DEVOTIONAL: Why believe? I Thessalonians 4:13-18
By Dr. Michael Madaris, Pastor
Kelleytown Baptist Church, Hartsville
Have you ever wondered why you believe something? You might have asked, “Why should I believe you?” Or “Why should I believe them?” You may have been asked or even asked yourself, “Why do I believe the Bible?” We live in an age of doubt, but that is not uncommon. The Bible is God’s Word. The Bible was given to us by Jesus Christ through the work (inspiration) of God the Holy Spirit. It doesn’t just contain the words of God but it is the Word of God. Within its pages we find the commands of God, we find the principles of God, we find God’s heart and we find God’s plan. We also find many promises from God to those who follow Him, and we find promises that God has made to those who choose not to follow Him. There is one question that man has faced since the beginning of time, as old as the Garden of Eden and Adam and Eve. It was posed to Eve in the Garden of Eden by the serpent (Genesis 3), and it is this … Did God really say? Did God really mean what He said? Did you hear Him right? Does He still mean what He once said? In other words, “Why believe?” God has made many promises. One of those promises yet to come true is found in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. It is the promise that Jesus is coming again. He is going to raise those from the dead to be with Him forever who died with their faith in Jesus Christ for their salvation. He is not only coming back for those who have died with their faith in Jesus, but He is coming back for those who are still alive and are trusting in Christ Jesus alone to save them from their sins. The Bible says, “14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 15 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. 16 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. 17 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.” There are many reasons that I might give you concerning the answer to that question (Why believe?), but they would all find their foundation in the reality that I believe what God says because God is faithful. We read Scripture and see that God made many promises in the Old Testament that have already come true. We see promises that are recorded in the New Testament that have already come true. We also find many promises in both the OT and NT that have yet to come true. God promised Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:15) that one day He would send someone to make right all that had been destroyed through their rebellion and sin. We see God kept His promise in Matthew 1 and Luke 2 as we read of God the Son taking on human flesh and coming to live among mankind as a man. The ultimate fulfillment being in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. You can read the stories of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, see the promises God made to them, and how God kept those promises (Genesis 11-50). God made promises to the shepherd boy David and kept them when he became king of Israel (I Samuel 16-ff). I could give so many more examples. I pray that you will think about God’s faithfulness as you navigate the current circumstances you and your family are facing. If you will trust Him and follow Him, you will find that He is faithful. He always has been and He always will be. He loves you!
