Overcoming Regrets
1st Thessalonians 5:12-22
February 26, 2006
1st Thessalonians 5:12ff
12 Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. 13 Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. 14 And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.
15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.16 Be joyful always; 17 pray continually; 18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.19 Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; 20 do not treat prophecies with contempt. 21 Test everything. Hold on to the good. 22 Avoid every kind of evil.
For all sad words of tongue and pen. The saddest are these; it might have been.
-John Greenleaf Whittier
Most if not all of us have played the Woulda, Shoulda, Coulda game. All of us have second guessed decisions that we have made whether they be in our professional or personal lives. This is only natural. However, it becomes unnatural when our shoulda’s start to take control of our lives.
Read the Scripture
Text Background
This week’s epistle reading from 1 Thessalonians lies within a slightly larger section (5:12-28) in which Paul gives a series of final instructions. Amid these lists of "dos" and "don’ts," Paul also includes two prayers or benedictions (vv.23 and 28). In these few verses Paul covers relationships between members and leaders (vv.12-13), Christian responsibility (both to other community members and to non-Christians [vv.14-15]), interior attitudes of believers (vv.16-18) and the workings of the Holy Spirit (vv.19-22). He then offers a prayer (v.23) with its own assured addendum (v.24). Verses 25-27 are often considered a
slightly unrelated Pauline postscript (such as those found in Galatians 6:11 and Colossians 4:18) and then there is closure with yet another prayer (v.28).
It is not altogether clear whether Paul intended to address all the Thessalonian Christian community throughout these admonitions or whether he addresses only the leaders with some of these directives. Obviously, there is some sort of recognized leadership within the community -- one specially charged with guiding others in living a Christian life (v.12). The question for translators and commentators is whether those who "admonish" or "instruct" from a leadership position are the only ones to whom Paul speaks in verse 14.
While there may have been some recognized division of labor within the Thessalonian community, there is no clear evidence that a rigid hierarchy had yet developed. It is probably more accurate, therefore, to see Paul’s directions through this section as inclusive of the whole community. Even those who are the leaders fall under Paul’s order to respect their fellow leaders. The "brothers" or "beloved" (NRSV) referred to in verse 14 then gives responsibility to all members of this Christian community to "warn" or "admonish," "encourage," "help," and "be patient" towards others.
Immediately after Paul widens his circle of concern throughout verses 14-15 ("do good" ... "to all" by the end of v.15), he zooms back to the condition of each individual’s heart in verses 16-18. With three terse imperatives Paul defines the proper interior attitude of a Christian. It is what’s inside that counts.
"Joy" -- both the Thessalonians’ and his own -- Paul has already mentioned before (1:6, 2:20, 3:9). This joy has little to do with carefree happiness. For Paul, joy is not something that spontaneously erupts under certain conditions. Authentic Christian joy is a continuous, ongoing condition established at the moment one receives the gift of faith in God through Jesus Christ. Christian joy, therefore, should be as constant as Christ’s own love for us.
If Paul does intend a literal "always" in verse 16, however, this is not the case in verse 17. The Thessalonian faithful are not being told they should continually be engaged in literal prayer. They are being directed beyond a reliance on, or contentment with, fixed prayer at established times. Just as the gift of the Holy Spirit makes joy theirs at all times, they also have God’s ear at all times. A Christian may turn to God at any moment of the day, under any circumstances, and be in communication with God.
The marvelous relationship that makes verses 16 and 17 true is what make verse 18 possible. Christ’s love and God’s constant presence in their lives make it possible for the Thes-salonian Christians to utter heartfelt, genuine thanks to God, whatever the circumstances facing them. All these imperatives must have sounded intimidating to the struggling Thessalonian community -- just as they do to us today. But in verses 18b-19, Paul reveals that the Thessalonians should not view this constant joyfulness,
prayerfulness and thankfulness as a set of requirements they must meet. Rather these attitudes are what become possible for them, and for each of us, to experience and manifest in life because of the Holy Spirit’s work through Christ.
It is to this Holy Spirit Paul now turns -- urging the Thessalonians to welcome its presence into their community. Using the familiar image of the Spirit as flames or fire (Acts 2:3), Paul cautions them not to "quench it" with an improper attitude. Instead of discounting all prophetic utterances out of hand, Paul urges the Thessalonians to seriously consider all prophesying. But if Paul is counseling for open minds, he is not advocating gullibility or blind acceptance. Biblical tradition reminds us that there have always been prophets of Ba’al as well as prophets of God. Therefore, Paul cautions the Thessalonians to "test
everything" before accepting it as truth.
In this scripture Paul is giving the Thessalonians and us a way of overcoming our regrets.
1st – Have no regrets regarding your compassion. Live each day in the Christlike spirit of compassion.
The story of Jake Porter-
Compassion for our brothers and sisters brings us closer to perfection. We begin to see others through the lens perspective of God.
2nd – Have no regrets regarding humility
Story of man
Story of Albert Einstein – Issac Newton and James Clark Maxwell, noted physicist
Replaced with Albert Schweitzer and Mahatma Gandhi
Needed models of humility instead of success
Arrogant Pride can be devastating to our souls. It robs us of our sens of humor. It makes us stuffy, stodgy, pretentious, overbearing, and hypocritical. It destroys our spirit of gratitude. It makes us believe that we deserve all the credit. Christlike humility relies on God and understands that God is in control.
3rd – Have no regrets regarding gratitude. Live each day in the spirit of Christlike gratitude. Real gratitude involves more than counting our material blessings. As Christians even if we don’t have many material things we can still be grateful because God is with us, God is for us, God is our friend and that is the real source of thanksgiving. God gives us the gift of himself. That is the real source of gratitude.
In conclusion I want to leave you with Bette Midler’s lyrics to “The Rose”
Some say love, it is a river
That drowns the tender reed.
Some say love, it is a razor
That leaves your soul to bleed.
Some say love, it is a hunger,
An endless aching need.
I say love, it is a flower,
And you it’s only seed.
It’s the heart, afraid of breaking,
That never learns to dance.
It’s the dream, afraid of waking,
That never takes a chance.
It’s the one who won’t be taken,
Who cannot seem to give.
And the soul, afraid of dyin’,
That never learns to live.
When the night has been too lonely,
And the road has been too long,
And you think that love is only
For the lucky and the strong,
Just remember in the winter
Far beneath the bitter snows,
Lies the seed, that with the sun’s love,
In the spring becomes the rose.
1. Remember to laugh
2. Remember to have a dream
3. Remember that there is a huge difference between growing old and growing up
4. Remember to have no regrets
Overcoming regrets another key to living the abundant life found through Jesus Christ
