a Lot of Work to be Done

a Lot of Work to be Done

1&2 Thessalonians

Taken from: http://year27.com/2-thessalonians-313/

In Thessalonians 1 & 2, Paul advised the members of the church to tighten up their actions- make them selves better than they were. Below is a list of things that he instructed them to do in order to be a more righteous group. 

Found in 1 Thessalonians 3-5; 2 Thessalonians 3

FYI: The indented portion includes a definition, or my understanding of the item on the list.

Increase in love towards one another (abound)

            Abound=exist in large numbers

Repent

Soften hearts to the Prophet’s words

Abstain from fornication

Use our bodies with sanctification and honor

            Sanctification = separating yourself from the world and aligning yourself       with God

Avoid the lusts of concupiscence

            Concupiscence = strong sexual desire

Know God

Honest with each other, seek not to defraud

Seek to be holy

Love each other- not despise each other

Study to be quiet, to do our own business and work with our own hands

Take time to listen for the Spirit, make sure we feel the accomplishment of finishing work, mind our own business

Be charitable

Be prepared for the Lord’s coming

Pay attention and “not sleep” for the Lord’s coming

            Do not choose to ignore the Lord’s coming

Be “sober”

            Be aware and attentive to the signs of the Lord’s coming

Wear the breastplate of faith and love

            Protect our hearts and spirits with faith in God and love for everyone

Wear the helmet of salvation

            Protect our minds with the knowledge of who we are and what our plan is

Day and night be followers of Christ

Edify one another

            Edify= instruct or improve

Know each other

            Take time to know those people around us

Esteem highly each other

            See the divine nature of every person

Be at peace with each other

Warn the unruly

            Unruly= unable to control, disruptive, disorderly, not able to discipline

            Warn the people around us who are acting with rebellion

Comfort the feeble minded

            Feeble minded = struggles to make wise decisions, makes bad judgments

            Help those who struggle to follow the commandments

Support the weak

Be patient with each other

Show no evil to any man

Choose to be happy

Pray always

Give thanks

Don’t deny the Spirit

            Listen when prompted to do something

Soften heart to prophesy

            Don’t discount the words of the church leaders

Prove all things

            Listen and hear the commandments, advice and suggestions from scripture and prophesy, and follow through. Look for truth in the advice through living            it.

Hold fast to good

            Look for and only do good.

Stay away from the appearance of evil

            Even the appearance of evil!

Pray for church leaders

Follow commandments

Patiently wait for Christ

Avoid situations of sin

Avoid not working

Avoid being a busy body

            Do not be someone who pries or meddles in other business, do not make mischief.

After compiling this list from Paul of all of the things that members of Christ’s church could do to improve themselves, I was instructed to pick three from the list to write about and work on.  So, below are my three:

1.)  The most obvious problem I need to work on: patience. I need to work on being patient and understanding with those around me- more specifically: my kids. Not only am I quick to anger a lot of the time, but I also do not take the time that I should in listening to the real root of their problems. I tend to look more at the problem that is happening, than at the child having the problem. In order to be more Christlike, and a better member of His church, I need to have pure and heartfelt patience. I need to be patient with the drivers on the road who may struggle with safety, I need to be more patient with neighborhood kids, and I need to work on being patient with people who’s political beliefs I disagree with. Once I allow myself to see the people first, and not their actions, then I am choosing to be more like Christ.

I had a recent awakening to this recently, when the school shooting in Troutdale, OR happened. This was very close to my home town- and I drove by that school everyday! My initial reaction, similar to every single other shooting, was sadness for the victims and disgust for the shooter. A few hours after watching the barrage of police and parents all in tears on TV, it was announced that the shooter was a member of our church- and was in our neighboring stake. My mom knew his family- strong in the church and active in their ward! I realized that I was wrong- this child had a problem and had needed help. He wasn’t the monster that I had originally thought- he was a child of God, just like me. I was forced to reevaluate every school shooting suspect I had judged prior. They are people. They make bad decisions, they have some unbearable pain, and maybe a gear isn’t working right in their mind. But they are the same as me- people. Children of God. I need to be more patient.

2.)  I have three kids, all little-ish, and am surrounded by said children every second of every day. There is no exaggeration to those internet memes that poke fun at the moms who can’t get a second alone- even in the restroom. Even in my sleep, not a night goes by that I am not covered in small ones (who claim to have had a bad dream, but really just don’t want to let me sleep comfortably.) So somewhere around the 4^th time in a row of hearing “Mom, can I eat a pickle?” and “the baby just dumped her *dinner* on the floor! (*insert any combination of bodily fluids, edible objects or fragile items)” is that little part of my brain that knows what my next choice should be: quiet. I need to take time to be quiet and listen to the lack of shopping /to do/to don’t lists running through my head. Listen for what the Spirit wants me to hear. Listen to answers. I just need to make some quiet time.

3.)  My last one is a hard topic. I need to be more earnest and bold in standing up for the right, in the form of “warning the unruly.” I don’t think that means calling out every person that you see who sins, but there are situations that I have been around that I should have taken the opportunity to denounce the wickedness promoted by some people. For example: one of our dearest friends in the world is struggling with their belief in some of the teachings of the church. They believe, as many lacking faith do, that the church is more of a brainwashing institution than founded in the word of God. It is a real struggle for this person, and in turn, their family. This is their choice, and they know that it is rebellious to the ways of the Lord. However, not only do they justify themselves, they seek to disillusion others around them. They want other people to feel the same, that they might fall away together. It is heart-wrenching to watch. When they talk to us, we just roll our eyes and ignore them. However, we should be doing more. We should look for ways to lovingly and patiently discuss their actions with them- warning them of the damage they are leaving in trail behind them. It is part of being a disciple, and our loved ones deserve to know and remember where they stand.

This was kind of a different study assignment than the ones previously. What a blessing it is to be given the opportunity for a little self evaluation! I have so much to work on, and am grateful for a place to start!

Which three did you pick?