He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
2 Thessalonians 1:8 NIV
Those Who Don’t Obey
According to the canadogs.ca website, all dogs should have some obedience training. It helps you to manage your dog and ensures that the dog knows how to behave. An Obedience Trainer is a professional who knows how to help you learn these management tools. Training varies from basic commands such as “Sit”, “Stay”, “Off”, “Down”, and “Come” that will help you deal with your dog on a daily basis to commands required in more complex settings such as the competition obedience ring, agility competition, or flyball.
***
There are some passages in Scripture that carry a weight we would almost rather set aside. 2 Thessalonians 1:8 is one of them. The apostle Paul, in speaking of the return of Jesus, writes: “He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.” These are sobering words. But before we turn away too quickly, we need to understand the heart behind them. This is not the anger of a distant, uncaring God. This is the justice of a holy God who has extended grace again and again. The same Jesus who will one day judge is the One who first came to save. He has reached out in love, offered forgiveness, and through His sacrificial death and resurrection made a way for us to know Him personally. What we see here is not a contradiction—but a completion. God’s patience will not last forever, and His righteousness will not be ignored indefinitely. But for those of us who love Jesus and have experienced His grace, this calls for a renewed urgency – to pray, to care, and to gently point others toward the grace that Jesus still offers today.
These have been words from the heart.
Bob Beasley