THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 23
“For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews, who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out, and displease God and oppose all mankind”
1 Thessalonians 2:14-15 ESV
THE STRUGGLE IS REAL
An Army Chaplain had a sign on his door that said, “If you have troubles, come in and tell me all about them. If you don’t have troubles, come in and tell me how you do it.” We all have struggles and at one point or another we all face opposition. Jesus said in John 16:33, “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
As we continue to study qualities Paul was thankful to see in the life of the church, one of the things he was thankful for was their suffering. The Christians in Thessalonica had been persecuted simply for being followers of Christ. Yet, even in the face of opposition, they were hanging in there.
Today our nation is celebrating Thanksgiving. This is a time when we are supposed to stop and reflect on the things we are thankful for. For some of you it’s been a tough year and you are having a hard time feeling thankful. The Apostle Paul would be grateful that you are still hanging in there. The struggle is real but you are still holding on. You are still in church, you are still reading these devotions and you are still asking God to lead you and speak to you. You may have been tempted to just completely give up but you haven’t. Be encouraged that God knows about your trials, cares about your trials and Jesus has ultimately overcome your trials. Pray and ask God to give you the strength to not give up on anything He wants you to stick with.
