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1 Thessalonians 5:9 - Hope a Little Less???

1 Thessalonians 5:9 (ESV) For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,

INTRODUCTION

As you near the end of a long race, your legs ache, your throat burns, and your whole body cries out for you to stop. This is when friends and fans are most valuable. Their encouragement helps you push through the pain to the finish line. In the same way, Christians are to encourage one another. Be sensitive to others' need for encouragement, and offer supportive words or actions. [Life Application SB]

COMMENTARY PEARL

   There are in the world today many who close their eyes to the evidences that Christ has given to warn men of His coming. They seek to quiet all apprehension, while at the same time the signs of the end are rapidly fulfilling, and the world is hastening to the time when the Son of man shall be revealed in the clouds of heaven. Paul teaches that it is sinful to be indifferent to the signs which are to precede the second coming of Christ. Those guilty of this neglect he calls children of the night and of darkness. He encourages the vigilant and watchful with these words: "But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober."
   Especially important to the church in our time are the teachings of the apostle upon this point. To those living so near the great consummation, the words of Paul should come with telling force: "Let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him."
   The watchful Christian is a working Christian, seeking zealously to do all in his power for the advancement of the gospel. As love for his Redeemer increases, so also does love for his fellow men. He has severe trials, as had his Master; but he does not allow affliction to sour his temper or destroy his peace of mind. He knows that trial, if well borne, will refine and purify him, and bring him into closer fellowship with Christ. Those who are partakers of Christ's sufferings will also be partakers of His consolation and at last sharers of His glory. AA260-261

COMMENTARY

   In a book called A Brief History of Thought, French atheist Luc Ferry writes that humans are the only creatures on Earth who know that they will die. And it is this fear of death that drives them to a desire for some kind of salvation. Early in the book, he writes that "the quest for a salvation without God is at the heart of every great philosophical system."
   However, by the end of the book, after having explored the history of philosophy from the ancient Greeks to today, neither he nor any of the philosophers he wrote about came close to finding that salvation. In fact, the most he could do, given his rejection of Christianity, was to quote a Buddhist maxim: "to hope a little less and love a little more."
   Of course, for Christianity, whose two greatest commandments are to love (Mark 12:30-31), the call to "love a little more" is an agreeable one. But to "hope a little less"? Christianity is all about hope, a hope built upon the promise of salvation - salvation from death, a promise made certain for us by the resurrection of Jesus.
   The good news is that not only, as our text for today says, have we been "appointed" for this salvation, but this salvation was also promised to us "before time began" (2 Timothy 1:9). Yes, thanks to Jesus, you have been "appointed" for salvation. That is, from the beginning, God wanted you to be saved in Him. You, of course, have to choose, by faith, to accept it. But once you do, you have all the more reason to hope not "a little less," but much more.
   Lord Jesus, I thank You for the hope that You have given me. [The Most Amazing Bible Promises by Amazing Facts]

CLOSING THOUGHT

   A day transporting a family from one city to another is closely akin to God transporting us from our home to his. And some of life's stormiest hours occur when the passenger and the driver disagree on what takes place during the trip! Can you imagine the chaos if a parent indulged every child's wishes? Can you imagine the chaos if God indulged each of ours?
   I Thessalonians 5:9 says "God has destined us to the full attainment of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ." God's overarching desire is that you reach that destiny. His itinerary includes stops that encourage your journey. He frowns on stops that deter you. When his sovereign plan and your earthly plan collide, a decision must be made.
   Who is in charge of this journey? If God must choose between your earthly satisfaction and your heavenly salvation, which do you hope he chooses? Me, too! From In the Eye of the Storm by Max Lucado

LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY

Exodus 14:13, 14 - When He Leads Us Through.
https://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20210416-0920.html

Romans 1:16, 17 - Power of the Gospel.
https://www.abible.com/devotions/2020/20200924-1151.html

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT

https://abible.com/links/