His coming!!

Tyler is still waiting to be born!! Actually, the time is getting closer and closer. Tanya said this morning that she had a couple of contractions last night twenty minutes apart. They stopped after a few contractions. Tyler is coming!!

With all this excitement of new life in the air, I do have my moments of stress. When is he going to come? Who will take care of class? Who will do devo? Is everything ready for his arrival? What else do we need done? All these questions drain me even thinking about them! I wish he would just come and let me have some peace. I just can't stand not knowing when. Today...tomorrow...a week?

Surely, these feelings are some of the same feelings the early Christians had when they were waiting for Jesus' return. They knew he would be coming back "soon." We don't know exactly when it is, but it is soon. But, does that mean we don't go to work? Well...maybe. What about worrying about the harvest? Surely he'll come back before then!! All these same feelings cause me to have some sympathy with these early Christians. No wonder they thought they missed Jesus' return! (see 1 Thess 5:1ff.)

Let us continue to be alert and self-controlled as we build each other up until Jesus returns! And when you pray...put in a plug for Tyler's arrival!

Encourage and Build

Consider the following scripture: "Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up" (1 Thess 5:11). This comes in a context where Christians were wondering why people were dying before Jesus returned. They thought his return would be sooner; they thought he was going to be coming soon to rescue them from the intense opposition they faced daily; they were consumed with the reality of his coming (or lack thereof).

Have you ever been consumed with something? Completely consumed with something? You could not--however hard you tried--get this area in your life out of your mind; it was consuming all your energy, all your thoughts, all your conversations...everything. Maybe some relationship you were in. Maybe some assignment coming up. Maybe your bad grades. Maybe some family drama. Maybe your boss. Maybe the way your friends are treating you. Whatever it was, it consumed who you were.

The Thessalonians were consumed. Paul offered some great words to these people: "encourage one another and build each other up." He knew that if they began to focus on others, their consumption with themselves would diminish. Funny how that happens.

I offer the same advice. We need to focus on encouraging others and building others up if we are consumed with our own situation. You cannot consistently be consumed with yourself if you are solely focused on other people. Try it out today. Give at least two people sincere, edifying encouragement. You must make it a point to do it. See how encouraging others encourages you.