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Praying 1 Thessalonians 4:8 – Don’t Reject God
TEXT: “Consequently, anyone who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.” (CSB’17 1 Thessalonians 4:8)
DEVOTIONAL: Concerning the gospel, what is of “first importance” is Jesus’s death, burial, and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Can we trust Paul on that? If so, concerning what is written, is there smething to believe that is of first importance?
Without this foundational idea, we can’t trust anything written, everything becomes subjective, with us accepting only those passages that agree with us. Isn’t that backwards? Without this underlying doctrine, one’s acceptance or rejection is settled by what we desire? Isn’t that reminiscent of the serpent’s word (Genesis 3)?
However, because of this foundational teaching, we must trust and obey what is written. When Paul and others wrote letters to the churches, penned gospel accounts, what did they think they were writing? Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 4:8. Disobeying what is written is disobeying God. The doctrine of first importance concerning the text itself is the foundational doctrine of inspiration, “God breathed”. Don’t reject or ignore what is written. Don’t ignore God. Don’t reject God. Isn’t that of first importance to your believing the gospel and what is written?
PRAYER: Your word, my God, is the final word. I accept it, because rejecting it is rejecting You. I pray this through the Word, amen.
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