2 Thessalonians on Achievement

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Identity and Achievement at L'Arche

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Keywords

Scripture

Galatians 1:10, Philippians 2:3-4, Matthew 23:1-12, 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12, James 4:1-10, 1 Peter 5:1-11

All of us struggle with our own desires for accomplishment and ambition. Christians especially find it difficult to discern their own worldly ambitions vs. following Jesus’ comand to seek first the ki...

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The #1 Disciple

Author

John Ortberg

Keywords

Scripture

Matthew 6:25-34, Galatians 1:10, Philippians 2:3-4, Matthew 23:1-12, 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12, James 4:1-10, 1 Peter 5:1-11

Harold Kushner wrote about a very bright, driven pre-med student at a very competitive college. While traveling in the East the summer before his junior year, he met a guru who said, “Don’t you see yo...

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Author

Thomas Sowell

Keywords

Scripture

Genesis 1:28, Deuteronomy 8:18, Matthew 25:14-30, 2 Thessalonians 3:10-12, Psalm 128:2

Many economic fallacies are due to conceiving of economic activity as a zero-sum contest, in which what is gained by one is lost by another. This in turn is often due to ignoring the fact that wealth ...

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Author

Bono

Keywords

Scripture

Proverbs 14:23, Deuteronomy 8:18, 2 Thessalonians 3:10-12, Colossians 3:23-24, Psalm 128:2

[A] rock-star preaches capitalism. Wow. Sometimes I hear myself and I just can’t believe it. But commerce is real. . . . Aid is just a stopgap. Commerce—entrepreneurial capitalism—takes more people ou...

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Author

St. Thomas Aquinas

Keywords

Scripture

Proverbs 12:11, Ecclesiastes 9:10, Colossians 3:23-24, 2 Thessalonians 3:10-12, Psalm 128:2

To live well is to work well.

Quote

Author

Winston S. Churchill

Keywords

Scripture

Proverbs 14:23, Deuteronomy 8:18, 2 Thessalonians 3:10-12, Colossians 3:23-24, Psalm 128:2

Some see private enterprise as a predatory target to be shot, others as a cow to be milked, but few are those who see it as a sturdy horse pulling the wagon.

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2 Thessalonians 1:11b-12

Keywords

Scripture

2 Thessalonians 1:11

May God make you “worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire of goodness and work of faith with power, that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the g...

lectionary

Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

Author

Bud Thoreen

Keywords

Scripture

2 Corinthians 6:1-13, 1 Corinthians 11:1, Philippians 3:17, 2 Thessalonians 3:7, Isaiah 49:8

preaching commentary The Servant Leader The servant leader is the hero of this text. And the example, par excellence, is the Apostle Paul. He has never shied away from holding himself up as a pe...

scripture guide

Scripture Guide, 2 Corinthians 6:1-13

Author

Bud Thoreen

Keywords

Scripture

2 Corinthians 6:1-13, 1 Corinthians 11:1, Philippians 3:17, 2 Thessalonians 3:7, Philippians 2:1-11, Isaiah 49:8

The Servant Leader The servant leader is the hero of this text. And the example, par excellence, is the Apostle Paul. He has never shied away from holding himself up as a person to be imitated, as...

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Easter Joy and Peace

Author

Trinity Lutheran Church, Lisle, Illinois

Keywords

Scripture

Luke 24:1–12, 2 Thessalonians 3:16, Colossians 3:15, Isaiah 25:3, John 14:27

Pastor: The Lord bless you and keep you strong in resurrection faith. The Lord make His face shine on you and graciously let Easter joy dawn within you. The Lord lift up His countenance upon you...

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Blessings and Peace in Christ

Author

Trinity Lutheran Church, Lisle, Illinois

Keywords

Scripture

Acts 2:1-4 , 1 Peter 1:1-2, 2 Peter 1:3, Colossians 3:12, Isaiah 41:9, 2 Thessalonians 2:13

Pastor: Now to God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout (insert your community) and the surrounding communities, who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sa...

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Benedictions: The Final Thoughts We are Left With

Author

Nancy Ortberg

Keywords

Scripture

Numbers 6:24-26, Deuteronomy 31:6, Isaiah 55:12, Romans 15:13, 2 Thessalonians 3:16, Psalm 121:7-8

A benediction. When all is said and done, these are the final thoughts we are left with. These are God’s words to God’s people. These are the good words of blessing God would like you to have stuck in...

lectionary

18th Sunday after Pentecost

Author

Scott B. Bullock

Keywords

Scripture

James 5:1-13, 2 Thessalonians 5:16-18, James 3:17-18, John 9:2-3

Preaching Commentary Summary of the Text What is the role of prayer on life’s journey? For James, its role is central. A letter that has been historically bashed for an emphasis on “works” over “fa...

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Reason for my Rhyme

Author

John Gross

Keywords

Scripture

1 Timothy 5:18, Colossians 4:1, 2 Thessalonians 3:10

It is said that upon his (Edmund Spenser, 1552-1599) presenting some poems to the Queen (Elizabeth I) she ordered him a gratuity of one hundred pounds, but the Lord Treasurer Burleigh objecting to it,...

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What is a Christian?

Author

Bill Rodenberg

Keywords

Christians

Scripture

2 Thessalonians 1:3, 1 Peter 2:2, 2 Peter 3:18, Mark 5:19, Luke 14:23, Acts 1:8, Matthew 5:16, Luke 8:16, Philippians 2:15, Mark 4:1-20, Luke 8:4-8, Psalm 12:6-8, Psalm 91:1-2, Luke 8:39, 1 Peter 2:9, 1 John 5:13, 2 Corinthians 5:1, 2 Timothy 3:1-5

The word “Christian” has lost much of its meaning in our culture. It means “Christ in one.” As you communicate the Good News of Jesus Christ, this is what God expects of a Christian: He expects us to...

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When Decisions have Fateful Consequences

Author

The Pastor's Workshop

Keywords

Scripture

Joshua 1:5, Psalm 20:7, Isaiah 40:30-31, 2 Thessalonians 3:3, Hebrews 10:23; 13:5-6

The famous poem The Charge of the Light Brigade includes these haunting lines: Into the valley of Death Rode the six hundred… Someone had blundered. Theirs not to reason why, ...

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A Pastor’s Greatest Accomplishment

Author

Mark Batterson

Keywords

Calling

Scripture

Numbers 6:24-26, 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17, 2 Corinthians 4:7, Ephesians 3:20-21, Galatians 2:20

Dr. Halverson pastored Fourth Presbyterian Church in Bethesda, Maryland, for twenty-three years. He did what pastors do-everything from preaching and counseling to marrying and burying. But he believe...

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Author

Barbara Kingsolver

Keywords

Hope

Scripture

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17, Philippians 4:6-7, Psalm 23:3, 2 Corinthians 4:16, Romans 15:13, Psalm 30:5, Isaiah 40:31

Hope is a renewable option: If you run out of it at the end of the day, you get to start over in the morning.

liturgy

Jesus, you are our peace You proclaim

Author

Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia

Keywords

Scripture

2 Thessalonians 3:16, Matthew 11:28-30, Philippians 4:6-7, Isaiah 9:6, Romans 5:1, John 14:27, Colossians 1:19-20

Jesus, you are our peace You proclaim it You create it You bring us near Without you there is No safety No belonging No nurturing No identity rooted beyond this dust Without you we are Anchorless St...

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The Bible Calls Us

Author

Eugene H. Peterson

Keywords

Scripture

1 Corinthians 1:26-27, Ephesians 4:1-6, 2 Thessalonians 2:14, 1 Timothy 6:11-16

God speaks the decisive word that puts us on the way, the road. The path of life. The Hebrew word for Bible is Miqra, a noun formed from the verb “to call” qara. The Bible is not a book to carry aroun...

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Author

Martin Luther

Keywords

Attacks

Scripture

2 Thessalonians 3:3, Romans 12:12, Psalm 91:4-5, 2 Corinthians 10:4-5, James 4:7, Matthew 6:13, 1 Peter 5:8-9

We Christians must be armed and expect every day to be under continuous attack. . . . At such times our only help and comfort is to run here and seize hold of the Lord’s Prayer and speak to God from o...

liturgy

2 Thessalonians 2:13-17 (ESV)

Keywords

Scripture

2 Thessalonians 2:13-17

But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. To ...

liturgy

The peace of Christ be to thee

Author

Carmina Gadelica

Keywords

Scripture

John 14:27, Philippians 4:7, Ephesians 6:23-24, 2 Thessalonians 3:16, Isaiah 26:3

The peace of Christ be to thee, The peace of Spirit be to thee, During all thy life, All the days of thy life. The keeping of God upon thee in every pass, The shielding of Christ upon thee in ev...

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Coming to Grips with the Reality of Sin

Author

Stuart R. Strachan, Jr.

Keywords

Scripture

1 John 3:8, 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10, Matthew 13:19, 2 Corinthians 11:14, John 8:44, James 4:7, 1 Peter 5:8

The psychotherapist M. Scott Peck spent many years of his practice as an agnostic. He, along with thousands upon thousands of his colleagues were taught that evil was a social construct, and therefore...

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It is Well

Author

Stuart R. Strachan, Jr.

Keywords

Scripture

Matthew 5:4, Psalm 147:null, Psalm 34:18, Revelation 21:1-8, 2 Corinthians 1:3-12, Romans 8:18-28, John 11:null, 2 Thessalonians 3:16, John 14:27, 1 Peter 5:7, Daniel 6:, Psalm 46:, Psalm 23:, Job 1:, Job 2:, 2 Samuel 11:, 2 Samuel 12:

If you ever travel to Jerusalem and are looking for sites to see, beyond all the ‘must-see’ sites related to Ancient Israel, the Temple Mount, and the sites associated with Jesus, you might venture to...

liturgy

May the God of hope fill us with all

Keywords

Scripture

Romans 15:13, 2 Thessalonians 3:16, Galatians 5:22-23, John 14:27, Philippians 4:7, Romans 15:13

May the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing through the power of the Holy Spirit.

scripture guide

Scripture Guide James 5:13-20

Author

Scott B. Bullock

Keywords

Scripture

James 5:13-20, 2 Thessalonians 5:16-18, James 3:17-18, John 9:2-3

Summary of the Text What is the role of prayer on life’s journey? For James, its role is central. A letter that has been historically bashed for an emphasis on “works” over “faith” is immensely pract...

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G. K. Chesterton: The Great Defender of Tradition

Author

The Pastor's Workshop

Keywords

Scripture

Exodus 20:1-17, Deuteronomy 6:4-9, Matthew 15:3, 2 Thessalonians 2:15, Psalm 119:97-98

G. K. Chesterton was well-known (and iconoclastic) in his defense of tradition in a time when progress was all the rage in Western Europe- in technology, in the sciences, in philosophy. Chesterton, on...

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Author

Gustav Mahler

Keywords

Scripture

2 Timothy 1:6-7, Psalm 78:4, Hebrews 12:28-29, 1 Corinthians 11:2, 2 Thessalonians 2:15

Tradition is not the worship of ashes but the preservation of fire.

liturgy

Adapted from Psalm 7

Keywords

Scripture

Psalm 7:, Daniel 6:16–23, Isaiah 54:17, Luke 18:7–8, Romans 12:19, 2 Thessalonians 1:6–7

Leader: O Lord my God, in you do I take refuge; save me from all my pursuers and deliver me, lest like a lion they tear my soul apart rending it in pieces, with none to deliver. People: O Lo...

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