Sometimes,
I'm just in need
of some good ol' advice.

Not deep spiritual wisdom,
but honest, common sense
type advice.

And that's what I love about
the writing of Paul.

They were letters written
to the people he met
on his travels, whom he wanted
to continue to encourage.
He knew their struggles in life
because he had met the same people
they lived near. He had been
persecuted, beaten and imprisoned
by those very same difficult people.

So when he wrote,
his advice was spot on,
an arrow directed
to the target of their hearts.

Simple sentences, spoken clearly
as if he was right there
still living among them.
And his advice is still current
for our lives today...
this most basic daily advice.

Dear brothers and sisters,
honor those who are your
leaders in the Lord’s work.
They work hard among you
and give you spiritual guidance.

Show them great respect and
wholehearted love
because of their work.

I think we are capable of this.
Honoring... showing esteem
and understanding to those
who serve in leadership and
worship within our church.

And live peacefully with each other.

Brothers and sisters, we urge you to
warn those who are lazy.
Encourage those who are timid.
Take tender care of
those who are weak.
Be patient with everyone.

This to be certain, a much larger
list to accomplish.
But I believe it's giving us good
direction with specific action steps
we can take in order to attain
the peace we long for deep
within our soul.

See that no one pays back evil for evil,
but always try to do good to
each other and to all people.

This, to be sure sounds obvious.
But on that day when anger rises,
much harder to live out in action.
This is best to tackle first with prayer,
asking God...
to gird us with strength,
to keep our lips from wrong words,
to direct our path away from
temptation.

Always be joyful.
Never stop praying.
Be thankful in all circumstances, 
for this is God’s will for you 
who belong to Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:12-18

And this certainly the best advice
Paul has given us...
prayer wraps up the package with
a tidy bow of trusting in God.

Let us therefore trust fully in Him,
joyfully knowing that He
has a plan for us, and
thanking Him, even... I know...
for the difficult, as well as the easy.
And then waiting in the middle.

It seems, as I look back over it all,
Paul has woven together
many of the fruits of the Spirit
into these tidbits of truth.
I wonder if he wasn't just trying
to help us put them into action
by giving us right advice?

How convenient is that?
Good and godly advice
that grows a harvest of fruit
to nourish us for the future.

Word of God
train me today...
To honor those whom You have placed
in my life to spiritually lead me.

To live peacefully with all people;
to never stop praying, and to be thankful
that You have a plan and a purpose for my life.

In God we trust.
It's not only the phrase
inscribed on our coins.
it's the motto of these United States.

So do we?
Trust Him, that is,
with our money,
Even with that which we
spend in cold hard cash.

For there seems to be
some great distraction which
stirs in the hearts of men, arguing
that somehow this is offensive;
demanding removal of
these sort of "religious" phrases
from the heritage of our country.
As if taking it off our money
would change our spending habits
or our ethical compass.

How many of those people
even carry cash anymore?

This is just another distraction...
another way to remove
the light which exposes those things
people prefer to hide in darkness.

When I spend money, cash or not...
I don't notice, nor contemplate
the phrase,
In God we Trust.

Yet still I do...
Trust in Him.

So because the light still shines,
let me tilt it,
turn it,
dial it up a notch, even.

Regardless of whether
it's printed, engraved, or inscribed
what of the reverse?

Could it be said, that
God trusts in us?

Now that's actually
a much more interesting question
to contemplate.

I'm not the first one to consider it.
Actually, Paul wrote it in a letter...
For we speak as messengers
approved by God to be entrusted
with the Good News.

Our purpose is to please God,
not people.
He alone examines
​the motives of our hearts.
1 Thessalonians 2:4 NLT

To be entrusted by God
means that He assigned something,
gave a responsibility, a charge, a passion
to do His will, and carry it out.

And God would only give such
to one who first trusted in Him.
Then he must be approved.
Which means to be tested,
proven, and acceptable for a task.

But God takes His time in the testing.
Not by proving those unworthy,
rather by showing what is good,
what is genuine, what is pure...
like the refiner's fire of testing a metal.

And this a often a lengthy process
before the metals can be strong enough
to be put to their full use.

But Paul had clearly passed these tests.
Now he encouraged those in the church
to continue on, without seeking to
impress people, but rather to honor God.

God alone examines
​the motives of our hearts.

Let us stop trying to change
that which is stamped upon
a coin seldom used.

Can we be entrusted by God?

This a much greater concern
for men to argue...
what is engraved
upon our heart?

For it will be tested, tried
​and put to the fire.

Word of God
train me today...
To seek only to please You and not man.

To pass the tests You give, becoming worthy,
approved and entrusted, loyal first and only to You.