I Peter 1:13, “Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
The Thessalonians were not just waiting for Jesus to return but were actively serving the living and true God. This hope was not just a future destination, but a present journey.
Paul knew that hope in Christ would encourage perseverance in godly living. And hope is exactly what we lack today, one of the great roots of this gradual slip into increased self-centeredness.
During seasons of success, we generally find ourselves complacent or unaware of the provision of God in the first place and we begin to think it is about us.
The book of Judges teaches us a lesson on success and failure. Everything we come to know and understand is built over time on the foundation of trial and error.
Here is a thought: Are you going through a time of testing to see if you will trust God? Do you trust God from personal faith or just from the faith of others?
If the label you have put on your sticker-or have allowed to be thrown onto your sticker for you- isn’t a label that God would give you, it doesn’t belong there.
“…the people of Jericho were cowering in fear, shut up inside their own city and afraid to venture forth. They had heard of the great and awesome power of the God of Israel.”