daily devotional

Think It Over

Are you living every day (as if it's your last) for His glory? Do you work diligently at your job and in your home (as if He isn't coming for another 10 years) for His name's sake?

Do you shake salt and shine the light every chance you get?

Do you remain balanced, cheerful, winsome, and stable, anticipating His return?

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)

Might be a good idea to commit these six verses to memory. You never know when you're going to need to comfort someone with these words.

Excerpted from Day by Day with Charles Swindoll, Copyright © 2000 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. (Thomas Nelson Publishers). All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission.