern the behavior of believers in the congregation. There are three things that church members must do regarding their leaders: First, they are to acknowledge them. The word really is, know them. Recognize them. Be aware of them. Do not take them for granted. I know churches where pastors are treated as hired servants, there to respond to the whims of the church board or the congregation's vote. They are treated with little or no respect and at times severely mistreated. Paul is saying, Get to know your leaders. Understand that they are people and do not ignore them.

Second, Hold them in the highest regard in love. Value them. Understand that though they may have personal idiosyncrasies that are hard to handle on occasion (we all have those), recognize that their work is important and they should be highly esteemed for that reason. To hold them in high regard is not only to regard leaders as valuable, but also to express this in a practical manner. This is why Paul wrote to Timothy, If an elder rules well [actually leads well], he is worthy of double honor(1 Timothy 5:17). The apostle meant that the leader should be paid twice as much salary!

Third, says the apostle, Live in peace with each other. In context, this is related to his instructions on how to treat church leaders. It suggests a deliberate refusal to create factions over individual church leaders. Do not group around one person at the expense of others in leadership. Do not play favorites and attack others. In 1 Timothy, Paul admonishes that no one may bring an accusation against an elder except on the word of two or three witnesses. There has to be a careful, considered approach to the problem.

The reason is that leaders have been appointed by the Lord, regardless of the human process by which they were chosen. This does not mean that in the course of events they will not go someplace else. It means that when they are in leadership, they are to be regarded as the Lord's men and women. He has sent them among us. Not only that, they admonish you. The word is literally, to put in mind. They instruct and inspire you, reminding you of truth that is easily forgotten in these days. The only voice speaking powerfully against the spirit of the age, the self-centered, self-sufficient, restless spirit of this generation, is the voice of the church. We need to be reminded continually of the danger in that kind of philosophy. This is done by the leadership who instruct, warn, and point out folly. They help us to keep our feet on the right path. Lastly, says Paul, they work hard among you. They spend hours toiling in difficult and sometimes demeaning work. Contrary to what some people think, it is not true that pastors work only one day a week! The ministry is a very demanding job.

Thank you, Jesus, for the your Body, the church, and thank you for the leaders you have placed in my life to teach and admonish me. I ask that you would bless, protect and provide for them.

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Life Application​

How can you "acknowledge" a leader in your life this week? Take some time to do that.

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR MARCH 18TH​

How to Help​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: 1 THESSALONIANS 5:14-15

And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.
1 Thessalonians 5:14-15

These instructions are not addressed merely to leaders. Every believer is to live like this. Paul instructs us in how behave toward three types of people: the idlers, the disheartened, and the weak.

Warn those who are idle, he says. The word is literally, the disorderly, those out of step with the rest of the crowd. He's referring to those people who had quit working because they expected the Lord to come at any moment. These people were living off the gifts of others, and were not willing to work and support themselves. Warn them, says the apostle. Tell them to mend their ways. Do not let them go on like that. He does not mean to do this in a mean-spirited way, but to point out to them that this kind of behavior is unacceptable.

Then second, encourage the disheartened. Literally, encourage the small-souled person, one who feels inadequate and ungifted. Help them find their place. This is addressed to everybody. People who feel out of it, who think they do not belong and cannot contribute anything, must be helped to find their place because they do have a place. In the wonderful picture of the body at work in 1 Corinthians 12, the apostle says, The ear cannot say, Because I am not an eye I am not part of the body.No, says Paul, even if it says that, it does not make it any less a part of the body (1 Corinthians 12:16). There are people who feel that way. They think, I cannot do anything. I do not have any gifts. That is wrong thinking. God has equipped all his people with gifts. We are to help each other find our place, give them something to do, and encourage them in the work that they are doing.

Finally, he says, Help the weak. This means especially those whom Romans 14 described as being weak in the faith (Romans 14:1 KJV); those who do not know much about the Christian life, who have not learned the truth that sets them free and need extra help. Perhaps they are not sure of their salvation, or they feel guilty about the past and do not sense they have really been forgiven yet by God. Whatever it may be, the word is to help them, to hold them fast. That demands a little extra effort; a phone call perhaps, an invitation to lunch, or a quiet talk about their needs. This is addressed to us all. We are all to watch out for one another like this.

Three attitudes are required for this: First, Be patient with everyone; second, make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong; and third, always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else. Patience is willingness to keep trying over and over again. Non-retaliation means that you do not strike back and try to get even with someone who may have hurt you in the process of helping him or her. Helpfulness is a continual attempt to better a situation, to be part of the solution and not part of the problem.

Father, guide me and grant me wisdom in how I respond to the people you have placed in my life.

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Life Application​

Can you identify people in your life who match the descriptions of the three categories? How can you respond appropriately?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR MARCH 19TH​

How to Behave Toward God​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: 1 THESSALONIANS 5:16-18

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

In the last section of this letter, we find instructions on how to behave toward God. What is your attitude to be toward God? First, we are to Rejoice always. This can be translated, Be cheerful. Do not let things get you down. Society is filled with despair. The pressures we live under today can do this. But a Christian has an inner resource. Therefore, we can obey the word of James, Count it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials and temptations (James 1:2). Do not take it as an attack on you. Do not moan and groan and say, What have I done to deserve this sort of thing? But rejoice, because trials make you grow up, make you face yourself and learn things about yourself that you did not know. That is what James goes on to say, That you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing, (James 1:4b RSV).

Second, Paul says, Pray continually. That is the method of drawing on the inner strength that God provides. My wife and I had dinner with a young pastor of a struggling church. He told us that one of the things that made life difficult for him, was that all the literature he read on how to be a successful pastor said that he must have a support group of people to help him. I do not want to say anything against support groups. God has put us in a body, and we can profit from a small group. But this man made the mistake of thinking that success was impossible without the support of a group. Since he was unable to find anyone who could help and pray with him, he was discouraged. We told him that a support group isn't a necessity. God often removes the props from our lives in order to teach us that he himself is all we need. Have you been there yet? As you pour out your heart in desperate prayer, you discover that he has quiet ways of answering that teach you he is El Shaddai, the God who is enough. When you discover that, then you have something to contribute to a support group that will be a help to others. That is why Paul says, Pray continually.

Then third, be thankful. Why be thankful? Because when you are faced with a trial, you are being given an opportunity to glorify God. If you never face trials or pressures, how could anyone ever see that you have a reliable source of strength that others do not know anything about? So, be thankful. Notice how the apostle underlines this: for this is God's will for you. The will of God is not to make some dramatic display of power that is going to attract attention. It is the quiet response you make to the daily trials in which you find yourself.

Teach me, Lord, to respond to every challenging situation I face with joy, prayer and gratitude.

​

Life Application​

What is keeping you from rejoicing in every circumstance, praying continually, and always being thankful?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR MARCH 20TH​

Approved Money Changers​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: 1 THESSALONIANS 5:19-22

Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil.
1 Thessalonians 5:19-22

Two simple things are here: Do not ignore the Spirit's prompting; and do not despise the Scripture's wisdom. The Spirit's promptings always come in two areas: Stop doing what is wrong, and start doing what is right. If you are a Christian at all, you are familiar with the inner feeling that says, God wants you to do something, or God wants you to stop doing something. We all have felt this inner guidance. What the apostle is saying is, Give in to those feelings. When the Spirit prompts you to show love to somebody, do it; do not hold back.

I once heard of a man who said, Sometimes when I think of how my wife works and blesses me, it's all I can do to keep from telling her that I love her! There is a man being guided by the Spirit, but he is quenching the Spirit. Do not do that. Go ahead and tell her you love her. You may have to pick her off the floor afterward, but do not quench the Spirit!

Then second, do not ignore the Scripture's wisdom: Do not despise prophesying. Unfortunately, we tend to think of prophesying as some special power to predict the future, either for ourselves individually or for the world at large. But prophesying was not that. Dr. F. F. Bruce, who was a great expositor, said prophesying is declaring the mind of God in the power of the Spirit. In those early days, before the New Testament was written, this was done orally; prophets spoke the mind of the Spirit in an assembly. But since the writing of the Scriptures, we have very little need for any kind of prophesying other than that based upon the Scriptures. So prophesying really becomes what we call today expository preaching. It is opening the mind of God from the Word of God. Do not despise that. That is the wisdom of God. That is God telling you how to act, how to think, and how to order your life. Do not treat it lightly. It will save you countless headaches and heartaches if you observe it.

But, the apostle adds, Test them all. Anyone can stand up and say in a deep tone of voice, This is the word of the Lord. We must learn to test what is said from what has already been revealed. Paul commended the Bereans for this, saying that they were more noble than those in Thessalonica because they received the word with all readiness of heart and searched the Scriptures daily whether these things were so (Acts 17:11). Test it, is what Paul is saying. There was a saying attributed to Jesus that was often quoted by early Christian writers, in which Jesus urged us to become approved money changers. The money changers in the temple were occupied in changing various currencies and were constantly looking out for counterfeit coins. That is what Paul tells us to do about prophesying. People on every side are telling us what God wants us to do, but there is much that is counterfeit in that today. Become approved money changers. Test what is said.

Thank you, Jesus, for sending your Spirit to dwell within me. Help me to listen to him as he prompts me within, and help me to let him speak to me in your word as well.

​

Life Application​

Are you more prone to ignore the Spirit's promptings or his wisdom?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR MARCH 21ST​

Relief​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: 2 THESSALONIANS 1:1-7

All this is evidence that God's judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well.
2 Thessalonians 1:5-7a

Paul has already referred to their patient endurance in persecutions. We do not know exactly how they suffered. Some had been arrested, thrown in jail and beaten. They were undergoing the same trials as Christians today who live under oppressive regimes. But whatever form this persecution took, their endurance during trials was evidence that God was at work among them! You cannot endure unless you are being strengthened by the Spirit of God. People under pressure give up very easily unless something is strengthening them. But the Thessalonians were enduring, and that was evidence of God's working among them.

Paul points out two things about their suffering: First, God was using it to prepare them for the kingdom reign they would shortly share with him. He was making them worthy of the kingdom of God. Actually this should be rendered, revealing that you are worthy. God is revealing by their endurance that they are worthy of the kingdom of God. The fact that they could stand up under pressure was evidence of this.

Second, God was using their suffering to reveal the world's condemnation. He's going to pay back trouble to those who trouble you.

Hebrews 11 is the record of the great heroes of our faith. It says: Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated — the world was not worthy of them (Hebrews 11:36-38a).

God's standard of value is quite different from society's. You may not be anyone in the eyes of the world, but if you are standing steadfast in your Christian faith during trials, you are someone in the eyes of God, and at the revealing of Jesus that will become evident to all. Thus, Paul assures us that God will afflict the ones who afflict God's people and bring rest to his own. I like the word relief. What do you do when you have a headache? You take a pain reliever and you get relief. When Jesus comes, there will be relief.

Once we visited the memorial in Jerusalem erected to recall the Holocaust. There, the terrible tortures — the concentration camps, the gas chambers — are remembered. The whole record is a testimony that none of it will ever be forgotten. But even more touching is the new memorial erected to the children of the Holocaust. The hall is almost totally dark, lighted only by a few candles, but there are hundreds of mirrors so that the impression is of thousands of candles burning. There in the gloom I felt as though I was standing at the judgment of God! Hidden voices endlessly call out the names of children who were tortured and murdered by the Nazis. It is Israel's way of saying that these children will never be forgotten. God is telling us the same thing here. He will bring affliction to those who afflict, and rest and relief to those afflicted.

Father, teach me to trust you in the midst of my own suffering. Thank you that you are preparing me for the kingdom reign I will one day share with you.

​

Life Application​

How have you seen God mold and shape you or someone else though suffering?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR MARCH 22ND​

The Reckoning​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: 2 THESSALONIANS 1:8-12

He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed.
2 Thessalonians 1:8-10a

Paul begins by describing those who have heard the gospel but rejected it, thereby turning their backs on the offer of grace. Millions all over the earth have heard that if they surrender their lives to Jesus, they will be redeemed, but they have not done it. They have turned their backs and walked away time and time again. That is what Paul is describing. Some claim these verses mean that when people die their existence also ends; they go out like the light of a candle and are no more. But Scripture never describes it in those terms; rather, it speaks here of eternal destruction. The word is ruin, the loss of everything that makes life worthwhile.

What terrible thing must one do to merit such an end? Turning one's back on God's offer of grace, is the answer of Scripture. God does not want anyone to perish, and he has gone through terrible agony to keep it from happening. But no matter how much you dislike passages like this, it is justice that is being carried out, not cruelty. It is his righteous reaction to cosmic treason on man's part. Turning your back on Jesus means self-chosen treason against the King of the universe. It is what those involved have wanted: freedom from God. Everything in their life has said, I don't want God messing up my plans and telling me what to do. Man says to God, Thy will be done, or else there comes a time when God says to man, Thy will be done. What you want is what you get!

But Paul also speaks of the day when he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. God will not glorify us because we have lived a good, decent life. Rather, our glorification is based upon our belief that Another did something for us. He died in our place, and God has honored his death to such a degree that he offers to accept us, with our terrible record of failure and defeat, and offers us an eternity of delight and glory with him.

Paul describes the glory of Jesus that will be seen in his holy people, and how they will cause people to marvel at what God has done in human lives. It is not Jesus himself and his glory that is described, but the saints reflecting the glory of Jesus. That causes the whole universe to marvel. 1 John says, It does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is (1 John 3:2). In Romans, Paul calls this the day of the manifestation of the sons of God (Romans 8:19 KJV). When the curtain is lifted on what God has been doing with his people all these years, how he has been changing them, all will see what God has been accomplishing.

Father, thank you for your great love and offer of forgiveness to all. Use me to share that with others in my life who don't know you.

​

Life Application​

Are you praying for someone to come to know Jesus? Pray for an opportunity to share the love of Christ with them this week.

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR MARCH 23RD​

The Man Who Claims to be God​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: 2 THESSALONIANS 2:1-4

Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us … asserting that the day of the Lord has already come. Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.
2 Thessalonians 2:1-4

When I was a young Christian, I read a popular Christian book entitled, In The Twinkling Of An Eye. It was about a family of church members, some of whom returned home one day to find the table set and everything ready for dinner, but no one was there. Upon investigation they discovered that the rest of the family and some of their friends had disappeared. Then it dawned on them that the rapture had occurred, the true church had disappeared, and they were left behind. They knew enough about the Bible to know that they were headed for a terrible time of trouble.

That is why the Thessalonians were so disturbed. They thought the rapture had occurred, they had somehow missed it, and now the Day of the Lord had arrived. Something had started them thinking that the terrible Day of the Lord had already begun and they were already going through it. In the first letter, Paul had described that day as one of sudden destruction, with no escape possible. The Thessalonians were going through a time of great persecution under Roman rule. Perhaps someone in their assembly had uttered a prophecy stating that the Day of the Lord had come, and the result was that they were quite disturbed.

Paul is saying here that the unmistakable sign that the Day of the Lord has begun in that the Man of lawlessness has been revealed, and the great worldwide apostasy that he will lead has started. The person presented here is the long expected antichrist, the false Messiah. Paul describes him as one who will oppose and exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.

That is exactly what Jesus said in Matthew 24, which deals with the great series of events that must occur before the time of the end. Our Lord says, So when you see standing in the holy place the abomination that causes desolation, spoken of through the prophet Daniel — let the reader understand — then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now — and never to be equaled again (Matthew 24:15-21). According to the apostle, the Day of the Lord cannot come until the Man of lawlessness is revealed.

Lord, help me to be alert and ready for your arrival. Thank you that you are in control of history and I can trust in you.

​

Life Application​

What signs do you see in our world today that the Day of the Lord might be near?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR MARCH 24TH​

The Restraining One​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: 2 THESSALONIANS 2:5-12

And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.
2 Thessalonians 2:6-8

The Man of lawlessness cannot be revealed until some restraining power is taken out of the way. What is that restraining power? Paul says, You know what it is. There is no need to tell them; they already know! How did they know? Paul had probably told them when he was with them. But even if he had not, I feel they would have known.

Every true Christian knows what it is that restrains evil. Even today, I could ask any young Christian the question, Since Christ has come into your life, have you found anything that restrains evil in you? From long experience I know that the answer would be, Oh, yes, everything is different. I no longer have the same desires now that the Lord has come into my life. This answer conveys that the Holy Spirit has come in; God himself dwells within him.

In the letter to the Galatians, Paul teaches us that the desires of our flesh are opposed to the desires of the Spirit, and the Spirit's desires are opposed by the flesh, in order to prevent you from doing what you would (Galatians 5:17b RSV). There is a mighty power at work that restrains evil in believers, and, through believers, it is at work restraining evil in the world. That is why Jesus said, You are the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13a). Believers are the salt that preserves this world from decay and corruption by means of the Holy Spirit. That is why many of the commentators agree that this refers to the Holy Spirit in the church.

Paul goes on to say there is a mystery of evil at work in our world. He calls it the mystery of lawlessness which is already at work. It is the strange secret of universal evil. Even secular prophets are puzzled by it. What is it about our race that makes it so difficult to correct the conditions that destroy it? Why is drug trafficking so impossible to stop when it is clearly evident what terrible things it does to people? Why do alcoholics return again and again to their habit when they see it destroying their homes and families? It is a mystery. Why is it that as centuries go by, we have made zero progress in curing human wickedness? We are still wrestling with the problem just as people wrestled with it five thousand years before Christ. We do not make any progress in this area.

For years I have been trying to get across to Christians what tremendous power they could exercise in the world today, if only they knew who they were. And likewise, what tremendous evil they permit in the world when they refuse to live as God wants them to live. When the church through whom the Spirit works to restrain sin is removed, then begins the work of the Lawless One.

Father, thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit, and how he alone restrains evil in my life and in the world as your people abide in you.

​

Life Application​

Do you understand the power and presence of the Holy Spirit within you?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR MARCH 25TH​

Thumbnail Theology​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: 2 THESSALONIANS 2:13-14

But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Thessalonians 2:13-14

I doubt Paul was ever worried about whether or not he had an academic degree, but I would endow him with the MTT degree, which stands for Master of Thumbnail Theology! He excels at stating truth in highly condensed forms. In these verses are found several aspects of truth that these Thessalonians needed to steady them in perilous times.

First, standing firm in a troubled world begins with the love of God for mankind. He calls us, loved by the Lord. We often resist believing this, despite the fact that the Bible says much about God's love for us. Although we hide from others the mess we have made of our lives, we know we have not even measured up to our own hopes and dreams, let alone God's. Thus we have a hard time believing that God could love us. But Scripture everywhere begins on that basis. How amazing to know that God loves us even though he knows everything about us!

Because God loves us, says Paul, he chose us. He began to call us individually, drawing us to himself. No one knows why God chooses one and not another. This is a mystery that exercises theological minds. If you struggle with this, do not feel bad because many do. However, Jesus put it plainly when he said, No one can come to me except my Father draw him! (John 6:44). These words clearly express the fact of God's call.

The purpose of God's call is that we might be saved. Salvation is his objective. That word includes conversion, regeneration, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. But fundamentally salvation means that our relationship to God has been altered. He no longer looks upon us as aliens and strangers, but rather as dear children through faith in his Son.

And the process is through the sanctifying work of the Spirit. Theologians debate whether this should be translated with a capital S, referring to the Holy Spirit, or a small s, referring to the human spirit. It does not make any difference, for when you come to Christ your human spirit is invaded by the Holy Spirit. This is what the Bible calls regeneration, being born again. What a change that makes in us!

The step that brings us to this is to be called through the gospel. This refers to the teaching and proclamation of the good news. Somewhere along the line we must hear what God offers to do. You hear what God promises to do for Christ's sake, and you believe what you hear. Thus you are changed by the Spirit.

God's goal is that you may share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. What a promise! That we should share the triumph of the cross with Jesus himself! What a staggering promise of Scripture! One day God will unveil before the universe what he has been doing in bringing together a people who will share his glory.

Thank you, Father, that through your great love you have chosen me for salvation, given me new life through your Spirit, and destined me for glory.

​

Life Application​

Look at each point in this "thumbnail theology," and chose one to meditate on and thank God for.

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR MARCH 26TH​

Stand Firm and Hold Fast​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: 2 THESSALONIANS 2:15-17

So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.
2 Thessalonians 2:15

More than anything, our generation of Christians needs to hear these words again. Paul is saying that we already have what it takes to do so. We need to draw upon the resources he has made available; to choose to live accordingly. Take God at his word! There is no reason to quit, or to give in to evil. When I hear Christians say, I couldn't help myself, I know they are deceiving themselves. Christians can help themselves; that's why God gave them the Holy Spirit.

I once heard of an Navajo Indian in Arizona on whose land oil was discovered. He became a very wealthy man, but wealth did not change him. He went on living just as he was before. The money piled up in the bank, but every now and then the old man would visit the bank and say to the banker, Crops all dried up; sheep all dead; cattle all stolen. The banker knew exactly what to do. He would take the old man into the vault, sit him at a table and place several bags of silver dollars in front of him for him to count. After a while the man would come out and say, Crops fine; sheep all alive; cattle all back. Why the change? He had simply reviewed his resources and reminded himself of what he had to fall back on.

That is how we stand firm when the pressure comes. When we feel like complaining, let us remember who God has made us to be, and what he has promised us for times of stress.

Second, hold fast! Hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter. Paul is speaking of apostolic truth. Our New Testament comes to us from the apostles who heard the Lord Jesus, having been taught directly by him while he was still on earth. Teachings can also be translated traditions, but they are not the traditions of men. These are revelations of reality from the mind of God, who sees things absolutely the way they are; truths that were verbally imparted to people of the first century by the apostles, and which have come down to us by means of letters from their hands.

When we read and study the Word, we are maintaining the apostolic traditions delivered to men and women. It is impossible to stand firm unless we also hold fast the traditions. A church that begins to forsake apostolic truth soon falls into error and weakness. Churches today are filled with biblical illiterates. Not only do Christians think that an epistle is the wife of an apostle, and that Sodom and Gomorrah were lovers, but they do not even understand the doctrine of justification by faith, or the difference between the spirit and the flesh, or what the New Covenant means. Because they do not know these things, they are living continually under the domain of the evil one and doing his will, even though they are believers in Christ. Nothing takes the place of the Scriptures. Do not look into the Scriptures to find rules for how to live, but look into them to find Christ, our Refuge and Resource at all times.

Father, teach me to draw upon the wonderful resources you have put at my disposal through Christ.

​

Life Application​

In what areas of your life do you need to strand firm, and in what areas do you need to hold fast?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR MARCH 27TH​

Prayer and Protection​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: 2 THESSALONIANS 3:1-5

As for other matters, brothers and sisters, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you. And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil people, for not everyone has faith. But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.
2 Thessalonians 3:1-3

Writing from the wicked city of Corinth, Paul is asking that the same thing happen there as had occurred in Thessalonica. God had blessed the apostle's work there. In three short weeks of preaching in the synagogue, God had established a living, vibrant church, calling people out of the darkness and ritual in which they had been bound. That is the power of the Word of God! Just as that word spread rapidly among them, revealing its glory and its ability to change people, Paul now asks for prayer that the darkness of Corinth be penetrated by the gospel.

Many today have lost sight of the naked power of the Word of God. I heard of a college professor in Germany. He is a member of the Lutheran Church, the State church of that country. He had little interest in the local church, which he attended a couple of times a year. He never read the Bible and had no knowledge of the things of Christ. But because he was a prominent citizen, the church asked him to serve on the board. He agreed, and sought to do the best job he could. His efforts resulted in his being asked to serve at the state level, and ultimately on the governing council of the church for the entire nation.

When he reached that level, he became convinced that he ought to know something of the Christian faith, so he went alone to a quiet retreat where he began to read the Bible. He became so fascinated that he read on and on, until at the end of the first week he knelt down in his room and cried out to the Lord to save him. The next week he continued to read till he had covered the entire Bible. He returned to his position of leadership a changed man. He became an influence for change in the church, and is now a powerful voice calling people back to reintroducing God and the Scriptures into the dead machinery of the church.
That is what the Word of God can do. What a tragedy it is when preachers lose sight of the power of the Word of God!

The second thing for which Paul asks is prayer for protection. He suggests that the opposition he faced was coming from within the church itself. There were people who claimed to be believers, but they had no real faith and were making things difficult for Paul. He does not ask for the elimination of this opposition, but only that he might be delivered through it. God does not often take our trials away. If you ask him to do so, he probably will not do it because he knows your need for trial. What he does promise is that he will take you through it. You do not need to fail or give in to wrongful activity because he has already given you what it takes. God is faithful! He will never fail you but will always deliver you, if you trust him.

Lord Jesus, I pray that in my day, just as it was in Paul's day, the Word of God might spread rapidly and be honored.

​

Life Application​

Is there someone you can reach out to, today, offering to pray for them and asking them to pray for you?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR MARCH 28TH​

Work Matters​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: 2 THESSALONIANS 3:6

In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers and sisters, to keep away from every believer who is idle and disruptive and does not live according to the teaching you received from us.
2 Thessalonians 3:6

Paul does not say what was causing the Thessalonians to stop working. It may have been that they were living in a kind of commune together, sharing labor and food, etc. At any rate there were some people who had decided not to work anymore, and they were living off the good will and kindness of others.

Keep away from them, says Paul, do not have anything to do with them. That may seem rather ungracious and far removed from what a Christian's reaction ought to be. We are instructed everywhere in the Word of God to share with people, to be aware of their needs; if people are hungry, we are to feed them. It may seem a contradiction that the apostle should say to these believers, If someone will not work, do not have anything to do with him. This form of ostracism may seem too severe to us.

The reason the apostle gives is because a refusal to work is a violation of Scripture. Notice how he says that this advice bears the imprimatur of Jesus himself: in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is not merely a suggestion, but a command with the full authority of Christ behind it. The reason is because it disregards the Scriptures. That is very revealing. Christianity has, at its core, a recognition of the need of people to work. In these days when it is so easy to live off the government or others' charity, this is an important command. The Lord himself said to the disciples, Occupy till I come (Luke 19:13b KJV). There is no place in his word authorizing anyone to stop work because he expected the Lord Jesus to return.

It is helpful to remember that God ordained work before the Fall of man. Adam was given a job to do from the beginning. God gave him a commission to till and to keep the garden, and also to name the animals. He had to work to do that. God gave man a beautiful earth filled with wonderful resources that we have been using up rapidly through the centuries since. But we are still discovering new things that he has hidden in his cupboard for man to live on. One of the blessings was that man should work.

Six days shalt thou labor, God said, and on the seventh shall be a day of rest (Exodus 20:9-10 KJV). Work is part of what Scripture calls the image of God in man. God is a worker. He has devised marvelous things in a universe filled with mysteries and marvels; intricate complexities that we are only now beginning to unravel. With all of our technological advance, we are merely dabbling in the shallows of the great wonders that God has packed into the universe around us, all designed by the working mind of the Creator. Since man is made in the image of God, it means there are abilities, resources, and possibilities within him that need to be put to work. In doing so, man will find a sense of fulfillment for himself.

Thank you, Father, that you are a worker and you have made me to be a worker. Help me in my work to show your character and creativity.

​

Life Application​

Do you thank God for your work? How are you expressing God’s purposes through your work?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.

 

[Obadiah]

A DAILY DEVOTION FOR MARCH 29TH​

Follow My Example​

READ THE SCRIPTURE: 2 THESSALONIANS 3:7-9

For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone's food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you to imitate.
2 Thessalonians 3:7-9

It is very helpful to remember that these great men of God who taught all these marvelous truths in the Scripture were not isolated from the ordinary working world, but were involved in it. Paul had every right, he says, to cease from work. Jesus had said, The laborer is worthy of his hire (Luke 10:7b KJV), i. e., if someone preaches and teaches you spiritual truth, he has the right to expect to be supported in order to have time for his ministry. This is the whole reasoning behind having pastors who are paid. The apostle recognizes this. He says, Yes, I have that right, but I chose not to do it. Why? Because I did not want to be a burden to anybody.

I believe he is referring primarily to the establishing of a church. Paul was a pioneer. He went into places where there were no churches at all and began to preach, and thus brought a church into being. It is these people, fresh out of paganism, with no recognition in their lives of the value of spiritual truth until they came to Christ, that he wants to set free from the responsibility of supporting him. Later on he did receive help from churches. He thanks the Philippians for the help they sent to him. So it is not true, as some have claimed, that he did not ever take money from those whom he had led to Christ, but in the beginning he did not do so because he did not want to be a burden on anyone. He worked night and day, laboring at his trade of tent making, in order that he might pay people for the food that he was eating. It is clear from this, that he deliberately left a model for others in order that they might understand how to reach out to others with the message of salvation without cost to them.

I was thinking of Paul the other day as I watched on television the media's reaction to the moral collapse of a television evangelist. I watched as this man left his 2.5 million dollar mansion, boarded his private plane, and flew to a meeting at which he was to make the vivid confession that all the country has seen. Suddenly into my mind there flashed the picture of the great Apostle Paul, working by candlelight late into the night (perhaps long after midnight), sewing his canvasses together to make tents to sell the next morning, so he would have money to pay for the food he was eating. What a contrast! It occurred to me that if that evangelist had not been so self-indulgent in his lifestyle, he might have had more spiritual power to resist the temptations to which he succumbed.

Father, thank you for those who labor over me, teaching me the word of God. Teach me to help them and encourage them so they can continue to serve you.

​

Life Application​

What is your attitude towards those who shepherd and teach and rely on others for their support? In your mind, is the laborer worthy of his hire?

Daily Devotion © 2024 by Ray Stedman Ministries.