THE STORY OF JESUS: 2 Thessalonians 1
“You will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering.” (2 Thessalonians 1:5)
Jesus preaches the good news of the kingdom of God (Mark 1:14-15).
The kingdom of God is this world as God created it to be (see Genesis 1-2).
A world of goodness, which God declares ‘very good’ (Genesis 1:31)
Jesus is the promised serpent crusher (Genesis 3:15) who reverses the curse.
That is, He will restore goodness for all, and remove those who refuse it.
The Thessalonians have accepted Jesus’s vision of God’s ‘very good’ kingdom.
They have placed their confidence in the Jesus Way, and have chosen to obey it.
They desire goodness and are motivated by faith to do good (2 Thessalonians 1:11).
For this faith, and this goodness, they are suffering.
As will anyone who pursues God’s kingdom with Jesus in this broken world.
How is my desire for goodness and commitment to good deeds causing me hardship?
If I desire and pursue goodness in Jesus’s Name, it will make life harder.
But the vision is worth it, because it is good, and right, and worth it.
Am I desiring God’s kingdom like this, regardless of how it costs me?
What do you sense the Lord saying to you?
PRAYER
Lord, I want to be counted worthy of Your kingdom, because Your kingdom is very good. Bring to fruition my desire for goodness, and produce Your goodness through me!