Verse: ‭‭2 Thessalonians‬ ‭1‬:‭5‬-‭10‬ ‭ESV‬‬
“This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering— since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.”

Devotion
Sometimes in life it can seem like the waves just keep crashing on us, and it is becoming exhausting to continue treading water. As soon as we get to the crest of one wave, we are met with an even bigger one.

In this passage Paul is writing to the new believers of the church in Thessalonica. Not only were they new believers, but they also were dealing with severe opposition from the Jewish people. These new believers endured persecution as well as trial after trial.

Paul comforts the Thessalonians by reminding them that we are serving an almighty God who is triumphant over everything. Although we may have extreme difficulty handling various trials in our lives— we are conquerors through God. We have the ability to endure every situation with patience. Now I’m not saying that patience is going to be enjoyable; however it certainly is something we can do through our Faith in God.

My wife and I just celebrated four years of marriage. And we’ve certainly had to deal with a wide range of trials due to circumstances outside of our control. Truly, I feel exhausted every day. Our lives have been flipped upside down. Yet, my faith in God stands tall above these circumstances; even when I may not always feel it. I’ve had numerous coworkers make comments like “I could not imagine navigating that at your age.”. And although my initial thought is “Yeah we just keep taking things day by day”; the reality is that our hope and faith in God is what is sustaining us. And although we are enduring hardship after hardship, and we both feel like we are running on empty; God is still shining through us, and sustaining us through these trials. Through the Holy Spirit’s power, we as believers can live a life that makes a difference for the kingdom and magnifies Jesus’ name.

Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, I want to lift up all who are weary. All who are exhausted, and in the midst of some trial. Lord I ask that you continue to renew our strength, and that we continue to seek you out daily. You are the anchor in the midst of the storm. Please provide opportunities for us to let you shine through our trials, so that you can be glorified. And please help us to continue to grow our faith and hope in you not only during the difficult trials, but also when we have those peaceful moments as well. In Your Heavenly Name I pray, Amen.

Author: Justin Artymenko