The Trinity Saves

Read 1 Thessalonians
 
1 Thessalonians 1:2-5 We always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly. 3 As we pray to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and the enduring hope you have because of our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 We know, dear brothers and sisters, that God loves you and has chosen you to be his own people. 5 For when we brought you the Good News, it was not only with words but also with power, for the Holy Spirit gave you full assurance that what we said was true. And you know of our concern for you from the way we lived when we were with you.
 
NOTICE the fullness of God working in this new church in Thessalonica. Paul wrote of God the Father. He wrote of the enduring hope you have because of our Lord Jesus Christ. And he taught that all is possible with power, for the Holy Spirit gave you full assurance that what we said was true.
   Are you a faithful believer in Jesus, your Savior? Thank the Father, Son and Spirit for his good work in your life. Pray to the Trinity for your unsaved friends, family and world. God, one in Three Persons, has come to save his broken world.
 
Jesus is Not on Easy Street
 
1 Thessalonians 3:13 May he, as a result, make your hearts strong, blameless, and holy as you stand before God our Father when our Lord Jesus comes again with all his holy people. Amen.
 
AS Paul encouraged the Thessalonian church to make your hearts strong, does this challenge you? To make a strong structure requires diligent, good work with the best materials. It’s the same with the heart. Perhaps you’re thinking, “That sounds like work.”
   I was listening to an ad recently for a system to teach foreign languages. For several minutes the promotion was focused on how easy and simple learning a foreign language would be with this system. There was no mention, “You have to diligently work at it.”
   It’s common, also, to read or hear an advertisement that says something like, “Seven Easy Diet Tips” or “Five proven simple ways to get rich.” It seems the human condition has been trained to go to “easy street” to get what we want. If you want people to do something, you need to tell them, “It will be easy”. Do you think that’s one reason Adam and Eve submitted to Satan’s temptation – one bite and they would easily be as God!
   The truth is, you must work diligently to achieve some new skill or changed way of life. Our nature is to sin. To redirect our nature requires good work. You can’t have a strong heart for Jesus is you choose “easy street” Christianity.
   That’s too often our choice, though, isn’t it? We’d like to take a day off from Bible study. Then it’s two days, three days and more. It’s too much “work” to go to church this Sunday, then it’s two Sundays, three Sundays and more. We’d like to take a break from our prayer routine, and then it’s twice, three times and more. After a while, your life with Jesus is so easy, you easily turn to sin. Easy habits easily lead you to an easy, weak heart.
   Are you tempted to look for Jesus on “Easy Street”? Forget it. You won’t find him there. He’s leading a faith workout today.