Day 285

Jeremiah 19:1-21:14; 1 Thessalonians 5:4-28; Psalm 82:1-8; Proverbs 25:7b-10

Do Not Despise Prophecies 

On the day of Pentecost, the Apostle Peter stood up and declared what had been spoken from the Prophet Joel: “’And in the last days it shall be,’ God declares, ‘that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams’” (Acts 2:16-17).

A few weeks ago my daughter Bethany had a dream. She wrote this: “Last night I had a dream that Jesus was coming back. People were being gathered in anticipation for His return. We all went to the four winds to listen for the alarm to go off saying He is coming. He was not on the mountaintop, which we all were on but He was coming. He was waiting. I felt so much peace. And I was feeling so lovesick- I just wanted to see Him so badly. Then He didn’t come and I was thinking, ‘Oh, God is the same as every other person–unreliable. He is not going to show up.‘ As time passed we realized that He hadn’t come yet because it was us who were not ready. I woke up from my dream and heard this verse, ‘For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night’ (1 Thess. 5:2). This shook up my whole day. Jesus is real and Jesus is coming. No one knows the day or the hour and our call is to be ready! He is coming for a pure bride! Without spot or blemish! Maranatha!”

The Apostle Paul writes: “Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast the good” (1 Thess 5:19-21). We are to listen when a prophetic dream or word is given, but we are also called to test it. We put prophecy to the test by checking with Scripture. A prophetic word will never contradict the Bible – this is how we test whether prophecy is true or false. Prophecy is intended to strengthen, encourage, and comfort us (1 Corinthians 14:3).

In 1 Thessalonians 5, Paul gives instructions for us in these last days. We are to be ready in how we live and how we wait for Christ’s return, knowing that He is the hope of our salvation because He died for us, so that whether we are alive on this earth today or leave tomorrow, we might live with Him forever. This is the good news, in which we can rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in all circumstances! I join Paul and pray this blessing for you today: “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and He will do it” (1 Thess. 5:23-24).  Maranatha! Our Lord is coming!

The Rev. Robin Morical