This morning in my time with the Lord, I read two devotionals. The first one Pat and I did together before she left for work. It was by Charles Stanley, and the focus was to rely on God, the Holy Spirit. The second was Oswald Chambers, and his devotional subject was to focus first on the Kingdom of God, and all other things would take care of themselves.
Both writers referenced a scripture that they chose as the focus of their devotionals: Stanley decided 1Thessalonians 5:24, and Chambers decided Matthew 6:33.
1Thessalonians 5:24
Charles Stanley focused on having the courage to step out in faith when called to serve. Verse 24 in chapter 5 is clear in its focus.
1 Thessalonians 5:24 (ESV)
24 He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.
I read this verse over and over and just had to get the context, so I opened my Bible to 1Thessalonians 5. I found verse 24 and read what preceded it. In my translation, it was under a heading called “Final Instructions and Benediction.”
Final Instructions and Benediction
I read that section of chapter five, more than once. It is a powerful passage.
1 Thessalonians 5:12-24 (ESV)
12 We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. 14 And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. 15 See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil.
23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.
In verses, 12-22 Paul gives us this list of actions or behaviors that we should live out as followers of Jesus. But then in verse 23-24, he acknowledges that it is beyond our abilities to accomplish alone, but it is not beyond God’s capabilities. I love verses 23-24. All I can think of to call them is a promise or blessing… more likely both.
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 (ESV)
23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.
What power there is in that passage. It is an assurance that we are not alone if we simply place all our trust in Jesus. I like the notes in John MacArthur’s study bible that describes verse twenty-three.
1 Thessalonians 5:23 (MacArthur Study Notes (ESV))
“Having concluded all the exhortations beginning in 4:1, and especially from 5:16–22, Paul’s ending benediction acknowledged the source for obeying and fulfilling them all. It is not within human power to be sanctified in all these ways. Only God “himself” can separate us from sin to holiness “completely.”
MacArthur does an excellent job reinforcing what Paul said and our need to recognize that in every breath, we need Jesus. He is not a parachute or copilot, but he is the very air that we breathe and our everything. Without him, we are merely walking dead.
From Charles Stanley I went to Oswald Chambers. His key verse was Matthew 6:33
Matthew 6:33
Oswald Chambers devotional was from his book, “Utmost for His Highest.” The base verse for his devotional was Matthew 6:33
Matthew 6:33 (ESV)
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
When I started this devotional, I did not notice the link with the key verse. But it did not take long to realize the message that Chambers wished to share using Matthew to make his point.
If you look at verse thirty-three, it is a simple phrase. Seek first the kingdom of God. But if it is so simple, WHY did Jesus point it out to his audience.
Chambers explains the importance of this passage in his devotional, but I needed more context to understand the verse. I needed to see it for myself, so I went to Matthew 6 and found verse 33 and looked at the verses surrounding it. The passage that helped me better grasp verses thirty-three and its context in the devotional were Matthew 6:24-34.
Matthew 6:24-34 – Do Not Be Anxious
The passage is titled in my ESV Bible, “Do Not Be Anxious.” It begins with a “therefore” so I checked why the therefore was there and found a concise answer in verse 24. The passage is one of my favorites.
Matthew 6:24-33 (ESV)
24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
Do Not Be Anxious
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Jesus is so clear here. We cannot serve two masters, but if we seek God first and trust in Him rather than worry about the things of this world. God will assure us that we have all we need. He also reminds us that our needs are not met by concerning ourselves with worldly anxieties, they are met by trusting in God. If we place our trust in Him, He will assure that we have all we need both physical and spiritual.
Closing Thoughts
As I considered these two devotionals though one came from Jesus and the other from Paul addressing two different audiences, they were not really different. They conveyed the same message. Our everything rests in God. These devotionals brought to mind several other passages that helped me. The first comes from John.
John 6:44-45 (ESV)
44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets, And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me—
The next from Proverbs
Proverbs 3:5-8 (ESV)
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
7 Be not wise in your own eyes;
fear the LORD, and turn away from evil.
8 It will be healing to your flesh
and refreshment to your bones.
And finally Psalms
Psalms 121 (ESV)
My Help Comes from the LORD
A SONG OF ASCENTS.
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
2 My help comes from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, he who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The LORD is your keeper;
the LORD is your shade on your right hand.
6 The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.
7 The LORD will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
8 The LORD will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forevermore.
Do you believe that God is our source for all things? Do you think that he is our strength and wisdom as well as our hope and our everything whom else or what else do we need?
It is easy to think of God as a Savior and King, but it is sometimes difficult to see him in assuring that our bills will be paid we will have food to eat. But the more I consider these passages, the more I realize that God does not even leave me to do that on my own. What great comfort there is in knowing that. I know it because it is a promise found in God’s Word in many places, like Hebrews 13.
Hebrews 13:5-6 (ESV)
5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 6 So we can confidently say,
“The Lord is my helper;
I will not fear;
what can man do to me?”
For that, and so much more, I am thankful.
Closing Prayer
Father God, thank you for being always with me. Thank you for giving me wisdom that I need to stay near to you and the grace to repent when I fall short as I do daily.
Thank you for this gift.
“For by grace you have(saved me) through faith. And this is not (my) own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that (I may not) boast. For (I am) his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that (I) should walk in them.”*
Lord God, Help me stay close to you in all things, in Jesus name I pray, Amen.
*Ephesians 2:8-10
() changed to first person
AMEN! He is completely sufficient and always faithful!