To-Do List
I’m a list person. With my short attention span, I
need to make a to-do list each week so I can refer to it and remind myself to
complete my tasks.
Paul wrote to many of the new Christian communities.
At the end of his letters, he often gave them instructions, a to-do list of
sorts, about how to live. He wrote to the Thessalonians, “Live in peace with each other…..warn those who are idle
and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with
everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to
do what is good for each other and for everyone else. Rejoice always, pray
continually, give thanks in all circumstances…..Do not quench the Spirit. Do
not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is
good, reject every kind of evil” (1 Thessalonians 5:12-22).
Many Christian denominations observed
Ash Wednesday this week. It marks the beginning of Lent, a 40 day period leading
up to Easter. It commemorates the 40 days that Jesus spent in the desert before
beginning His ministry. We traditionally are called to fast during Lent, in
memory of Jesus’ fasting. It’s also a season of prayer and almsgiving.
This is a good time for us to stop and
see where we are spiritually and how well we are living out what we believe.
Paul’s instructions to the Thessalonians are just as applicable to us today. We
can use them to make a list of those areas we’d like to work on in the coming
weeks.
For those who would like to review
Paul’s instructions at the end of his other letters, you can find them at:
Colossians 4:2-6, Philippians 4:4-9, Ephesians 6:10-18, 1 Timothy 6:11-12, and
Titus 3:1 and 3:9.
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The individual posts in this blog have
been collected into a book, Reflections From the Basic Truths Blog. It
is available for free as an E-book through Barnes and Noble, https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/reflections-from-the-basic-truths-blog-james-yarmchuk/1147055811?ean=2940181202702, Apple Books, and multiple other book websites. It is available
for a minimal charge on Amazon and can also be purchased as a paperback through
them.
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