Good weekend to you my ‘Walking with Jesus” friends,
Encouraging words are always welcome, aren’t they? But would you agree there’s something special about receiving words of encouragement when they are WRITTEN in a card or letter? Encouragement, sadly, is becoming a lost attribute in our world.
My dear wife has the gift of encouragement and almost everyone we know has been touched by her kind words both spoken and written. But far too few people find joy in encouraging others, especially sending them WRITTEN words of encouragement. That’s why we are with Paul, Silas and Timothy as Paul is beginning a wonderful letter of encouragement to those who believed Paul’s Gospel message in the city of Thessalonica. Come and let’s rejoin Paul as he dictates and Timothy scribes Paul’s words onto the parchments.
Paul is speaking: “We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. We continually remember, before our God and Father, your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thess. 1:2,3)
Now those are encouraging words, aren’t they, my friends? How do you feel when someone tells you they have been praying for you? Do you have some family and friends whom you can trust to intercede with God for you if you find yourself in need of prayer? Do you see what specific things Paul was praying about for these Thessalonian Christians?
I see three things… First, evidently, they were a people of great faith in God and that faith was mobilizing them to important work in their city.!
What work? God’s Work which would bring great glory to God and accomplish God’s purposes for the city of Thessalonica! Now don’t rush past these words my friends. Do you understand that God has HIS plans and HIS purposes which HE wants to accomplish in EVERY city and town in our world in 2023?
Do you see that God ACCOMPLISHES His plans and purposes THROUGH His people? That’s why Paul wrote to the Ephesian Christians these words: “By grace are you saved through faith – and this is not of yourselves it is a gift of God – not by works so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Eph. 2:8-10)
So, I wonder, what work is God planning for your city and how does God want to involve YOU in what He is accomplishing there in 2023?
I live in an older city, some parts of which are quite run down. I’m part of a church plant that meets in a local school built 96 years ago! We’ve adopted Isaiah 61:4 as our theme verse which propels us to do exactly what Paul was commending in his Thessalonian friends. Isaiah 61:4 says this speaking of God leading His people to make a big difference in the cities where they live: “They will REBUILD the ancient ruins and RESTORE the places long devastated; they will RENEW the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.” Can you imagine how God is using those words to mobilize me, my wife and the people of our church, to bring HOPE to our old, worn-down city? I think that’s what Paul saw in Thessalonica!
Secondly, do you see Paul’s commendation of the Thessalonian Christians for their “…labor prompted by love…”?
No matter what your vocation or your hobbies or your volunteer service or even your participation in the activities of your church, is your labor, are your efforts PROMPTED BY LOVE? Not your love of yourself, nor your love of your family, nor your love for the project you are working on, nor love for your personal goals and dreams, but rather, your love for God and your joyful desire to be as fully involved in what GOD is doing in your city, as you possibly can be?
That is evidently what Paul had heard about what these Thessalonian Christians had been doing after Paul left their town, as reported to him by Timothy and Silas. What would be different in your town and mine if all Christians were motivated by a love for God and with the love for people which Jesus spoke about when He said “Love one another as I have loved you…by your love they will know you are My disciples.” (John 13:34,35)
Third, do you see Paul acknowledged that whenever a follower of Jesus tries to live the first two things… “Work produced by Faith, and Labor prompted by Love…” there are going to be headwinds, opposition?
That’s why Paul praised their “endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” Why would Paul praise their endurance? Because even though our world is a mess as a result of pushing God OUT, some people would rather live in the mess than have God and HIs light of Truth among them! Really? Oh yes, my friends, and we see the evidence of people CHOOSING to live dysfunctionally all around us, don’t we?
That’s why Jesus said these words as He described the world’s response to HIM… “Light has come into the darkness, but mankind loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light…” (John 3:19-21)
Do you notice my friends, that Paul carefully chose his words? “Work produced by Faith; Labor prompted by Love; Endurance inspired by Hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” Do you see the cause-and-effect relationship or the origin and result, in each of these statements?
It wasn’t just hard work or consistent work or effective work, Paul was celebrating that he believed their WORK was effective because it flowed out of their great FAITH in God! Faith that God would give them the strength to do the work, and God would guide them to do the right work, and God would protect them in their work! Is that your confidence my friends as you invest your talents, energy and time for the accomplishment of God’s purposes in your city?
And we all understand labor, don’t we? And we have all types of descriptors for labor… hard labor, menial labor, skilled labor, wasted l labor, but Paul said their Labor was the result of their LOVE! Love Labor? Now think about that a moment, have you seen people working with smiles on their faces?
Have you ever been served by someone who loved their job? Have you watched people do difficult jobs yet do so with great love for the people they are serving? That’s what Paul was celebrating!
And finally, endurance or perseverance in the face of difficulty and challenges. Do you see Paul says it was their HOPE in Jesus which inspired their endurance! It means they persevered because they were confident Jesus had called them to what they were doing, and Jesus was in it with them, and Jesus was empowering them to accomplish their God given assignments!
And finally, Jesus would reward them according to what He knew would be most honoring for the work and most glorifying to God His Father and our Father!
Now, let’s pause right here friends, this is wonderful, magnificent, encouraging truth, isn’t it?! Is your WORK produced by your FAITH in God? Is your LABOR prompted by your LOVE for God and the people you are serving? Is your ENDURANCE in your work and your labor INSPIRED by the HOPE you have in Christ Jesus?
OH my friends, can you imagine what the rest of our lives would be like if that one sentence became the description of how we lived, loved and worked? What needs to change in order for that sentence to be true of you and me? Here’s a great song to help us worship in that truth…
Today’s Scripture is 1 Thess. 1:2,3.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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