Free & Fit - Thessalonians Reflections - Wednesday 27th November 2025 - 1 Thessalonians 5 Thanksgiving Eve
Thessalonians Reflections
Wednesday 27th November 2025
1 Thessalonians 5 Thanksgiving Eve
“Now as to the times and dates, brothers and sisters, you have no need for anything to be written to you. For you yourselves know perfectly well that the day of the [return of the] Lord is coming just as a thief [comes unexpectedly and suddenly] in the night. While they are saying, “Peace and safety [all is well and secure!]” then [in a moment unforeseen] destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains on a woman with child, and they will absolutely not escape [for there will be no way to escape the judgment of the Lord].”
1 Thessalonians 5:1-3 AMP
Full Chapter:
Reflection:
Before I became a Christian three things were on my heart which were opposed to the practice and lifestyle of following Jesus Christ. The first was surrender. I was not willing to give up my own life to allow someone else to lead, guide, council and direct my own steps. I wanted to be the ruler of my own life, to make my own decisions and to not include anybody else. My mind was self centered, egotistical and perhaps arrogant to other people as a result. I was lost, lonely and in need of a Saviour to come into my life.
After much deliberation, discussion and exploring I found the courage to begin to search to find the real purpose for my life. I visited multiple different Churches from Mormon to Catholic, High Liturgical to Charismatic and Orthodox to Pentecostal. Nobody told me I had to choose, nobody instructed me to remain loyal to one and it was almost as if I was exposed to the fullness of Christs whole Church in a six month search for peace. At the end of this journey I landed in the Church of England, some two years later, where I would become confirmed, welcomed and accepted into a Church family.
My second objection was being accountable to other people. I was dead set against accepting a mentor, a Pastor or a Counselor or Spiritual Director into my life. I was against all things to do with responsibility, relationships and religious spiritual formation. This all changed when the Pastor of my Church, HTB Pastor and Alpha pioneer Nicky Gumble, shared his own experiences with beginning to see a counsellor after his Father died and recieved healing. Nicky shared seeing a counsellor helped him to help grieve, mourn and celebrate his Fathers life.
This also changed for me once I accepted my own need for spiritual and counseling help. I accepted I had a need for Jesus, a need to get better in my own life and to become more aware of my own relationship to others. Ultimately to God, to neighbour and to myself. This helped me to accept other people into my life including Church family, new friends and faith related work opportunities that ultimately led me to my first call as a School Chaplain and Youth Pastor.
The third part of my resistance was to the idea accepting another person into my life. In a romantic sense. I felt lost, lonely and without the capacity to accept somebody into my life. That I was not worthy of love. I was so encouraged that Jesus could love me, but feared that nobody else could love me and was not willing to accept anybody else into my life in a deeper sense. I didn’t want to get married, I didn’t want to have anybody else in my life and wanted to escape the reality of romantic relationships.
Then I found out about the Pre-marriage course, the Marriage course and Relationships department at my Church. From here I explored Counselling, started dating and began to seek to find a companion in my life. One nine thirty am service at HTB Nicky Gumble asked us forward for prayer. I asked him to pray for my future wife, to get married and six months I met Liza! The rest is history and the next steps of my journey transformed me into an advocate for marriage, counselling and building friendships in a Church community.
Today I had a counselling session, spoke with my mind coach and prepared for our first Sunday at Church in Advent where my wife will be preaching. This is a story of transformation. Jesus is real. Counselling is a great way to finding relationship freedom and married life is amazing! Today, if you have the opportunity join a local Church please consider joining a small group. If you are dating please prayerfully consider doing a pre-marriage course. If you are married please be open to exploring a marriage course. Jesus is real and alive today!
“Rejoice always and delight in your faith; be unceasing and persistent in prayer; in every situation [no matter what the circumstances] be thankful and continually give thanks to God; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 AMP
Closing Prayer
Father help us to become more sensitive to other people, to listen to those around us and to be available to our loved ones this Thanksgiving. Help us to be receptive to what you want us to do in our world today in Jesus name. Amen
“So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord.”
Lamentations 3:26 NLT
Reach out to us and sign up via www.freenfit.org
Free & Fit Mission
Free & Fit mission to build community through Sports, the Arts, Outreach & Service.
Free & Fit Vision
Free & Fit Vision The vision of free and fit course is to engage, motivate, improve and hence find freedom in a physical and spiritual state. As such the freedom that leads to a peaceful heart; leads to a healthy body.
Twitter&Instagram: @freeandfitnyc
Full details of our Release and Waiver here: https://www.freenfit.org/post/free-fit-nyc-exercise-participation-in-online-sessions-release-waive
Thank you for reading and agreeing to these terms. Please email any questions to: Freeandfitnyc@gmail.com Sign up to our events online: www.freenfit.org
Freedom // Fitness // Fellowship
Free & Fit Challenge © Copyright 2024
Free & Fit NYC/NJ © Copyright 2024
Free & Fit London © Copyright 2024
Comments