Day 74 of 90

^4:1Finally then, brothers, we beg and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, that you abound more and more. ^4:2For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. ^4:3For this is the will of God: your sanctification, that you abstain from sexual immorality, ^4:4that each one of you know how to control his own body in sanctification and honor, ^4:5not in the passion of lust, even as the Gentiles who don’t know God, ^4:6that no one should take advantage of and wrong a brother or sister in this matter; because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as also we forewarned you and testified. ^4:7For God called us not for uncleanness, but in sanctification. ^4:8Therefore he who rejects this doesn’t reject man, but God, who has also given his Holy Spirit to you. ^4:9But concerning brotherly love, you have no need that one write to you. For you yourselves are taught by God to love one another, ^4:10for indeed you do it toward all the brothers who are in all Macedonia. But we exhort you, brothers, that you abound more and more; ^4:11and that you make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, even as we instructed you, ^4:12that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and may have need of nothing. ^4:13But we don’t want you to be ignorant, brothers, concerning those who have fallen asleep, so that you don’t grieve like the rest, who have no hope. ^4:14For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. ^4:15For this we tell you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will in no way precede those who have fallen asleep. ^4:16For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with God’s trumpet. The dead in Christ will rise first, ^4:17then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. So we will be with the Lord forever. ^4:18Therefore comfort one another with these words. ^5:1But concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need that anything be written to you. ^5:2For you yourselves know well that the day of the Lord comes like a thief in the night. ^5:3For when they are saying, “Peace and safety,” then sudden destruction will come on them, like birth pains on a pregnant woman. Then they will in no way escape. ^5:4But you, brothers, aren’t in darkness, that the day should overtake you like a thief. ^5:5You are all children of light and children of the day. We don’t belong to the night, nor to darkness, ^5:6so then let’s not sleep, as the rest do, but let’s watch and be sober. ^5:7For those who sleep, sleep in the night; and those who are drunk are drunk in the night. ^5:8But since we belong to the day, let’s be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet, the hope of salvation. ^5:9For God didn’t appoint us to wrath, but to the obtaining of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, ^5:10who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. ^5:11Therefore exhort one another, and build each other up, even as you also do. ^5:12But we beg you, brothers, to know those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, ^5:13and to respect and honor them in love for their work’s sake. Be at peace among yourselves. ^5:14We exhort you, brothers: Admonish the disorderly; encourage the faint-hearted; support the weak; be patient toward all. ^5:15See that no one returns evil for evil to anyone, but always follow after that which is good for one another and for all. ^5:16Always rejoice. ^5:17Pray without ceasing. ^5:18In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus toward you. ^5:19Don’t quench the Spirit. ^5:20Don’t despise prophecies. ^5:21Test all things, and hold firmly that which is good. ^5:22Abstain from every form of evil. ^5:23May the God of peace himself sanctify you completely. May your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. ^5:24He who calls you is faithful, who will also do it. ^5:25Brothers, pray for us. ^5:26Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss. ^5:27I solemnly command you by the Lord that this letter be read to all the holy brothers. ^5:28The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

^1:1Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, to the assembly of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: ^1:2Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. ^1:3We are bound to always give thanks to God for you, brothers, even as it is appropriate, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of each and every one of you toward one another abounds, ^1:4so that we ourselves boast about you in the assemblies of God for your perseverance and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions which you endure. ^1:5This is an obvious sign of the righteous judgment of God, to the end that you may be counted worthy of God’s Kingdom, for which you also suffer. ^1:6For it is a righteous thing with God to repay affliction to those who afflict you, ^1:7and to give relief to you who are afflicted with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, ^1:8punishing those who don’t know God, and to those who don’t obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus, ^1:9who will pay the penalty: eternal destruction from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his might, ^1:10when he comes in that day to be glorified in his saints and to be admired among all those who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. ^1:11To this end we also pray always for you that our God may count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire of goodness and work of faith with power, ^1:12that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. ^2:1Now, brothers, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to him, we ask you ^2:2not to be quickly shaken in your mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter as if from us, saying that the day of Christ has already come. ^2:3Let no one deceive you in any way. For it will not be unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of destruction. ^2:4He opposes and exalts himself against all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, setting himself up as God. ^2:5Don’t you remember that when I was still with you, I told you these things? ^2:6Now you know what is restraining him, to the end that he may be revealed in his own season. ^2:7For the mystery of lawlessness already works. Only there is one who restrains now, until he is taken out of the way. ^2:8Then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will kill with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the manifestation of his coming; ^2:9even he whose coming is according to the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, ^2:10and with all deception of wickedness for those who are being lost, because they didn’t receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. ^2:11Because of this, God sends them a powerful delusion, that they should believe a lie, ^2:12that they all might be judged who didn’t believe the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. ^2:13But we are bound to always give thanks to God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief in the truth, ^2:14to which he called you through our Good News, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. ^2:15So then, brothers, stand firm and hold the traditions which you were taught by us, whether by word or by letter. ^2:16Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, ^2:17comfort your hearts and establish you in every good work and word. ^3:1Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may spread rapidly and be glorified, even as also with you, ^3:2and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and evil men; for not all have faith. ^3:3But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one. ^3:4We have confidence in the Lord concerning you, that you both do and will do the things we command. ^3:5May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and into the perseverance of Christ. ^3:6Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw yourselves from every brother who walks in rebellion and not after the tradition which they received from us. ^3:7For you know how you ought to imitate us. For we didn’t behave ourselves rebelliously among you, ^3:8neither did we eat bread from anyone’s hand without paying for it, but in labor and travail worked night and day, that we might not burden any of you. ^3:9This was not because we don’t have the right, but to make ourselves an example to you, that you should imitate us. ^3:10For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: “If anyone is not willing to work, don’t let him eat.” ^3:11For we hear of some who walk among you in rebellion, who don’t work at all, but are busybodies. ^3:12Now those who are that way, we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ, that they work with quietness and eat their own bread. ^3:13But you, brothers, don’t be weary in doing what is right. ^3:14If any man doesn’t obey our word in this letter, note that man and have no company with him, to the end that he may be ashamed. ^3:15Don’t count him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother. ^3:16Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways. The Lord be with you all. ^3:17I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand, which is the sign in every letter. This is how I write. ^3:18The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.