💲Counterfeit 💵

We must lay before him what is in us; not what ought to be in us.  C.S. Lewis

Paul, as he closes his letter he asked these good people to not just pray for him but those that are also with him. 

1 Thessalonians 5:25 (KJV) Brethren, pray for us.

The Apostle Paul didn’t think he was beyond needing prayer, he realized he too needs prayer. One of the tricks of our enemy is to get us to think that if I ask for prayer it will show I’m weak. NO! We must pray one for another, it’s our duty and privilege to do so. As I have said I have a good friend that prays for me everyday. I have told him how much I appreciate it but those words seem so cheap in the magnitude of what he does. I mean here’s a man who cares enough about me that everyday he spends part of his day lifting me up before the Lord. There is no way you can buy such faithfulness. He never says “I prayed for you today, how about taking me to lunch or sending me a few bucks or even praying for me please.” No he just shows his Christ like attitude and the only thing he ever does is text me a number 7 to let me know he has prayed for me. When I look at his name all I see are 7’s. Eternity will show me and him both how much his prayers really meant. It’s not a weakness to ask others to pray for you, it's a weakness not to ask them to.  Paul also says continue in being faithful unto the coming of the Lord.

1 Thessalonians 5:23 (KJV) And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Because  1 Thessalonians 5:24 (KJV) Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it. Oh by the way don’t forget to read this epistle to all the brethren.

1 Thessalonians 5:27 (KJV) I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren.

We need to read God's Holy Word so that we might know ourselves what it says. I remember the story of the young man who was in classes so he could become an expert in detecting counterfeit money. He was asked one night by another man what a counterfeit bill looked like? To which the young man replied I have no idea I have never seen one. How then do you expect to be able to know if it is counterfeit? He then said that I look at and study real money so that when I see a counterfeit bill I will know it immediately. If you and I would see and understand that principle, if we were to read and study God’s Word daily we too would catch the counterfeits.