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"Stay the Course" for Monday, 2 February 2015RG AUDIO 020215
1 Thessalonians 1: Greeting
1 From Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy.
To the Thessalonians’ church that is in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Grace and peace to all of you.
Thanksgiving to God
2 We always thank God for all of you when we mention you constantly in our prayers. 3 This is because we remember your work that comes from faith,[a] your effort that comes from love, and your perseverance that comes from hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father. 4 Brothers and sisters, you are loved by God, and we know that he has chosen you. 5 We know this because our good news didn’t come to you just in speech but also with power and the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know as well as we do what kind of people we were when we were with you, which was for your sake. 6 You became imitators of us and of the Lord when you accepted the message that came from the Holy Spirit with joy in spite of great suffering. 7 As a result you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. 8 The message about the Lord rang out from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia but in every place. The news about your faithfulness to God has spread so that we don’t even need to mention it. 9 People tell us about what sort of welcome we had from you and how you turned to God from idols. As a result, you are serving[b] the living and true God, 10 and you are waiting for his Son from heaven. His Son is Jesus, who is the one he raised from the dead and who is the one who will rescue us from the coming wrath.[Footnotes:
1 Thessalonians 1:3 Or faithfulness
1 Thessalonians 1:9 Or to become slaves of]
"Stay The Course" by Cindy LowcockTwelve teenage girls and the ship’s captain head out for a weeklong educational cruise to Catalina Island, located twenty-six miles off the coast of Southern California. They were not expecting to experience the strong winds that pushed against the bow of the 48-foot sloop carrying them to their destination. Novice sailors at best, their training as Sea Scouts was quickly put to the test as they tried to obey the orders of the captain: “Hold the line tight”, “Stay the course!” They safely navigated through the storm and on to their island destination.
The Christians in the Thessalonian church had their hope set on knowing Jesus Christ and sharing Him with others. However, there were storms to weather along the way. Paul faithfully acknowledges their hope inspired endurance–hope that endures the present storm as well as the unknown future.
We all experience sudden storms in our lives. Some storms come up quickly; others are a constant wind that pushes against our intended direction. In spite of this, the Captain’s orders are the same: “Stay the course!”
Hymn for Today: "Stay The Course"
Stay the course
Unregarded what the others think
follow through your goals
Stay the course
be impassive what all the others want
go your own way
Stand focused, stay strong
Stay the course
and regardless what the critics say
seek your golden road
Stay the course
be hard and fast
reach out, achieve your goals
chase your own dreams
stay faithful, prolong
Veils that cover the sacred treasures
that no one dares imbibe
those proclaiming different views
were long ago proscribed
I should warn you, it's deadly to abide
instead I taught you to bow and toe the line
Fear is what you breathe
Disagree
Guidance what you need
For all the chances you will never see
Trust in me!
Notice the anomalies
erase them from your memory
Fight, dismay,
deny the disarray!
Just keep them far away from you and fight
with all your might!
Stay the course
Show no remorse
Terminate all that deters
Veils that cover the sacred treasures
that no one dares imbibe
those proclaiming different views
were long ago proscribed
I should warn you, it's deadly to abide
instead I taught you to bow and toe the line
I should Warn you to never compromise
Instead I want you believing the disguise
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