at a glance
author: The apostle Paul.
date: About AD 51.
setting: Paul wrote from Corinth to encourage the new Christians at Thessalonica (in modern-day northern Greece) who were being persecuted.
verse to remember: May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you (3:12).
theme to consider: Watch for the practical ways we can live holy lives in the midst of a culture that is hostile to Christian values. Take courage in the knowledge that Christ is with us now and that he is coming again.
unchanging truth
When the year 2000 drew near, some people were swept up in the Y2K frenzy, thinking that the end of the world was at hand. Some people loaded up on canned food. Others dug underground shelters. Still others holed away on a hilltop so Jesus would be sure to see them in case he returned on New Year’s Eve. While some people went through elaborate (and weird) preparations for the approaching millennium, preparing for Jesus’ return is actually simple. If you believe that Jesus is coming back tomorrow, just live like he’s coming today.
In other words, the only way you’ll be ready for him tomorrow is if you’re ready today. Being ready for Jesus’ return doesn’t mean stockpiling soup cans and water bottles under your bed. It means living expectantly—keeping your eyes on him every day so that when the last day comes, you’ll be ready to go.
Sure, you may not feel like you’re ready to leave this life and move on to the next one. It’s hard enough to let someone we love leave this life and go on to heaven without thinking how we’ll all have to make that same journey one day—unless Jesus comes back before then. The people in Thessalonica could relate to that feeling. However, Paul reminded them that this world is not our home. Ready or not, we’ll all leave it behind one day. And knowing what’s coming tomorrow makes all the difference in how we choose to live today.
1. Living for Jesus today means we’re prepared for his return tomorrow (4:1–12).
2. There is more to life than living and dying. The best is yet to come (4:13–18)!
3. Knowing Jesus is returning soon should motivate us to live for God and look out for each other (5:1–24).