Saturday 12 Jan 2013

Saturday Reading: 1 Thessalonians 5:12-15

Key Verse: 1 Thessalonians 5:12
12  And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;

Devotion:
In society there is always someone who is elected in some manner to be in charge of others so that order may be maintained. Our church life is not any different in that we do have someone who should be in charge of our lives and that is God. If we are not going to allow Him to be in control of our lives then we are going to find that things will go wrong at what we may think are the worst possible times.

God has elected people to teach us about Him and to allow us to grow in the knowledge of the Lord. He have given us these priests and teachers so that we may learn His ways and know what is best for each of us. If we do not look up to them and hold them in the light in which God has elected them then we are not acknowledging God’s order of authority. God has put them there for a reason and now and again they may even have to reprimand us for doing things wrong or for breaking God’s laws. If we ignore those warnings and admonitions then we are ignoring God’s authority.

They are doing God’s work for a reason – because they have a love for the Lord to carry out His wishes not just in their own lives but in the lives of all those that God has allowed them to care for. We have to lift them up in this light so that we show God that we accept His authority in our lives. If we do accept their authority then we should be able to live in peace with them because we will not have to try to argue everything out.

But then we also have to realise that God has put us here for a reason too. He may well call on us to warn others when we see them doing something wrong. God wants us to share His authority and to allow people to know when they are breaking God’s Law. If they never learn what God’s Law is then they will never know when they are doing things wrong. If we are able to show them, in love, when they come up against God’s Laws, then we will be able to share God with them more effectively because they will know God’s limits just as we have learned them.

Points to Ponder:
Do you like being told off?

Do you listen to God’s servants when they tell you off?