Daily Dose of Hope

September 15, 2024

Day 1 of Week 25

Scripture: Proverbs 29-31; 1 Thessalonians 4

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional/podcast that complements the New Hope Church Bible reading plan. Today, we are starting week 25 of consistent Bible reading. That’s pretty good, everyone! Congrats to all of you. Let’s get started with today’s Scripture reading.

Today we are finishing up the book of Proverbs. Chapter 29 is the end of the compilation of Proverbs by King Hezekiah’s men. There are a wide variety of warnings in this chapter, but again its reiterated that sin has consequences. Evil schemes will lead to ruin, foolish thinking is highly dangerous, and we need to exhibit discretion with whom we argue. The last two chapters of the book of Proverbs include wisdom associated with a man named Agur, a king named Lemuel, and a famous description of a godly woman.

The Proverbs 31 woman has become quite a famous passage. Some of you might own a coffee mug with the Scripture. These verses depict a woman who fulfills her God-given purpose and lives with high levels of integrity, wisdom, and complete devotion to God. But don’t let these passages fool you – they aren’t just for women! Every person should strive for these qualities.

Our New Testament passage is I Thessalonians 4. Apparently, the Thessalonians had presented this question to Paul, "What happens to die in Christ?" There must have been some deaths in the church since its founding, which would naturally lead to such a question. Paul reinforces his teaching about the resurrection and Jesus' second coming. He refers to the dead as "those who sleep in death," which is fairly common in both Jewish and Greek writing. But we should note that this doesn't mean the soul is asleep after death. New Testament texts clearly demonstrate that for believers the soul is alive while the body waits for the resurrection of all believers.

Jesus' physical resurrection is the central defining feature of Christianity. It proved his divinity, it clearly demonstrated Jesus' victory over death, it proves that we serve a living God, and it foreshadows our own bodily resurrection when Jesus returns. Because of the resurrection, we can be assured that this earthly life is not all there is; we get to spend eternity with Jesus. I am reminded of Jesus dying on the cross next to the two thieves. One accepts Jesus in his dying hour and Jesus proclaims, "I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise." Yes, we get to be with Jesus when we die AND yes, we still will get to be part of the future resurrection of believers. Both are sources of great hope and joy. The Thessalonian church needed to hear it and we do too!

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki