We have been looking at I Thessalonians 5:14-22, so I will give those verses again: “Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men. See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men. Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil.”
Since I covered the first three things in these verses last week, I will begin here with the words: “Be patient toward all men”. I have sometimes thought of the man who prayed to God for patience, saying, “Lord, I want patience, and I want it right now”. I imagine that most of us can identify to a great extent with this man’s statement, although we might not be too quick to admit it. I have never bragged about being patient, for I do not see myself fitting into that category, but I have sought to grow in that area, yet I will leave it up to those who know me best to determine if I am making any progress! Our word “patient”, as it is used in our verse, means: “to be long spirited”, or “to forbear or longsuffering” or “long tempered”. I remember from my childhood that my mother said to me many times: “Son, your tempter is going to be your ruin”. Maybe I have not been completely ruined, but I do also think that God has helped me to “calm my temper down a bit”. Since God is commanding believers to be patient toward all people (“men” is italicized, thus not a part of the original writing of this verse), so God is calling on us to be patient with everybody, of whatever sex and whatever age! We all have sometimes had to “back paddle”, because we have been too hasty in our words, since our patience has been rather short. It is not hard to be patient with some people, but that is not the case with all people!
We are also commanded to see that we do not render evil for evil to any person. A more often used statement, though not a right statement, is: “I will get even with him, if it’s the last thing I do”. The sad point is that such action is sometimes the “last thing one does”, for the adversary may come out ahead of the one who would “get even” by taking his life! We are living wisely, if we simply allow God to do the “getting even”, for He knows exactly who is right and what should be done with the one who is in the wrong. This is why God tells us not to render evil for evil in our verses above. Also, Hebrews 10:30 says, “For we know Him Who hath said, Vengeance belongeth to Me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, the Lord shall judge His people.” We would all do well to allow God to take care of our enemies, for He will do the right thing, whereas we might not, since we have often failed to do what is right in God’s eyes.
The next part of our verse tells us to “ever follow that which is good”. There is a kind of “classroom assignment” in this statement, because we sometimes have to determine “what is good” in certain problems or experiences that are before us. It is at this point that we will be well equipped if we happen to know what the Bible says about our problem. If Scripture does not directly address a particular problem, it may give a general rule that will apply to that problem. Our obligation is to know as much as we can about what the Bible says, so that when certain problems come up our mental ability will take us to a passage that covers our problem, at least generally, if not particularly. So, if we are to “ever follow that which is good”, our first obligation is that we learn what is good, as well as what is not good, thus we will at least know what we should do, even if we might fail to do it. We are on the “winning side” when we come to the conclusion that God is always right, even if we may not think He is, or if our “Feelings” may be leading us in another direction, for the Bible is “King”!
By J. Briggs King