Paul and his
traveling companions desired to see the Thessalonian church members,
and he wondered what “thanks” they could “render unto
God” for them because of the “joy” they enjoyed for
their “sakes”. They also prayed “exceedingly”
“night and day” that they might see them face to face to
“perfect that which is lacking” in their “faith”.
In chapter three and verse eleven of his letter, Paul asks the Lord
to “direct” their “way” unto the Thessalonians
where we read:
Now God
himself and our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way
unto you.
The
verse begins, “Now God himself and our Father, and our
Lord Jesus Christ,...” Paul
began, “Now God himself”
which refers to “the Godhead and trinity comprised of God the
Father, Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit” “and our
Father” which means “the
generator, originator and transmitter of anything” “and
our Lord” or “he to whom a
person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding;
master” “Jesus”
whose name means “Jehovah is Salvation” and refers to “the Son
of God, Savior of mankind and God incarnate” “Christ”
or “the anointed One, the messiah and Son of God”. Paul made his
appeal to the Highest of the Highest when he spoke of the
relationship of God “our”
Father and Jesus Christ “our”
Lord.
The
verse goes on to say, “...direct our way unto you.”
Paul continued with the word,
“direct” or “make
straight, guide and remove the hindrances to come” “our
way” which refers to Paul and
his companions “unto you”
which means to the Thessalonian church members. Paul desired God to
be in control of his path to visit the Thessalonians.
When
we meditate upon these words of Paul, we notice this is a prayer for
the Lord to “direct”
their “way” to the
Thessalonians. Rather than choosing for himself and his men, Paul
deferred to the God and Jesus for the determination of his will. We
can learn from this. We are far better off allowing God Almighty and
Jesus His Son choose our future for us. Certainly we have our own
desires, however, we do not always desire the right things or ways.
When we yield ourselves to God's will rather than ours, we advantage
ourselves toward His foreknowledge. We may guess or think we know
what is best for us and venture toward a totally different direction
than we should. May the Lord Jesus help us to see that our future,
even when it seems to be a great plan, is better put within His hands
who has our best interest in mind.
Next
time Paul asks God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ “direct
his way”, so read ahead, and
we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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