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Cling to What is Good
by Elizabeth Marks And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and to esteem them very highly in love for their works sake. Be at peace among yourselves. 14 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. 15 See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all. 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies. 21 Test all things; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil. 1 Thessalonians 5:12-22 NKJV Theres a lot to cover in todays verse. However, were going to focus on just a few related items. Pursue what is goodWe are told in 2 Timothy 2:22 NKJV Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. Also in Romans 12:9 NKJV Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. In everything, we are to be wise considering whether a thing is good or not. Test all things The Bereans, after hearing Pauls teaching, searched scriptures to verify what they hear against the Word of God. Acts 17:11 NKJV These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. Were called to do the same thing. Dont believe everything you read or hear, but check it out against Gods Word. I heard a quote the other day that explains this: The best way to determine if the stick is crooked or not is to lay a straight stick next to it. Gods Word is our straight stick. Hold fast to what is good In order to hold fast to what is good, one must know what is good. Jesus teaches us only God is good in Mark 10:18 NKJV So Jesus said to him, Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. In the Old Testament, the Lord tells us to hold fast to Him alone. Deuteronomy 10:20 NKJV You shall fear the LORD your God; you shall serve Him, and to Him you shall hold fast, and take oaths in His name. Lord God above, You are all we need. Help us be wise in all things, testing them out through Your Word. Help us cling to what is good and run from anything that would draw us away from You. In Jesus name Amen. To wrap this up, we are to pursue God, test all things and hold fast to God alone. Hows it going for you? Are you pursuing God? Are you checking out what you hear to see if it aligns with Gods Word? Are you clinging to the Lord? Copyright Elizabeth Marks, author of ThinkOnIt Devotions, has a heart for encouraging believers with God's Word. Please visit http://www.ThinkOnItDevotions.com for more devotions, bible studies, book reviews and more! Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |