Today, I am reading and commenting on 1 Thessalonians 1-5.

Paul wrote to the Thessalonian believers that they should strive to live to please God.  Specifically, that they should try to do so more and more, because he knew that they were already doing so.  We should avoid sexual immorality, and control our bodies.  Paul implies that sexual immorality* involves taking advantage of others.  Paul teaches that we should avoid taking advantage of others to satisfy our desires and instead control our bodies and thoughts in order to serve the needs of others in love.  We should live holy lives.  We work towards doing so means minding our own business and working so that we are not dependent on others.  Interestingly, after telling us to mind our own business Paul writes that we should warn those who are idle and disruptive.  Further, he tells us to live in peace with our fellow believers and strive to do what is good for each other, and for everyone else.  Paul closely linked doing what is good for others to not paying back wrong to those who wronged us.  Finally, I think that some of Paul’s conclusion will help us understand what he means when he tells us to live holy lives.  He tells us to rejoice always, pray continually, and give thanks no matter what circumstance we find ourselves in.  Hold onto what is good and reject every kind of evil.

*Paul here only mentions sexual immorality, but from his other letters I think it is clear that he would include impurity, lust, and evil desires in this instruction, and quite possibly greed as well.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.