Contemplative Bible Reading

1 Thessalonians 4:1-3 (New Living Translation)

1 Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you in the name of the Lord Jesus to live in a way that pleases God, as we have taught you. You live this way already, and we encourage you to do so even more. 2 For you remember what we taught you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.

3 God’s will is for you to be holy…

Let’s begin with the final phrase. What is God’s will for me? Here is a simple statement: be holy.

We don’t use the word “holy” much these days. I suppose we are focusing on other things that someone decided were more important than “holy.” We don’t call the Bible the “Holy Bible” any longer. Oh well.

What does it mean to be “holy?” Let’s go back to the first sentence, “live in a way that pleases God.” Hmm. Well, that is pretty simple. Is it easy to do? Well, sure as long as I’m sitting in a comfortable chair at the coffee shop sipping good hot coffee and smiling at the other smiling people as they walk through to sip their good hot coffee. We are all smiling and loving and pleasing to God.

What about those days when I wake cold with a headache and a sore neck and have to drive an hour in rain and traffic to sit in an uncomfortable chair and listen to a boring person bore a group of people in a meeting room and…?

Holy? Hey God, come sit in this meeting.

Nope. All wrong. Please God all the time in all circumstances. It is God’s will for me to live a holy life. ‘Nuff said. Please God, help me in my unbelief.