“Salt of the earth”

Those journals/God times that just hit you in the heart and that'll you'll never get tired of hearing! This is one of those! I hope God blesses you as you read this!

READ: 1 Th 4,5; 2 Th 1-3

Topic: Godly lifestyle!

SCRIPTURE:
1 Th 4:1-12 “One final word, friends. We ask you—urge is more like it—that you keep on doing what we told you to do to please God, not in a dogged religious plod, but in a living, spirited dance. You know the guidelines we laid out for you from the Master Jesus. God wants you to live a pure life. Keep yourselves from sexual promiscuity. Learn to appreciate and give dignity to your body, not abusing it, as is so common among those who know nothing of God. Don't run roughshod over the concerns of your brothers and sisters. Their concerns are God's concerns, and he will take care of them. We've warned you about this before. God hasn't invited us into a disorderly, unkempt life but into something holy and beautiful—as beautiful on the inside as the outside. If you disregard this advice, you're not offending your neighbors; you're rejecting God, who is making you a gift of his Holy Spirit. Regarding life together and getting along with each other, you don't need me to tell you what to do. You're God-taught in these matters. Just love one another! You're already good at it; your friends all over the province of Macedonia are the evidence. Keep it up; get better and better at it. Stay calm; mind your own business; do your own job. You've heard all this from us before, but a reminder never hurts. We want you living in a way that will command the respect of outsiders, not lying around sponging off your friends.”
1 Th 5:4-10 “But friends, you're not in the dark, so how could you be taken off guard by any of this? You're sons of Light, daughters of Day. We live under wide open skies and know where we stand. So let's not sleepwalk through life like those others. Let's keep our eyes open and be smart. People sleep at night and get drunk at night. But not us! Since we're creatures of Day, let's act like it. Walk out into the daylight sober, dressed up in faith, love, and the hope of salvation. God didn't set us up for an angry rejection but for salvation by our Master, Jesus Christ. He died for us, a death that triggered life. Whether we're awake with the living or asleep with the dead, we're alive with him! So speak encouraging words to one another.”
1 Th 5:12-18 (The Way He Wants You to Live) “And now, friends, we ask you to honor those leaders who work so hard for you, who have been given the responsibility of urging and guiding you along in your obedience. Overwhelm them with appreciation and love! Get along among yourselves, each of you doing your part. Our counsel is that you warn the freeloaders to get a move on. Gently encourage the stragglers, and reach out for the exhausted, pulling them to their feet. Be patient with each person, attentive to individual needs. And be careful that when you get on each other's nerves you don't snap at each other. Look for the best in each other, and always do your best to bring it out. Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.”
2 Th 1:2 “Our God gives you everything you need, makes you everything you're to be.”
2 Th 1:11,12 “ Because we know that this extraordinary day is just ahead, we pray for you all the time—pray that our God will make you fit for what he's called you to be, pray that he'll fill your good ideas and acts of faith with his own energy so that it all amounts to something. If your life honors the name of Jesus, he will honor you. Grace is behind and through all of this, our God giving himself freely, the Master, Jesus Christ, giving himself freely.”

OBSERVATION & APPLICATION:
Wow! What a MEATY passage!
1. Please God through living a spirited dance, not a religious plod;
2. Live a pure life;
3. Don’t control others concerns but my own, God takes care of theirs;
4. God has not invited me to a disorderly, unkempt life. Rejecting this advice is rejecting God;
5. Love one another, get better and better at it;
6. Stay calm, mind my own business and do my own job – a lifestyle that command the respect of outsiders;
7. Since I’m a creature of the Day, I should act like it. Walk out into the daylight sober, dressed up in faith, love and the hope of salvation (His death triggered my life);
8. Honor my leaders, overwhelm them with appreciation and love;
9. Be patient with others, attentive to their needs;
10. Be careful that when someone gets on my nerves I don’t snap at them but rather look for the best in them and ALWAYS do my best to bring that out!;
11. Be cheerful no matter what, pray at all times and thank God no matter what!;
12. Pray that God will make me fit for what He has called me to be, that He will fill me with good ideas and acts of faith with His OWN energy so that all my doings will amount to something!

PRAYER:
“Lord, this is my prayer! Through Your grace and mercy You would come and do miraculous things in my life! Father I want to command others respect not because of who I am, but because of who You are through me! Lord, I love You and I appreciate You! Make my life worth it for You. I pray that You would make me fit for what You’ve called me to do; and that You would fill me with good ideas and acts of faith energized by Your own strength! In the Name of Jesus Christ, I pray, Amen.”