EVERY GOOD WORD AND WORK August 17, 2020

During these times, there has never been a greater call for honesty and consistency.  People believe and follow somebody who can match his words to his actions, his promises to his deliveries.  While thousands around the world have gotten fed up and proven themselves all too eager to protest, go on strikes and rallies, just to point out lying and hypocrisy, abuses and corruption, with calls for changes in the systems of administration in their respective lands, many have also grown apathetic and uncaring, careless and all the more proud of themselves and of the very fact of their existence and perceived superiority over others, even believing themselves equal to GOD (verses 1 to 4 in today’s scripture).

 

The Word today in the second epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Thessalonians, chapter 2, sees our time, and warns GOD’s people against being caught up in the tide of humanity, and believe the lies and the half-truths the enemy sows among those under his influence.  Even declaring the end times or the specific second coming of our Lord, and calls for doomsday prophecies, must be carefully weighed and watched, because Jesus Christ Himself has said, “no one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son (of GOD), but the Father alone.” (Matthew 24:36)

 

The Apostle talks instead about the signs of the age, or in our case, more like our current events and daily realities, and what should be our proper response to them (verses 5 to 12). Yes, these things may affect us, hurt us, deprive us of our chances at a better life and try to take away our opportunities to make good testimony, but we shouldn’t let these things weaken or discourage us.  The Apostle said that this deceitfulness is at work every day, even to coloring and filtering lies so that they appear good and truthful, and bombarding our media feeds with propaganda, but these will all come to nothing. 

 

And in his own words, “that they might all be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (verse 12).  As believers and keepers of the Word then, we have to be careful or we will be influenced to believe like these, for it is often through the things that feel easy and comfortable where the enemy leads us, and so in our complacency, we might succumb to his temptations.  If we put that literally these days, this not only determines the state of our souls but really spells the difference between staying healthy and getting sick.

 

Now is not the time to surrender to fear and paranoia, depression and sorrow.  Although these emotions are valid, yet, we have to make them fleeting and not spread out the welcome mat for them in our lives.  We have to hold on tight to the things we were taught, the things we believed in, the practices and traditions that we have made signs of our faith (verses 13 to 15).

 

And we know and are confident that in an increasingly confused, troubled and weary world, we will have the wisdom to understand, the strength to endure, and the courage to move on, because we serve a GOD who loved us, who saved us, and has given us comfort and consolation and hope by His grace (verses 16 to 17).  We can trust that everything that happens to us and around us are meant to make us people of consistency, truth and honesty—people who are established in both every good word and work for His glory.