Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil.

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.

When I started to look at this passage, the first sentence to jump out at me was the second: “Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil.”

The first sentence isn’t that different, but it’s a little harder to understand. It’s still a direct call to action, but not as easy of an action to know what to do with. What does it mean to quench the Spirit? If I’m not sure what that is, I’m not sure I’m successfully avoiding it.

These are the kind of passages I like. They give direction; they put me in charge. As a bonus, there’s a brain teaser to work through.

But that isn’t what the theme of the other Advent readings has been about. The overall message has been about how powerless we are against the forces of darkness, and the need to trust in God’s promised salvation.

Reading on, this passage has that message, too.

It is God who sanctifies. It is God who keeps us blameless. God is faithful. He will do what needs to be done.

Maybe that first paragraph isn’t what I’d like it to be.

Maybe it’s not a recipe I can follow to accomplish what I want. Instead, it’s a reminder to stop fighting and let God be God.