Verse of the Day 6/19

 

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12  So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do. ¹² Then the name of our Lord Jesus will be honored because of the way you live, and you will be honored along with him. This is all made possible because of the grace of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ.  New Living Translation (NLT)

 

Yesterday we considered a new engine in a car and related it to a new heart in the Christian.  The One that gives us this heart also gives us the power to accomplish "all the good things your faith prompts you to do".  These verses are a prayer from Paul to his readers then and now, that we may live in harmony with God's plan for us in the power that only He can gives to accomplish what He intends for us to do.  The HCSB translation of verse 11 calls these things "the work of faith".

 

We often hear that we are saved by faith and not by works, which is true.  But a faith without works is dead.  Bible commentator John Fenton writes, "Faith and works, the writer says, are not opposites; neither of them excludes the other.  a faith that did not lead on to actions would be a dead faith; living faith shows itself in performance."

 

There is a commercial on TV today that says "and" is better than "or" and does a routine with police officers serving or protecting making you realize that we are glad that police officers serve and protect.  Jesus Christ gives us faith and the power to do good works.  When you feel the prompting, my prayer for you and I hope that you'll pray for me, that we will act upon His promptings to accomplish His will in our lives for His honor and glory.

 

In Christ,
Mike

 

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Eph 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace  NIV

2 Thessalonians 1:10-12

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

¹⁰ in that day when He comes to be glorified by His saints and to be admired by all those who have believed, because our testimony among you was believed. ¹¹ And in view of this, we always pray for you that our God will consider you worthy of His calling, and will, by His power, fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith, ¹² so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified by you, and you by Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.