READING:
One-year plan: Isaiah 65-66, 2 Thessalonians 1-2
Two-year plan: 1 Kings 22, John 8:12-29
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I wonder what we might most boast about in our churches. Perhaps it’s the growth of the church? The dollars the church has? The buildings on its campus? The popularity of its pastor? The number of ministries the church offers? The county or city leaders who attend the church? I don’t think any church sets out to brag about itself, but I do think human beings—including believers—can fall into the trap of bragging. Especially in an evangelical culture where churches almost compete with one another, it’s easy to get caught in this snare.
The object of Paul’s boasting about the Thessalonians, though, was quite different. He and his team spoke proudly about the church’s “endurance and faith in all the persecutions and afflictions you endure” (2 Thess 1:4). That church endured opposition with faithfulness and persistence, despite the fact that the opposition was both intense and ongoing. In faith, the believers held up under the weight of persecution. Thus, Paul and his team could “boast” of their faithfulness, thereby encouraging other churches, too.
Here’s what I wonder about North American churches: how many of us would remain so faithful under real persecution that others would “boast” about our commitment?
PERSONAL REFLECTION: How do you think you would react if you faced persecution?
DAILY PRAYER: “God, grant me grace to be faithful no matter what I face in life.”
MONDAY’S READINGS:
One-year plan: Jeremiah 1-4, 2 Thessalonians 3
Two-year plan: 2 Kings 1:1-2:12, John 8:30-47