Paul gave us very serious instruction in the book of I Thessalonians that included great views into the future (I Thessalonians 4:13 – 5:4 cp. II Thessalonians 1:7 – 2:17). The prophetic word is not intended to make us starry-eyed prognosticators. It is to remind and encourage us of God’s greater plan. It is to alert us to present duty, which includes warning others to make the right choices while there is still time and opportunity (Psalm 1; 2; Isaiah 55:1-11; Romans 13:22-24; Colossians 3:1-10; II Peter 3:1-18).

It is understandable, then, that Paul would give great practical instruction at the end of prophetic instruction. In our Scripture reading we are told to watch and be sober; to be protected with faith, love and the hope of salvation; to comfort ourselves together and to edify (build up) one another. As God makes it his business to sanctify us (set us apart) for His purposes (I Thessalonians 5:23-24), we are to cooperate and work with God’s Spirit. The areas in which God is working are Spirit Soul and Body.

Let’s define these briefly:

Spirit –	That which is in relationship & communication with God.
Soul –	That which pertains to my mind (thought-life & attitude), heart (affections, desires, values & emotions) and will (ambitions, decisions & endurance).
Body –	That physical presence which houses and greatly affects the performance of the Spirit and Soul: the physiological self.

Paul’s desire, prayer and expectation is that God will “Sanctify wholly (i.e. “completely, through and through”) each believer in these three basic areas. In I Thessalonians 5:16-22 we see a checklist of some of the ways in which we are to cooperate with God.

Let’s consider some other areas of the Bible that reinforce this idea.

James 1:2-4 –

Count it all Joy when you have various trials. Know that God is at work in your life and let His work in you prosper.

Galatians 2:20 –

Christian living involves seeing Christ live His life through us.

Galatians 5:16-25 –

It is a matter of walking in the Spirit (not the flesh) so that we can yield the fruit of the Spirit.

Romans 6:6-18; 8:9-13 –

We must therefore mortify (kill) the deeds of the flesh through the work of the Spirit.

Romans 12:1-21 –

Focusing on the mercies of God, we are encouraged to present our bodies as a living sacrifice to God with a renewed mind. We are to prove (demonstrate) what God’s will looks like with our lives and attitude. We are to overcome evil with good in our lives.

I Corinthians 9:24-27 –

We are to bring our bodies into submission to the purposes of our Savior.

The book of Philippians gives us further instruction:

Philippians 1:20-21, 27 –	We are to Magnify Christ with what we do with our bodies, mind and spirit.
Philippians 2:5-16 –	We are to Imitate Christ with a yielded mind and will.
Philippians 3:10-15 –	We are to Know Christ by conforming to His death and resurrection – all ambition and thought surrendered to Him.
Philippians 4:4-9,13 –	We are to Enjoy Christ by consciously resisting fear and worry – filling our minds with faithful thoughts.

At the end of each day ask yourself three questions:

• What have I done for my Spirit?
• What have I done for my Soul?
• What have I done for my Body?