1 Thessalonians
3:12-13; 4:1-12; 5:1-22; 2 Thessalonians 3:1-6, 11 read:
12 And the Lord
make you to increase and aabound in blove one
toward another, and toward all men, even as
we do toward you:
13 To the end he
may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father,
at the acoming of
our Lord Jesus Christ with all his bsaints.
1 Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and
exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have areceived of
us how ye ought tobwalk and
to cplease God, so ye would dabound more
and more.
2 For ye know what commandments awe gave
you by the Lord Jesus.
7 For God hath not called us unto auncleanness,
but unto holiness.
9 But as touching abrotherly love ye
need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are btaught of
God to clove one
another.
10 And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren
which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more
and more;
11 And that ye astudy to
be quiet, and to do your own business, and to bwork with
your own chands, as we
commanded you;
12 That ye may walk ahonestly toward
them that are without, andthat ye may
have lack of nothing.
1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye
have no need that I write unto you.
2 For yourselves know perfectly that the aday of
the Lord so cometh as a bthief in
the night.
3 For when they shall say, Peace and asafety; then
sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and
they shall not bescape.
4 But ye, brethren, are not in adarkness, that
that bday should
overtake you as a thief.
5 Ye are all the achildren of
light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
6 Therefore let us not asleep,
as do others; but let us bwatch and
be csober.
7 For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they
that be drunken are drunken in the night.
8 But let us, who are of the day, be asober, putting
on thebbreastplate of cfaith and
love; and for an helmet, the dhope of
salvation.
9 For God hath not appointed us to awrath, but to
obtainbsalvation by
our Lord Jesus Christ,
10 Who died for us, that, whether we wake or
sleep, we shouldalive together
with him.
11 Wherefore acomfort yourselves
together, and bedify one
another, even as also ye do.
12 And we beseech you, brethren, to know them
which alabouramong
you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;
13 And to aesteem them
very highly in love for their work’s sake.And be at bpeace among
yourselves.
15 See that none arender bevil for
evil unto any cman; but
ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.
17 aPray without
ceasing.
18 In every thing give athanks: for
this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
20 Despise not prophesyings.
21 aProve all
things; hold fast that which is good.
1 Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of
the Lord amay have free course,
and be glorified, even as it is with you:
2 And that we may be delivered from aunreasonable and
wicked men: for all men have not
faith.
3 But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish
you, and keep youfrom aevil.
4 And we have aconfidence in
the Lord touching you, that ye both do and will do the things which we command
you.
5 And the Lord adirect your
hearts into the blove of
God, and into the patient waiting for Christ.
6 Now we command you, brethren, in the name of
our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye awithdraw yourselves
from every brother that walketh bdisorderly,
and not after the tradition which he received of us.
11 For we hear that there are some which walk among youadisorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies.
The following is a list
of attributes that Paul is asking the members to improve:
1.
Increase
and
abound in
love one
toward another, and toward all
men
2.
Abstain from
fornication.
3.
Do not
defraud you fellow man.
4.
Study to be quiet, and to do
your own business, and to work with your
own hands.
5.
Watch
and be sober.
6.
Edify and
comfort on another.
7.
Know the
members of the church, especially those who are in authority.
8.
Warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.
9.
See
that none
render evil for
evil unto any
man; but
ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all
men.
10. Rejoice
evermore.
11.
Pray without ceasing.
12. In
everything, give thanks.
13. Do not suppress the Spirit.
14. Do not despise the prophesyings.
15.
Put to the
test all things
16. Hold fast that which is good.
17.
Avoid the
very appearance of evil.
18. Pray for the leaders of the church.
19. Do not associate with those who preach things
contrary to our belief.
The following are a few of the previous topics
that I believe I could work on.
Number 1 is
one that I always feel I can do better with. I will strive to show my love to
those around me by being more patient and trying to understand their lives as I
can see it.
Number 7. I
can work harder at trying to fellowship those in my ward, especially the
leadership, by going out of my way to learn more about them.
Number 10. I
need to rejoice more. School had a tendancy to cause stress in one’s life. I
commit to take my wife on a date weekly and my family out at least once a
month, in an effort to leave the world for a time and simply enjoy life.