I love being able to finish a book in the Bible in one sitting! It helps me understand & remember what the gist of the book is. First Thessalonians is one of these books.
As I read the 5 chapters of this book, in one sitting, I noticed that the Apostle Paul began by encouraging the Greek church in the things that they are doing successfully & then in the latter chapters gave them some suggestions on tweaking some areas (the Sandwich Feedback Method).
He ends the book with these reminders to the Believers...
5:23 Now, may the God of peace and harmony set you apart,
making you completely holy. And may your entire being—
spirit, soul, and body—be kept completely flawless in the
appearing of our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One. 24 The one
who calls you by name is trustworthy and will thoroughly
complete his work in you.
Here Paul is in reminding the Thessalonian Church & us that….
-God knows who we are
-He calls us by name
-He's summoning us to live a Holy life in all areas -- Spirit, Soul & Body
-He has set us apart because he has a plan for our lives.
-He is right by our side to help us succeed in this endeavor.
Here, 'our entire being', according to the Apostle Paul, seems to consist of 3 parts. Let's consider them for a moment...
Our body is in constant contact with the physical world & with what immediately surrounds us. We experience the life God has given us through what we hear, see, touch, feel & smell. I would venture to say that most of us do have much control over what we allow in our surroundings. Therefore, what we allow to enter our physical realm through our God-given senses will quickly spills over, affects & will ultimately control the the deeper parts of us.
Underneath our visible bodies are areas that suffer the most neglect, but are the ones that actually have the most eternal value. These are our Spirit & Soul.
Our core, which is our Spirit, is what sets us apart from the goldfish sitting on the shelf or the fuzzy frantic hamster. This part of us was created to receive God, contain Him & connect with Him. Yielding our lives to Him, feeding on His truths & allowing His Holy Spirit to transform us is the key to spiritual success. Feeding the Spirit of God within us allows the power that raised Jesus from the dead to flow in us & through us.
Teetering between our Spirit & body is our SOUL. In this case, a synonym for soul would be mind. It is where we think, feel & make choices & decisions. It's where the daily 'tug of WAR' for our affections happens. It's where satan has a hay-day tempting us to turn our backs on the Spirit of God with in us! I would say it’s the more complicated part of us! It's the part of us that will be triggered to either respond to the Godly or not so godly influences we have been allowing in through our senses & spirit. The important outcome of our spiritual selves depends highly on which one we choose to nourish the most. Which one will it be for you?
Living for Jesus is not easily accomplished BUT we are not alone in this spiritual venture....
" The one who calls you by name is trustworthy
&
will thoroughly complete his work in you. "
Keep choosing Him. =)
A LITTLE EXTRA
PODCAST- Dr. Carolyn Leaf
SCRIPTURE- John 6:63
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