Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."

This is what is meant by being lifted up. It's not the rapture that movies depict, escaping all the end time tribulations. For how would those that are alive at Christ's second coming be caught up into the clouds to meet him in the air? For he is not saving the wicked in this manner. I can't wait for this event for I will see it regardless of which side of the veil I am on.

Day 4239

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Thessalonians 3:12

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Thessalonians 3:12
" And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you:"

This made me think of "by their fruits ye shall know them". The increase in love towards our fellow man does show the heart of a person. It is very concerning when once righteous people hearts grow cold towards their fellow man, having lost charity, the pure love of Christ. You cannot serve two masters and will soon lose their faith in Christ.

"But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?"
(1 John 3:17)

"A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another."
(John 13:34-35

"And now, if God, who has created you, on whom you are dependent for your lives and for all that ye have and are, doth grant unto you whatsoever ye ask that is right, in faith, believing that ye shall receive, O then, how ye ought to impart of the substance that ye have one to another.
And if ye judge the man who putteth up his petition to you for your substance that he perish not, and condemn him, how much more just will be your condemnation for withholding your substance, which doth not belong to you but to God, to whom also your life belongeth; and yet ye put up no petition, nor repent of the thing which thou hast done.
I say unto you, wo be unto that man, for his substance shall perish with him; and now, I say these things unto those who are rich as pertaining to the things of this world.
And again, I say unto the poor, ye who have not and yet have sufficient, that ye remain from day to day; I mean all you who deny the beggar, because ye have not; I would that ye say in your hearts that: I give not because I have not, but if I had I would give."
(Mosiah 4:21-24)

Day 4238

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Thessalonians 2:13

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Thessalonians 2:13
"For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe."

Paul is speaking of missionaries and their converts to the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is what every missionary would want to say about those that converted. That they were not converted because of who the missionary was, but because they embraced the truth of the gospel. This reminded me of the words of Ammon as they were finishing their mission to the Lamanites.

"But Ammon said unto him: I do not boast in my own strength, nor in my own wisdom; but behold, my joy is full, yea, my heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my God.
Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever.
Behold, how many thousands of our brethren has he loosed from the pains of hell; and they are brought to sing redeeming love, and this because of the power of his word which is in us, therefore have we not great reason to rejoice?
Yea, we have reason to praise him forever, for he is the Most High God, and has loosed our brethren from the chains of hell.
Yea, they were encircled about with everlasting darkness and destruction; but behold, he has brought them into his everlasting light, yea, into everlasting salvation; and they are encircled about with the matchless bounty of his love; yea, and we have been instruments in his hands of doing this great and marvelous work.
Therefore, let us glory, yea, we will glory in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full; yea, we will praise our God forever. Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord? Yea, who can say too much of his great power, and of his mercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men? Behold, I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel."
(Alma 26:11-16)

Day 4237

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Thessalonians 1:3

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Thessalonians 1:3
"Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;"

I pondered on the phrase "patience of hope". Patience is something everyone wants to have, but it is the hardest to achieve. It truly is a Christ-like attribute and worthy to obtain. Is patience unobtainable if one has no hope? For when we have hope in Christ we are willing to say thy will be done. When we know God has a plan and things will work to our good, we can have patience to wait upon the Lord's timing.

Day 4236