Dear Church - 1 Thessalonians 1

Dear Church – 1 Thessalonians 1

I have a sign on my desk that says, Life is hard, but God is good. We all need to be reminded that God is good even in the midst of the hard of life.
We can rejoice when all seems to be falling apart around us because God is with us; He is our strength.

          Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, 3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.

The Apostle Paul rejoiced while he sat in a jail cell (Acts 16:22-25) because he had learned to be content in Jesus (Philippians 4:11-13).

The eleven apostles rejoiced after being flogged for preaching. They kept preaching anyway.Nothing would shut them up; that is why they all died martyrs’ deaths; death was the only way to silence their preaching.

         Acts 5:40 His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 41 The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. 42 Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.

Love Jesus enough to share His good news with others.

Love your family and neighbors enough to share the good news of Jesus with them, no matter the cost.

You know people who kept a smile on their faces and the love of Jesus in their hearts as they endured life's tragedies. Let’s be more like them.

Let me give you a current example of this kind of faith, trust, and joy.

Brooke’s family has been lifelong friends of the Webster’s.
Brooke, who is in her early 20s, has been diagnosed with cancer, and at this point, there are no more treatments they can try.

In February, she posted on her Facebook page.
            “I finished radiation, but I am still doing immunotherapy, I have 3 treatments of that left! I am hoping the side effects of it, if I have any, will not be too bad.”
            “Since ending radiation, I have been thinking about God’s goodness and how it is always there, even though there are still unexpected things that happen. They may be unexpected to us, but to God it is his perfect plan for our lives. …I have felt so much joy the last few weeks because I know I don’t have to worry about my future because it’s in God’s hands.”

          Psalm 145:5 They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty, and I will meditate on your wonderful works. 6 They will tell of the power of your awesome works, and I will proclaim your great deeds. 7 They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

Last Friday, she posted the following.
            “I don’t see the good in my situation currently to be completely honest, but I do know that God is using me through this cancer for good. It seems crazy to me that it had to be this way, but it’s God’s way, and that is so much better than any other way. God is good, and we need to turn to God every day with what we are going through and just talk with Him about how we feel.”

Then, she listed several bible verses that are encouraging to her.
Psalm 100:5; Isaiah 26:3; Romans 8:28; Romans 8:18

Her mother, Heather, whose young husband died several years ago, wrote this on Saturday.
            “God promises us that we will see His goodness even if right now our circumstances tell a different story.

            Psalm 27:13 I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. 14 Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.
Brooke is battling for her life, but she has the promise of Eternal Life, and that is why she and her family can have peace in the middle of cancer.

Rejoice! Rejoice because you have a personal relationship with Jesus.

You will not be happy, but you can have joy.

Joy is knowing that God holds tomorrow and you will be with Him in Heaven forever.

Below is a picture of Brooke from February; she has a smile of JOY as she battles cancer.

Let’s follow her example and the apostle's example and rejoice because God is good.