1 Thessalonians 4
April 5, 2022
“It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister.” (v3-6)
One of the most frequent questions I’m asked is: “What is God’s will for my life?” Here, Paul clearly lays out one aspect of God’s will for our lives: to be sanctified (set apart) with regard to our sexuality (v3). We are to see our bodies as belonging to God, to be used in ways that bring Him “honor” (v4). We are also to see each others’ bodies as the bodies of our family: “Don’t wrong your brother or sister” (v6). After all, if we see every woman as our sister and every man as our brother, we will look to serve them, not use them for our own gratification.
Lord, I praise You that You are the sovereign King over the whole universe, including my body. I declare that I belong to You. I’m sure that living in such a sexualized culture affects the way I think and see people. And so I pray that You would give me eyes to see them through the lens of the Kingdom. Grow in our Trinity Family (including our students) a passion to “live in a way that is pleasing to You” (v1) - honoring You in what we look at, what we watch, and how we interact with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
— Pastor Joshua Brooks
Use the following steps to guide your daily time with the Lord…
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Start with prayer. Ask God to open your heart to help you understand and receive His Word.
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Read and observe the passage carefully. As needed, read a second Bible version to help with understanding.
➡️ What does it say?
What does this passage teach me about God? What does it say about my sinful nature and my need for God’s grace? How does this passage point to Jesus?
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➡️ What am I going to do about it?
Does this passage include a promise to claim, an action/attitude to avoid/embrace, or a principle to apply? How can this truth apply to my life? What could my next step be? How can I share this with others? Is there a verse or section of Scripture I need to memorize?
