“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior.” -1 Timothy 2:1-3

Do you want to know what’s good and pleasing to the Lord in divided political times like these? You better!!! It’s this – praying, pleading, and giving thanks for people in authority at every level from local government to national government. County officials to presidents. Regardless of party. Regardless of platform. Regardless of whether you voted for them or against them. Regardless of whether you like them or despise them.

Be faithful in this before the election. Be faithful in this after the election. Be faithful in this after officials take office. This is what pleases God. He may or may not be pleased by how you vote, how you advocate for the people for whom you vote, or what you post and repost online. But He is definitely pleased when you pray for blessing, salvation, and wisdom for those in office. Regardless of whether they are friends of His or enemies.

The purpose of these prayers is so that followers of Christ may live peaceful, quiet, godly, dignified lives making disciples, loving God, and loving ALL our neighbors. With 100% certainty, that’s God’s will for you right now, next month, and next year. #FollowJesus

“The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.” – 1 Timothy 1:15

Paul is speaking, first and foremost, of himself. By the time he wrote this, he’d spent decades reflecting on the extraordinary grace of God that saved him from the horrors he had committed. In his misguided zeal for God, Paul had persecuted the church, hunting down Christians and condemning them to death. He knew the evil God had rescued him from through Jesus Christ and he rejoiced in God’s love, grace, and mercy.

However, this “trustworthy saying” is about far more than Paul. It’s about you. To truly understand, appreciate, and rejoice in God’s grace, make this saying about you. Christ Jesus came into this world to save sinners, of whom “I ________ (fill in your name) am the foremost”. That’s when this statement becomes powerfully true!

Our minds hate to think about the horrors of our sin. We don’t like to admit that we were really all that awful, depraved, and hopeless. We like to say, I’m better than most people. We like to console ourselves that we probably haven’t killed or tortured anyone recently. These words radically misunderstand sin. ALL sin, no matter how “small” or “harmless” we consider it to be, is outright rebellion against God’s Kingship over the universe. All sin is our defiant, obscene gesture pointed toward God. ALL sin! Yours included…

Whatever your favorite sins may be, each one is a declaration of war against the Lord. Thus, each of us, you included, can say exactly what Paul did. Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. Once you can bring your mind and mouth to speak this truth for yourself, your love and appreciation for God’s grace and Christ’s saving work on the cross will skyrocket! #FollowJesus

“Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you” – 2 Thessalonians 3:1

The last chapter of this letter includes many excellent examples of how to pray big Kingdom prayers aligned to God’s will. Studying it is a wonderful way to learn to align your prayers to God’s will rather than trying to align God’s will to your prayers. It begins in this verse with Paul declaring his top personal prayer request. He longs for fellow Christians to pray for him and his team so that the Gospel of Jesus Christ will spread faster in the world.

Paul didn’t prioritize personal comfort or need. He prioritized the most critical spiritual need of people who aren’t yet reconciled to God through faith in Christ. The most desperate need of people still facing God’s just and righteous wrath for their sins. His heart’s desire is for them to know the Lord, be made new and clean in Him, and walk with Him.

That needs to be the top prayer focus for followers of Jesus. This is what Jesus taught us all to pray first by asking that God’s name would be hallowed (praised as holy) and His Kingdom come on Earth. How much time do you typically spend praying for the advance of God’s Kingdom and the salvation of lost people? How much energy do you devote to praying for unreached people groups around the world? If these aren’t among your top prayer priorities, make the decision today to begin praying like Jesus taught and Paul practiced. Pray that the word of the Lord would speed ahead and be honored (believed, trusted) wherever it currently isn’t. #FollowJesus

“Do not quench the Spirit.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:19

This seems to be a pretty straightforward command. However, many Christians disobey it regularly. Do you???

The Holy Spirit enters a person the moment he or she first trusts in Jesus as their Lord and Savior. The Spirit seals them as genuinely belonging to God and He will never leave them. However, each person can either be filled with the Spirit or quench the Spirit at any given moment. To be filled with the Spirit is to live a life empowered and transformed by the Holy Spirit’s constant leadership, correction, and direction. To quench the Spirit is to block Him from controlling or even working in your life. It’s very easy to quench the Spirit.

How does one quench the Spirit? There are several ways. One way is to continue committing some sin. If you’re habitually disobeying God, you prevent the Spirit from working meaningfully in your life. That quenches the Spirit. Examine your life – is there some habitual sin (habit, addiction, attitude, or behavior) that God’s Word forbids? Recognize it, repent of it, ask God’s forgiveness for it, and refuse to indulge it again. Fiercely fight its ongoing temptation.

One way is to constantly fill your mind with the things of the world rather than the things of God. How much of the world’s news, entertainment, social media, and information are you consuming each day? How does that amount compare to your intake of God’s Word through reading, studying, and meditating on Scripture? If you’re mostly feeding your soul the world’s content rather than God’s, you’re quenching the Spirit. Devote your time to God’s Word each day.

Another way to quench the Spirit is to refuse to do what God calls you to do. When you know what God wants you to do (a sacrifice, a change, a gift, an action) and make excuses not to do it, that seriously quenches the Spirit. When you follow God’s promptings, you allow the Spirit to fill you. When you hold onto control over your life, you quench the Spirit. Surrender control to the Spirit if you want to be filled with the Spirit.

An unquenched life in the Spirit looks like total surrender and submission to the Lordship of Christ and the Word of God. It looks like turning your daily agenda over to the Lord with no strings attached. It looks like pursuing personal holiness and listening for God’s leading with the intent to do whatever He says. Anything short of that quenches the Spirit. Do not quench the Spirit! #FollowJesus

“For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.” – 1 Thessalonians 4:14

In Christ, death is NEVER the end! To our limited knowledge and sensory experience, death feels final and terrible. However, the reality is that we are eternal beings and death isn’t final. The souls of those who die in Christ go to be with Him immediately. They will also return with Him when He returns. On that day, their bodies will also rise from death in a glorified state and be reunited with their souls. And so, death is never the end. It is the beginning of endless glorious years with the Lord.

A Christian doesn’t need to fear death. The process of dying may be truly terrible, but death itself is merely the passage from our present experience into the eternal experience of God’s presence. When we die, we close our eyes to the physical reality we’ve experienced our entire lives and open them to the greater spiritual reality that we currently only understand by faith.

Let this be a reassurance to you if you’re a follower of Jesus. Let it also challenge you to urgent action for the sake of those who don’t yet believe in Jesus. These wonderful truths only belong to those who have trusted in the Lord Jesus. For everyone else, the future is every bit as eternally terrible as your future is eternally wonderful. While that is their choice (whether they realize it or not), urgently try and rescue them from that fate by introducing them to Jesus. #FollowJesus