1 Thessalonians ~Chapter 5/Thursday Bible Study

In this final chapter of 1 Thessalonians, Paul again speaks of the *Lord's sure return; and is encouraging the Believers to stand fast, and hold firm in the Faith.

Paul also points out how to deal with those among the Body that would disturb the peace of Christian community.

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1 Thessalonians ~ Chapter 5/Thursday Bible Study

The Time of the Lord's Return

"As to the time and season when He is to come, there is no need, my brethren, for me to write anything to you. For you well know that the Day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night. Some day when people say, 'we have peace and security', destruction will strike them suddenly, as labor pains come upon an expectant mother, and they shall not escape.

But you, my brethren, are not in the dark, so that day should not come upon you as a thief by surprise. You are all sons of light, sons of the day. No, we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Then let us not sleep like the rest of mankind, but let us watch in soberness. For those who sleep do so at night, and those who get drunk do so at night. And since we are men of the daylight, let us keep sober. Let us put on the breastplate of Faith and love. And for a helmet, let us put on the hope of salvation.

For **Elohim's intention is not to punish us in wrath, but to save us for the sake of our ***Lord Yeshua Ha'Mashiach. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or taking our sleep, we share our lives with Him. Go on, therefore, encouraging and strengthening one another as you have been doing.  (vv. 1 - 11)

Counsel for Christian Living

Brethren, we make this request of you - that you respect those who labor among you, those who are over you in the Lord and teach you the Way. You should hold them in high esteem and love them because of their work.

Be at peace among yourselves. We earnestly make this appeal to you, brethren: warn the unruly (disorderly and disruptive; not bendable to discipline or control), encourage the timid, support the weak, be patient with everyone. See to it that no one pays back evil for evil. Try always to find ways to do good (that which is morally right = righteousness, for the benefit, or advantage of the Body = selfless agape love towards Christians & general love for humanity towards unbelievers) to one another and to everybody.

Rejoice always. Never stop praying. Give thanks for everything, for Elohim expects this of you all, in Christ. Do not stifle the voice of the ****Ruach HaKo'desh. Do not disregard the prophesies. Let all things be tested, and hold on to what is right. Avoid every form of wickedness. (vv. 12 - 22)

Conclusion

May the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely! And may you spirit and soul and body be kept sound and without reproach till the coming of our Lord Yeshua Ha'Mashiach! He Who calls you can be trusted; and He will not fail you. Brethren, pray for us, too. Greet all the brethren with a holy kiss. In the Name of the Lord, I earnestly ask you to have this letter read to all the brethren. The grace of our Lord Yeshua Ha'Mashiach be with you! Amen." (vv. 23 - 28)

*Lord Jesus Christ (in Greek: Kyrios Iēsous Christos) = the most formal title for Jesus (Yeshua). It occurs often in the New Testament letters.

The word “Lord” has a wide range of uses; it can be a simple respectful “Sir” or a more formal, “Master.” But the New Testament also uses “Lord” of God. The word “Christ” is the anglicized form of the Greek word meaning “anointed one” or “Messiah.” “Lord Jesus Christ” reminds us that Jesus is both the promised Messiah and our God.

**Elohim (Hebrew: אֱלֹהִים, romanized: ʾּlōhīm: [(eloˈ(h)im]) is a Hebrew word meaning "Gods – Father, Son, & Holy Spirit". Although the word is plural in form, in the Hebrew Bible it usually refers to a single deity “Behold, the Lord – the Lord is One”, particularly the God of Israel.

***Yeshua Ha’Mashiach: is Hebrew for “Jesus the Messiah”; the name Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Yeshua.

****Ruach HaKo’desh: In Hebrew, the Holy Spirit (רוח הקודש, Roo-ahk hah-Koh-desh) refers to the divine force, quality, and influence (aka, power) of God.

The Holy Spirit (Luke 3:16 & 11:13; 1 Corinthians 6:9; Ephesians 1:13 & 4:30; 1 Thessalonians 4:8; Titus 3:5; and Jude 1:20), is referred to more than 90 times in the Brit Chadashah.

**1 Thessalonians 4: https://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2023/03/1-thessalonians-chapter-4thursday-bible.html

GOOD NEWS DAY ~The House Sold!

Karen Peck - 'Mighty Big God' song:

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-YY9nB7ngU)

Holland has been wheezing for months (I hear it most when I am cuddled across his chest), and the past few days he's been hawking up dirty mucus (yellowish or greenish = definite bronchial infection) - it hurts him to breathe; so this morning I talked him into making a Dr. appointment to find out what the issue is. If the house sale is finalized today, there won't be a lot of time to fool around with things he's been procrastinating about.

I believe Elohim heals our bodies, too, but I also believe that we need to know what is going on with our bodies so that we can pray effectively toward that healing.

The receptionist said that he could be seen in about half an hour if that was agreeable: he took the slot, even though he had to rush to make it on time. We were both irritated that he would be put into a quarantine room once he arrived - there was no need for that, other than lingering covid hysteria.

Holland made a Dr. appt. today to have his lungs checked out.

The receptionist that took his call went into full-on-covid alert …

We prayed before he left, trusting Elohim to favor us.

I watched him drive out of the carport, then I shook my head at the clinic's foolishness … and walked down the hallway to get dressed: Shay would be coming sometime this morning to let me know if we would be moving - and to go over the final steps of sale closure.

Holland called from the clinic's quarantine room to say that he had been so rushed to get to the open doctor's appointment, that he had forgotten to take his blood pressure meds - if the doctor thinks his blood pressure is up to high, he will be kept overnight. So, we prayed: I asked Elohim to send Holland peace in this situation to keep his blood pressure down, and that the doctor would give a correct diagnosis and not just label his issue as covid.  He added, "I'm sorry Baby that I forgot to leave my pickup keys for you in case you have to go someplace; I was so caught up in making this appointment." I said, "Don't worry about it, hon. If someone shows up, they are just going to have to walk around me - we still live here, and I still own the space." Then we said, "I love you" to each other and hung up.

I had peace about whatever was going on (Dr. appointment & possible house sale); I knew Elohim was already {on the job} ;-)

COPD INFO: https://regencyhealthcare.in/blogs-by-regencys-doctors/copd-explained-blog-regency-healthcare-ltd/

What is COPD life expectancy? Many people will live into their 70s, 80s, or 90s with COPD.” But that's more likely, he says, if your case is mild and you don't have other health problems like heart disease or diabetes. Some people die earlier as a result of complications like pneumonia or respiratory failure. I'm hoping and praying for at least 20 more days and nights with Holland - we are refudiating COPD in our lives. He was told in 2012 that he had 6 weeks to live … he's still kicking - and I'm not letting him go without a fight ;-)

With a positive mindset, I prepared for the day; in case someone showed up to look the house over.

Mood enhancers.

'Pearl' for eyebrow highlight & 'Plum' for eyelid color; Glittery 'Purple' for eyelid accent color; 'Sunshine' for center accent color'; & 'Navy Blue' for liners; 'Auburn' Eyebrow Gel; 'Burgundy' Mascara; & 'Neutre Enflamme' Cream Blush.

Sequined top matches my fancy eyes. LOL

Ready to meet the day …

I had just put the hairspray away, when I heard the Highlander backing into the carport: Holland had not been quarantined long before seeing his doctor, since he was already back home :-)

First thing he said to me was, "It isn't covid - but we already knew that. And it isn't bronchitis or pneumonia, either." I shot him a look full of questions, and he said, "She said she doesn't know what it is … but she knows what it is not. She thinks it's related to COPD, but we won't claim that - I've been in the clear concerning COPD for a long time, now; but she did write out a prescription for some antibiotics and that should knock it out." I said, "Take the meds, and we'll sic Elohim on the COPD devil. As soon as this house is 100% sold, we'll head South where the air will be better for both of us; and the foul air of Longview can go suck eggs."

Smoking and air pollution are the most common causes of COPD: neither of us smoke, but on this end of Longview, we do get pollution drift from the mills.

No covid. No COPD; Doc doesn't know WHY Holland is struggling with issues.

We really NEED this house to sell as asking price. We need to leave Longview's pollution behind us.

My cell alerted me that I had a message.

I shot out of the recliner I was lounging in, and shouted, "YES! Thank You, Elohim for Your faithfulness!" Then I giddily informed Holland of Shay's happy message :-)

YES! Elohim always comes thru for me!! There has NEVER been a time - in 57 years (since I've been a Christian), that Elohim has let me down. Nada. He always, always, always comes thru for me :-)

I can already smell the clean, fresh air - and feel the warmth of the sunshine of the Southwest, as it beckons us ;-)

WELTER CEMETERY ~Interesting

We had business to do in St. Helens, Oregon following our lunch at El Tapatio in Rainier. As we passed through Columbia City, I burst out laughing when I saw the tire cover of the trailer in front of us :-)

This cracked me up; a quip was made of 'Holland capturing his flamingo'. LOL

On our way back home, we were passing near Trojan Nuclear Plant when a gray cross caught the attention of my peripheral vision. I pointed across the dash, and said, "Holland, that looks like a grave marker. Is there a cemetery up there - in the middle of nowhere, all by itself?" He said, "I don't know - let's go see."

So, that's what we did ;-)

A couple months ago, while driving West Side Highway near Vader, we found a gravesite near a fishing hole. It's possible this was the same type of scenario.

I think it's strange to find a solitary grave in the middle of nowhere, but graveyards don't bother me.

And as I walked uphill, closer to the gray cross marker, I could see that the property was still being tended to: there was a clearly marked turn-around kept free of deadfall debris. There were flowers at the foot of the large cross grave marker. Weeds had recently been pulled back from the daffodils blossoming along the track leading upwards toward the cross. Obviously (though there was no Do Not Trespass sign), this was private property still being tended by living relatives.

Out of respect for whoever tends the property, I stayed on the grassy blacktop road leading up to the headstone that caught our attention from the highway.

A grave seen from the highway near the Trojan Nuclear Plant in Oregon.

Hmmm. Very weird - also very well maintained.

'Welter Cemetery'; 1 Grave apparent in the whole thing … and the property is very large.

Waterfall fall length; this is not seen from the highway.

Cross is seen clearly from the highway - it pulled us in.

Highway near Trojan.

There are 2 gates before reaching the gravesite; 1 closed … and 1 opened.

This thing deserves a {research} to satisfy my questions …

Holland is  the PERFECT Ying to my Yang.

I looked this thing up online when I got home. It is a Family Cemetery, located on private homesteaded property across from the Trojan Power Plant north of Goble. The Welter family moved here from Luxemburg in the 19th century.

I only saw the one headstone, but according to a June 2006 accounting, several family members were buried there. Perhaps the headstones have sunk into the ground - or were never marked. But then, I never climbed the hill to see if there were more markers up there.

Welter Family Cemetery: (http://files.usgwarchives.net/or/columbia/cemeteries/welterfamily.txt)

When we got home, Shay stopped in to tell us that there is an offer on the house - but the potential buyers want us to drop the listing price $5,000. I said, "No; this house is worth what I am asking. And just yesterday, we had a new furnace put in at a pretty steep price. I want full asking price." So, we filled out the paper work, and we will know tomorrow sometime if they are still wanting the house.

Following Shay's visit, Holland got a phone call from his friend Sonny telling him that his youngest brother had died Sunday (the following day after Holland learned he was terminal); he had died of stomach cancer at his home in Fargo.

There is no need now to rush off to North Dakota when this house sells … but my heart hurts for Holland.

EL TAPATIO; Rainier-OR

Since the house went on the market, we have spent every day dreaming and planning the life we want to live.

The thought of leaving the Past behind and delving headfirst into a New Life makes our hearts sing.

This morning, the Plan was to scope out a P.O. that would forward our mail to us while we are road gypsies. Then, we would shop around for a reasonably priced Storage Unit to store our stuff in while we hunted down a motorhome and vehicle that would fit our life as road gypsies.

We were hoping for a speedy house sale so we could high-tail it to Fargo to see his brother before he dies; Holland only found out about his brother's condition this past Saturday. If the house sells quickly, we plan on driving to Fargo, then down through South Dakota and down to Moab in Utah, before chasing the sun across the southwest.

We drank our coffee and discussed several ways to purchase the vehicle - and none of them were feasible until the house actually sells and we have $$$$ in hand to work with. Trade-ins on Holland's Ford 4x, and my Highlander SUV would still leave us about $10,000 short needed for a new vehicle: we need the house to sell before seriously looking around a truck lots. We don't want to be hemmed into a loan contract. We want to work a cash deal, which would garner a better buying deal. We could buy a second-hand vehicle; but we really prefer something reliable. Especially since we plan on boondocking most of our time on the road.

The Coach will definitely be a second-hand purchase, but we feel it would be wise to have a new vehicle to get out-and-about with. Plus - if the Coach get's stuck in a bad weather situation (God forbid), a newer vehicle (with a tow winch) will be able to pull it free. A new vehicle is really a necessity for the life we are planning.

So, tired of spinning my wheels with dead-end scenario's and feeling the need to be productive in any way possible … I sent a text to Shay asking for Flyers (this is something that would be simple to accomplish) … and received a text back that perhaps we wouldn't need the Flyers :-)

Good News this morning!

Judy Garland & Mickey Rooney - 'Good Morning' song: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCbnJeMSGZ4)

That happy news kicked us into high gear and ramped up the seriousness of securing a P.O. Box and a Storage Unit.

We got the P.O. Box with no hassle; but the storage unit became a problem as there are none to be had either side of the River :-( So, we'll have to rent a U-Haul trailer for a bit to store our few boxes, clothing, and useful tools we are taking with us.

Feeling positive about the potential buyers interest, we celebrated by eating at a restaurant neither of us had ever eaten at :-)

El Tapatio Mexican Restaurant; 117 W A St, Rainier-OR

Beautifully carved wooden doors.

Everywhere your eyes look, is an artistic delight.

Painted skylight.

Really pretty.

There is also patio dining when the weather is good.

Appetizer; corn chips, bean dip & salsa.

We both ordered this dish; it sounded interesting, and I've been craving shrimp.

SO GOOD! The 'shrimp' were actually good sized prawns; yummy!

And of course, we had fried ice cream for dessert - I'm hooked now. LOL

Even the bathroom was beautifully laid out. I loved the sunflower basin.

Restroom foyer was also a visual delight.

The backroom banquet room was painted in homage to Aztlan.

Beautifully carved porch columns.

The whole place was beautiful … and the food was delicious.

I was so captivated by the artistic wall murals, that I walked out of the restaurant without my boxed leftovers I had intended to enjoy later on (and didn't realize it until an hour later)  :-(

I'm saving the bathroom basin picture … and painted adobe wall colors - and I'm going to pester Holland with them until we can somehow incorporate them into our on-the-road-home. I love Southwestern décor. I'm sure my cowboy can manage a workable deal to keep his dreamer cowgirl happy :-)

Kacey Musgraves - 'Dime Store Cowgirl' song: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vp7i5YwkzFs)

He can't wait to show me Arizona and Texas.

And I can't wait to be shown.

Holland's southwestern love vibes surrounds my life; I'd like to wrap our home with southwestern colors, too.

CREATING NEW DREAMS

So - we've definitely decided to sell … or trade … our vehicles for a new vehicle.

A new life.

A new dream.

A new home.

All the {new} things need a new vehicle.

We are living a new present, and are forging a new future.

A new life that has nothing of the old in it.

But, this newness does not come easy - or cheap.

We both are learning to fully let go of the past and fully embrace the now and the near future.

'Cowboy Take Me Away' song:

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aX4HhvWOGk)

Over the weekend, the furnace decided to go squirrely: it needed fixed (1) it was freaking cold without it, despite the space heater and fireplace (2) anyone who buys this house will expect a properly functioning furnace.

The {fix} was spendy … I will expect a new buyer to understand that the asking price we are solidly fixed on is fair, given that I have updated everything the previous owner refused to fix before Bob & I bought it. Whoever buys this house will get a smoking deal.

Given this morning's $$$ drain, the asking price is more than fair on our end. And I pray God that nothing else freaks out before we can move out.

Felton's Heating finally arrived; half an hour overdue.

Felton's Charges - I really need that high-end house listing price to come through.

I dolled up while the guys tore into the furnace - Holland and I planned on hitting car dealerships, looking for a vehicle we could reasonably and easily tow behind the motorhome. Our vehicles are listed on Craig's List … but if we can trade them both in at the same time for a reasonable trade, we'd rather buy a vehicle outright without touching the house sale $$$$$ left over after buying the motorhome. We'll be holding that money in the bank for emergency expenditures, that will surely crop up at some point, as we travel the highways and byways.

I also sent Shay a text asking that closets and drawers are off limit to the people traipsing in and out of our house; we came home after the Saturday house showings to locked closet doors in the master bedroom, and drawers that had been snooped into. NOT OKAY. There is no reason for that. The closet space can be assessed just by looking at the double-wide doors, and it's just plain rude to snoop in closed dresser drawers :-(

My left foot is still healing from adhesive wounds (apparently I am severely allergic to Band-Aid adhesive), so I'll be wearing my hiking boots quite a bit until the skin heals.

Going for colorful sparkle today.

Face on … Sparkly 'Cream' for browline; glittery 'Totally Tubular' turquoise eyeshadow; sparkly 'Navy Blue' for outer eye accent & 'liner'; Glittery 'Winner' middle eyelid accent color; Auburn Eyebrow Gel; 'Cobalt Blue' Mascara; 'Neutre Enflamme' Cream Blush, & 'Pink Quartz' Lipgloss.

What is behind closed doors (and in drawers) is private - we are still living in the house.

After the furnace was fixed, Holland and I boogied. We saw a Ford Maverick that we liked … but the sales rep said that it was not for sale because "the State bought all the vehicles on this side of the lot": 2 years ago - ALL GAS GUZZLERS! Apparently {the state; aka politicians} also prefer fuel operating vehicles over electric vehicles they are forcing down the public's throats. Another NOT OKAY moment.

We also saw a Chevy Colorado 4x, and Holland could sit in it very comfortably. It is white - we prefer red. Tomorrow we'll drive across the River, and into Portland, to see what the car lots there have to offer.