1 THESSALONIANS 5:12-28
1 THESSALONIANS 5:12-28
New International Version
12 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. 13 Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. 14 And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not treat prophecies with contempt 21 but test them all; hold on to what is good, 22 reject every kind of evil.
23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.
25 Brothers and sisters, pray for us. 26 Greet all God’s people with a holy kiss. 27 I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers and sisters.
28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
1 THESSALONIANS 5:15
Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.
REFLECTION
We live in a world of divisions. Differing ideas about how to achieve a good life separate us from each other and set us in active opposition to those who think differently. The world and our culture encourage these divisions and continually attempt to drive the wedge between us deeper and deeper, so that our hatred for our neighbors grows larger and larger.
But Jesus calls us to do something radically different, something countercultural: to love our neighbors despite our differences. Remember that Paul is talking to a church that is under extreme persecution from other members of their community for what they believe about Jesus. He is reminding them to show love in the face of hatred and to seek unity instead of division.
RESPONSE
Take a moment to reflect on the difficult relationships in your life. Is the way that you treat those people encouraging unity or division?
In prayer, surrender these relationships to the Lord and ask Him for guidance on how to love those people better.
