Good morning good people, May the Lord bless you with peace and health in the Holy Spirit.
It is 31st August 2021.
We reflect on 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6, 9-11 and the Gospel of Luke 4:31-37.
John Maxwell wisely says, “We are either preparing or repairing.”
Yes, our life is a preparation to bring out the best in us and in all we do. Every second we prepare to face the next attack. That is why they say, football is the game, every 40 seconds to plot the next move or attack. To succeed we need to move out from the understanding of self-directing and self-correcting to a person-to-person relationship that aims at the ultimate success in all we do.
A most beloved elephant of the king was caught in the muddy quicksand in front of the eyes of the King. The king brought the best people to bring out of the water. But, in front of his eyes, it was sinking and giving up. Everyone tried to pull the elephant out of the dirty and muddy water. During that struggle, an elder came up with the suggestion to the king telling drum and trumpet as if the war has broken out. The king did as per the advice of the elder. As soon as it heard the music of the trumpet and the drum, the elephant that was sinking in the mud came out.
Are we too struggling in muddy life situations that make us lose hope in the Lord and in people?
In the New Testament, we have reminded time and time again about the thought of judgment as the “day of redemption” (Eph 4:30); the “day of God” (2 Pet 3:12), or of Christ (1 Cor 1:8; Phil 1:6); and “the last day” (John 6:39), the “great Day” (Jude 6) or simply “the day” (2 Thess 1:10).
St. Paul speaks about the day of the Lord. It is bound to come but no one knows when. No one is going to be exempted to face. “Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.” (1 Thes.5:11). To face the Lord’s Day, we need to avoid all actions, words that weaken our bonding with one another in our relationship.
The day of the Lord is not to threaten us but to awake us from our sleep, to shed light on the dark areas of our lives and to be alert how far we have wandered from the presence of the Lord. It is not to scare people but to uplift people.
Jesus is not merely a message of the Father, but He is our redemption and salvation. So, we have nothing to fear when we have faith in Jesus. The authority of Jesus was felt by the dominion of darkness and the rule of evil just because it was rooted in the relationship with the Father. The same power is bestowed on all of us to deal with evil as long as we stay close to Jesus.
Is our life near Jesus? May the Lord help us to be prepared to face the day of the Lord by constantly encouraging and strengthening others. Have a peaceful day. God bless you.