This will be the final reflection on the prayers of Paul. I hope you’ve enjoyed them and that they have been helpful.
1 Thessalonians 1
2We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, 3remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father, 4knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God.
Paul begins his first letter to the Thessalonian church by telling them how grateful he is to God for them. He goes on to list the reasons for his gratitude. Their “work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father” has made an indelible impression on him.
Faith, hope and love—sound familiar? 1 Corinthians 13:13 says, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” Faith, hope and love are enduring, and anything obtained or accomplished through faith, hope and love will last for eternity. Conversely, anything obtained or accomplished through independence, greed and selfishness may satisfy momentarily, but will not last.
Therefore, the reason Paul is so grateful for the Thessalonian church is the fact that they are actively investing their time and energy into that which will yield an eternal reward. I am using the word ‘actively’ for good reason. Faith, hope and love do not exist in a vacuum. Each must be put into action in order to be effective. That is why Paul emphasizes the action of their “work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope.” Let’s look at each one individually.
James tells us that faith without works is dead. But the faith of the Thessalonian believers must have been very much alive for Paul to make special mention of their “work of faith.” How active is our faith? Would Paul see enough evidence in our lives to commend us as he did the Thessalonian church?
We’ve all heard someone say, “That was a real labour of love!” It usually indicates that they have done something for someone that was unpleasant or that required great sacrifice. The point being that their love for that someone outweighed any personal cost associated with what was done. Jesus performed the ultimate labour of love for us. Hebrews tells us that Jesus, “for the joy set before him endured the cross.” Every day we are presented with many opportunities to perform labours of love. The degree of love in our hearts determines whether or not we will take those opportunities.
Hope that is real will endure. Otherwise, it is merely wishful thinking. What causes hope to endure is its object. Paul identifies “our Lord Jesus Christ” as the object the Thessalonian believers’ unshakable hope. We pin our hope on all kinds of things: other people, our abilities, luck, the weather. But the only hope that does not disappoint is hope in God. We also hope for many things: to win the lottery, for our team to win the championship, to pass a test. But only our hope for God to fulfil His promises is certain.
Today let’s pray:
That our faith will be characterised by action.
That God would fill our hearts with self-sacrificing love.
That our hope would be in God alone.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Prayers of Paul 11
2 Thessalonians 1 - continued
11Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, 12that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Remember from last week that Paul is writing to encourage the Thessalonian believers in the persecution and hardship they are facing. And his prayer gives us some insight into Paul’s understanding of what they must have been thinking and feeling as they endured great suffering at the hands of unbelievers. First, Paul redirects the Thessalonian believers’ focus from their present suffering to an eternal perspective on their position as citizens of God’s Kingdom.
Next, Paul focuses on God’s character and power. In the midst of their suffering Paul knew that the Thessalonian believers would be tempted to doubt two things. First, they may begin to doubt God’s goodness, and second, they may doubt the effectiveness of their faith. Therefore, Paul emphasizes in his prayer that God is accomplishing something good through them, and that God will use their faith in combination with His power to accomplish it.
We can learn much from this section of Paul’s prayer. Often, Christians who are suffering ask two questions. Probably the most common question is, “How can a God who is good allow this suffering?” Someone once taught me a principle that I’ve never forgotten and that I have applied often. He said, “When you are confused about what God is allowing to happen, and you are tempted to doubt His goodness, go back to what you know to be true about His character.” The Bible tells us that, among other things, God is good, just, faithful, trustworthy, loving and kind. And He will “fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness” in you no matter what your circumstances.
Probably the second most common question asked by suffering Christians is, “What is wrong with my faith that God is not answering my prayers to end this suffering?” Another important principle applies here. Our faith in God does not guarantee that we will not suffer, but it does guarantee that we have available all that we need in order to endure until the suffering comes to an end. I believe that this is the “work of faith with power” to which Paul was referring.
Paul concludes his prayer by disclosing the ultimate purpose behind everything that the Thessalonian Christians are going through, and the ultimate purpose behind the suffering for the Gospel experienced by any Christian— “that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him.” Because God is the One who will “fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power,” He is the One who will receive the glory. And those who suffer will receive glory from Him, “according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Today, let’s pray for those who are suffering:
That they will trust in God’s goodness.
That they will not waver in their faith.
That God will be glorified in them.
11Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, 12that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Remember from last week that Paul is writing to encourage the Thessalonian believers in the persecution and hardship they are facing. And his prayer gives us some insight into Paul’s understanding of what they must have been thinking and feeling as they endured great suffering at the hands of unbelievers. First, Paul redirects the Thessalonian believers’ focus from their present suffering to an eternal perspective on their position as citizens of God’s Kingdom.
Next, Paul focuses on God’s character and power. In the midst of their suffering Paul knew that the Thessalonian believers would be tempted to doubt two things. First, they may begin to doubt God’s goodness, and second, they may doubt the effectiveness of their faith. Therefore, Paul emphasizes in his prayer that God is accomplishing something good through them, and that God will use their faith in combination with His power to accomplish it.
We can learn much from this section of Paul’s prayer. Often, Christians who are suffering ask two questions. Probably the most common question is, “How can a God who is good allow this suffering?” Someone once taught me a principle that I’ve never forgotten and that I have applied often. He said, “When you are confused about what God is allowing to happen, and you are tempted to doubt His goodness, go back to what you know to be true about His character.” The Bible tells us that, among other things, God is good, just, faithful, trustworthy, loving and kind. And He will “fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness” in you no matter what your circumstances.
Probably the second most common question asked by suffering Christians is, “What is wrong with my faith that God is not answering my prayers to end this suffering?” Another important principle applies here. Our faith in God does not guarantee that we will not suffer, but it does guarantee that we have available all that we need in order to endure until the suffering comes to an end. I believe that this is the “work of faith with power” to which Paul was referring.
Paul concludes his prayer by disclosing the ultimate purpose behind everything that the Thessalonian Christians are going through, and the ultimate purpose behind the suffering for the Gospel experienced by any Christian— “that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him.” Because God is the One who will “fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power,” He is the One who will receive the glory. And those who suffer will receive glory from Him, “according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Today, let’s pray for those who are suffering:
That they will trust in God’s goodness.
That they will not waver in their faith.
That God will be glorified in them.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
Posts
