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Read: 1 Thessalonians 3:5
Listen: 1 Thessalonians

May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones. 1 Thessalonians 3:13

Paul repeatedly returns the Thessalonians to one key idea: Jesus is coming back someday soon. This truth is to be a wellspring of hope for God’s people. Paul charges the church to encourage each other with this truth: “After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:17-18). Unshakable faith knows Jesus will one day return, and we will be with him.

We can also be sustained and encouraged by the truth of Jesus’s return. Imagine being more consumed with the truth of Jesus’s triumphant return than by the temporary and fleeting trials (though real) that meet us daily. This is God’s vision for his people. He wants the unshakable truth of Jesus’s return to empower us with unshakable faith no matter what we face. This is the hope that defines us.

TODAY: Consider how you can encourage someone with the hope of Jesus’s return. It could be through a text, conversation or written note. Think about who is enduring pressure or deep hardship. This could sound like, “I know you are going through a lot. I am praying for you and asking God to help you live in the hope that Jesus will return one day and wipe away every tear. Someday he will restore all things, and there will be no more death, mourning, crying, or pain (Revelation 21:4).”

JESUS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT:

Read Hosea 7-8.Highlight anything that points to Jesus. Focus on Israel’s rebellion. Reflect on how Jesus offers redemption to rebellious people (Luke 15:1-2, Luke 15:7).