Want to Please God? First Thessalonians

May the mumbling commence!

Have you ever wondered how you can please God?  Paul wrote some clues in First Thessalonians.  Read from chapter two.

And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe.  For you, brothers, became imitators of God's churches in Judea, which are in Christ Jesus: You suffered from your own countrymen the same things those churches suffered from the Jews, who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets and also drove us out.

They displease God and are hostile to all men in their effort to keep us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved. In this way they always heap up their sins to the limit. The wrath of God has come upon them at last.  But, brothers, when we were torn away from you for a short time (in person, not in thought), out of our intense longing we made every effort to see you. (Verses 13-17)

In this passage, we have the juxtaposition of how to please God and how to grieve God.  Lest we slip into anti-Semitism, we must not attach any significance to the groups of people labeled as pleasing and grieving God.  The true significance is NOT nationality but actions and attitudes and words.

To please God: Receive the word of God – the Bible – not as words merely written by men but as the word of God.  This acceptance will fuel another way to please God – belief.  Another way to please God is through imitation of Christ Jesus.  Imitation of Christ would not be complete without humble obedience to the call of God in our lives.  At times, we must accept the suffering that comes through our obedience to God.

To displease God: Build up walls of hostility.  Do whatever you can to prevent people from coming to a saving knowledge of Christ Jesus.  When we do these kinds of things, we take God’s immense patience to its limits.

What does obedience to God entail?  It comes back to the same basic principle.  It is a strand that runs throughout the Bible.  We find it again in First Thessalonians chapter four.  Read a passage from chapter four below.

Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other.  And in fact, you do love all the brothers throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers, to do so more and more.  Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody. (Verses 9-12)

There it is again.  Love each other.  Love all the brothers.  Love them more and more.  How do we do this?  Lead a quiet life.  Mind your own business.  Do honest work.  Depend upon your brothers and sisters in Christ, and you will lack nothing.  In these ways, we will earn the respect of outsiders.

Overcome hostility with love.

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out