Matthew 5:8
Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.
There are two steps in making and keeping something pure.
First, you must remove all of the impurities. This is often quite a long process, usually involving heat—lots of heat! At the end of the process you have a pure element free from any contamination.
Then, in order to preserve this purity, you have to refrain from mixing anything with the pure substance. The temptation is often to introduce a less valuable substance to dilute the one you have just purified. This is often done with gold. 24-carat gold is fine (99.9% pure), 18-carat gold is 75% gold, 12-carat gold is 50% gold, and so forth. Introducing copper and silver (nickle or palladium in the case of so-called “white gold”) to pure gold changes its properties as well as its value.
Likewise, there are two steps in establishing and maintaining purity of heart.
First comes the process of removing the impurities of pride, selfishness, fear and the myriad derivatives and variations of these noxious roots. Once people repent of these sins and receives Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, they are immediately made pure in God’s sight as Christ’s purity is credited to their accounts. But, in addition, they begin a life-long process of being transformed into Christ’s likeness. This process also involves heat—the firey trails used by God to refine our character. The result is a heart that ever more closely resembles the pure heart of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We must then take steps to preserve the purity of our hearts. Temptations will come to dilute the solitary devotion of our hearts to God with other far less valuable pursuits. Introducing anything that is in competition with the supremacy of Jesus Christ in our hearts is to sink into a form of idolatry and to cheapen our hearts through what amounts to spiritual prostitution.
But for those purify their hearts and refrain from diluting their pure devotion there is a promise of great reward: to see God. All people will one day stand before God and see Him in His glorious splendour. This will be an ominously terrifying experience for those whose hearts remain stained with sin, but the pure in heart will stand blameless before Him and be given the wonderful privilege of spending all eternity gazing in awe and wonder at the Object of their devotion.
Today, let’s pray that…
· Unsaved friends and family members will realise the impure state of their hearts and they would repent of their sins and allow God to purify their hearts.
· We would resist the temptation to dilute the purity of our own hearts by introducing anything that might compete with Jesus Christ’s number one place.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Saturday, June 5, 2010
The Beatitudes 5
Matthew 5:7
Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.
There are two groups of people to whom we need to show mercy: those that are in need and those who have sinned against us. We may be inclined to think that those in need are more deserving of our mercy while those who have sinned against us are less deserving of any kindness from us. But that is to misunderstand the very nature of mercy.
True mercy cannot be earned. To be merciful is to have compassion for someone who is helpless and to act on that compassion by extending help.
The helplessness of those in need is often more obvious: the lack of material possessions of those who are poor; the deep sadness of those who have lost a loved one; the loneliness of the outsider; the pain of the injured. Few of us would be able to ignore these needs without experiencing a tug on our conscience. Most of us would respond to these needs with acts of mercy.
In contrast, the helplessness of those who have sinned against us is usually less obvious: the disguised insecurity of the bully; the hidden fears of those who think only of themselves; the deep emotional wounds of those who lash out in anger; the spiritual emptiness of the wicked. On the surface the angry, the selfish, the bully and the wicked seem less in need of mercy, but they are as helpless as the needy and every much as deserving. Forgiving those who have sinned against us is an act of mercy.
Jesus said, “But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” (Luke 6:27-28 NIV). Loving your enemies, doing good to those who hate you, blessing those who wish you harm, and praying for those who mistreat you are all acts of mercy.
The Beatitude we are concerned with today states that those who offer mercy will themselves receive mercy. It is a sobering thought that the degree to which we offer mercy to others will be the degree to which we receive mercy.
Today, let’s pray that:
· We will be sensitive to the plight of the needy as well as the circumstances of those who have sinned against us.
· We will have the grace to love our enemies, to do good to those who hate us, to bless those who wish us harm and to pray for those who mistreat us.
Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.
There are two groups of people to whom we need to show mercy: those that are in need and those who have sinned against us. We may be inclined to think that those in need are more deserving of our mercy while those who have sinned against us are less deserving of any kindness from us. But that is to misunderstand the very nature of mercy.
True mercy cannot be earned. To be merciful is to have compassion for someone who is helpless and to act on that compassion by extending help.
The helplessness of those in need is often more obvious: the lack of material possessions of those who are poor; the deep sadness of those who have lost a loved one; the loneliness of the outsider; the pain of the injured. Few of us would be able to ignore these needs without experiencing a tug on our conscience. Most of us would respond to these needs with acts of mercy.
In contrast, the helplessness of those who have sinned against us is usually less obvious: the disguised insecurity of the bully; the hidden fears of those who think only of themselves; the deep emotional wounds of those who lash out in anger; the spiritual emptiness of the wicked. On the surface the angry, the selfish, the bully and the wicked seem less in need of mercy, but they are as helpless as the needy and every much as deserving. Forgiving those who have sinned against us is an act of mercy.
Jesus said, “But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” (Luke 6:27-28 NIV). Loving your enemies, doing good to those who hate you, blessing those who wish you harm, and praying for those who mistreat you are all acts of mercy.
The Beatitude we are concerned with today states that those who offer mercy will themselves receive mercy. It is a sobering thought that the degree to which we offer mercy to others will be the degree to which we receive mercy.
Today, let’s pray that:
· We will be sensitive to the plight of the needy as well as the circumstances of those who have sinned against us.
· We will have the grace to love our enemies, to do good to those who hate us, to bless those who wish us harm and to pray for those who mistreat us.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
The Beatitudes 4
Matthew 5:6
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.
Hunger and thirst represent strong desire. The implication here is that only a genuine desire for righteousness is ever truly satisfied, or indeed can be fully satisfied. People pursue all kinds of other desires: money, power, popularity, education, status, etc. But these desires are never completely fulfilled because of our competitive nature. We will always find someone who is richer, more powerful, more popular, better educated, more prominent, etc.
But the hunger and thirst for righteousness is different. True righteousness can’t be divided into degrees; it can’t be quantified. We either are, or we’re not. Being righteous has nothing to do with being good. The Bible is clear that our good works are worthless when it comes to making us righteous. We are guilty of sin, and no amount of effort on our part can erase the debt we owe.
So how can we ever be righteous before God? How can our hunger and thirst for righteousness ever be filled? Thanks be to God who sent His Son, Jesus, to pay the price we couldn’t pay. He took our unrighteousness upon Himself to enable us to receive His righteousness. So all who confess Jesus as Lord and believe that He arose from the dead will be saved, not due to their own righteousness, but because of Christ’s righteousness imparted to them.
The righteousness of Christ is complete, so it is impossible for one person to receive more of His righteousness than someone else. All Christians are equally righteous in God’s eyes. There can be no competition. The ground is level at the cross.
We see a wonderful illustration of this in Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well recorded in John 4…
7When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” 8(His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)
9The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.£ )
10Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”
11“Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?”
13Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
15The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”
What is the gift that God longs to give to every human being? Righteousness.
Who was asking the woman for a drink? Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.
Why will those who hunger and thirst for righteousness be filled? Because the righteousness Jesus gives will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.
Let’s pray that…
· We will forsake hungering and thirsting after things that, good as they may be, cannot satisfy.
· We will be successful in directing others to the Source of this living water.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.
Hunger and thirst represent strong desire. The implication here is that only a genuine desire for righteousness is ever truly satisfied, or indeed can be fully satisfied. People pursue all kinds of other desires: money, power, popularity, education, status, etc. But these desires are never completely fulfilled because of our competitive nature. We will always find someone who is richer, more powerful, more popular, better educated, more prominent, etc.
But the hunger and thirst for righteousness is different. True righteousness can’t be divided into degrees; it can’t be quantified. We either are, or we’re not. Being righteous has nothing to do with being good. The Bible is clear that our good works are worthless when it comes to making us righteous. We are guilty of sin, and no amount of effort on our part can erase the debt we owe.
So how can we ever be righteous before God? How can our hunger and thirst for righteousness ever be filled? Thanks be to God who sent His Son, Jesus, to pay the price we couldn’t pay. He took our unrighteousness upon Himself to enable us to receive His righteousness. So all who confess Jesus as Lord and believe that He arose from the dead will be saved, not due to their own righteousness, but because of Christ’s righteousness imparted to them.
The righteousness of Christ is complete, so it is impossible for one person to receive more of His righteousness than someone else. All Christians are equally righteous in God’s eyes. There can be no competition. The ground is level at the cross.
We see a wonderful illustration of this in Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well recorded in John 4…
7When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” 8(His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)
9The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.£ )
10Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”
11“Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?”
13Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
15The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”
What is the gift that God longs to give to every human being? Righteousness.
Who was asking the woman for a drink? Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.
Why will those who hunger and thirst for righteousness be filled? Because the righteousness Jesus gives will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.
Let’s pray that…
· We will forsake hungering and thirsting after things that, good as they may be, cannot satisfy.
· We will be successful in directing others to the Source of this living water.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
The Beatitudes 3
Matthew 5:5
Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth.
Meekness has been given a bad rap. These days meekness has quite a negative connotation. To be meek has become the equivalent of being weak. But in reality meekness is far from weakness. Jesus was described as meek, but He was anything but weak!
Barnes states, “Meekness is patience in the reception of injuries. It is neither a surrender of our rights nor cowardice; but it is the opposite of sudden anger, of malice, of long-harbored vengeance.” Gill describes the meek as those “who are not easily provoked to anger; who patiently bear, and put up with injuries and affronts; carry themselves courteously, and affably to all; have the [least] thoughts of themselves, and the best of others; do not envy the gifts and graces of other men; are willing to be instructed and admonished, by the [least] of the saints; quietly submit to the will of God, in adverse dispensations of providence; and ascribe all they have, and are, to the grace of God.” Jesus fits both of these descriptions perfectly, and He expresses His desire for us to be the same.
Jesus says of the meek that they will inherit the earth. This is the opposite of what the world says. According to the world system it is those who aggressively assert their own cause and objectives; who are independent, “self-made men”; who are prepared to win at all costs that are to be admired and emulated. Those in the world don’t understand that the opposite of their approach is meekness. They are under the false impression that the only other alternative is becoming a weak doormat who allows others to walk all over them. This misconception makes them even more resolute in pursuing their aggressive approach.
In stark contrast stands Jesus’ approach. His was neither an aggressive approach nor a weak one. Rather, Jesus employed a much more effective approach; one that accomplished His entire mission on earth; one that attracted many dedicated followers; and one that continues to shine as an example today.
What was so unique and attractive about Jesus’ approach? Using the analogy of a building, it had a foundation of love; supporting walls of grace, truth, peace and faith; and a sheltering roof of gentleness, kindness, patience and humility. This approach enabled Jesus to teach with authority, lead with integrity, love with sincerity, and face opposition with tenacity.
Let’s pray that we would be meek enough to do the same!
Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth.
Meekness has been given a bad rap. These days meekness has quite a negative connotation. To be meek has become the equivalent of being weak. But in reality meekness is far from weakness. Jesus was described as meek, but He was anything but weak!
Barnes states, “Meekness is patience in the reception of injuries. It is neither a surrender of our rights nor cowardice; but it is the opposite of sudden anger, of malice, of long-harbored vengeance.” Gill describes the meek as those “who are not easily provoked to anger; who patiently bear, and put up with injuries and affronts; carry themselves courteously, and affably to all; have the [least] thoughts of themselves, and the best of others; do not envy the gifts and graces of other men; are willing to be instructed and admonished, by the [least] of the saints; quietly submit to the will of God, in adverse dispensations of providence; and ascribe all they have, and are, to the grace of God.” Jesus fits both of these descriptions perfectly, and He expresses His desire for us to be the same.
Jesus says of the meek that they will inherit the earth. This is the opposite of what the world says. According to the world system it is those who aggressively assert their own cause and objectives; who are independent, “self-made men”; who are prepared to win at all costs that are to be admired and emulated. Those in the world don’t understand that the opposite of their approach is meekness. They are under the false impression that the only other alternative is becoming a weak doormat who allows others to walk all over them. This misconception makes them even more resolute in pursuing their aggressive approach.
In stark contrast stands Jesus’ approach. His was neither an aggressive approach nor a weak one. Rather, Jesus employed a much more effective approach; one that accomplished His entire mission on earth; one that attracted many dedicated followers; and one that continues to shine as an example today.
What was so unique and attractive about Jesus’ approach? Using the analogy of a building, it had a foundation of love; supporting walls of grace, truth, peace and faith; and a sheltering roof of gentleness, kindness, patience and humility. This approach enabled Jesus to teach with authority, lead with integrity, love with sincerity, and face opposition with tenacity.
Let’s pray that we would be meek enough to do the same!
Saturday, May 8, 2010
The Beatitudes 2
Matthew 5:4
Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.
Commentators agree that Jesus was not referring here to those who are mourning the death of a loved one. Rather, He was speaking of those who feel intense grief over sin. They mourn because of their own sinfulness and are grieved by the sins of others. They also mourn over the fallen state of the world and all the human suffering that fallen state has produced. These shall be comforted.
But where does this comfort come from? It comes from the Gospel—the wonderfully consoling message that Jesus has taken upon Himself the crushing weight of the sins of the world, paying the price that should have been ours to pay, and making the gift of eternal life available to all who put their faith in Him. Comfort also comes through the Holy Spirit who reassures our hearts of God’s pardon from sin, who reveals to us His provision of all that we will need, and who reminds us of His promise to never leave us or forsake us.
It is instructive to note that Jesus did not promise comfort to those who fear or to those who despair.
Fear usually affects us in one of two ways. It can either paralyze us or stimulate us to sudden action. Our enemy uses both of these reactions to influence us to move out of God’s will for our lives. When God says wait, fear often motivates us to rush ahead. And when God is urging us forward, the fear of failure or the fear of other's opinions often holds us back. That’s why Jesus often said, "Fear not..." This was a reassurance to His disciples, but it was also a command. Fear prevents us from receiving God’s comfort.
Those who despair have lost all hope that anything or anyone will be able to change their situation for the better. As I’ve written before, hope that is real will endure. Otherwise, it is merely wishful thinking. What causes hope to endure is its object. 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. It is vital for us to maintain our hope. If faith is the assurance of things hoped for (Hebrews 11:1), then when we lose hope, our faith is crippled.
James 1:6-8 says, “he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.” Fear and despair cause us to doubt, making it very difficult to for us to receive God’s comfort.
As we pray today, let’s…
· thank God for His comfort.
· ask God to help us deal with any fear or despair we may be feeling.
Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.
Commentators agree that Jesus was not referring here to those who are mourning the death of a loved one. Rather, He was speaking of those who feel intense grief over sin. They mourn because of their own sinfulness and are grieved by the sins of others. They also mourn over the fallen state of the world and all the human suffering that fallen state has produced. These shall be comforted.
But where does this comfort come from? It comes from the Gospel—the wonderfully consoling message that Jesus has taken upon Himself the crushing weight of the sins of the world, paying the price that should have been ours to pay, and making the gift of eternal life available to all who put their faith in Him. Comfort also comes through the Holy Spirit who reassures our hearts of God’s pardon from sin, who reveals to us His provision of all that we will need, and who reminds us of His promise to never leave us or forsake us.
It is instructive to note that Jesus did not promise comfort to those who fear or to those who despair.
Fear usually affects us in one of two ways. It can either paralyze us or stimulate us to sudden action. Our enemy uses both of these reactions to influence us to move out of God’s will for our lives. When God says wait, fear often motivates us to rush ahead. And when God is urging us forward, the fear of failure or the fear of other's opinions often holds us back. That’s why Jesus often said, "Fear not..." This was a reassurance to His disciples, but it was also a command. Fear prevents us from receiving God’s comfort.
Those who despair have lost all hope that anything or anyone will be able to change their situation for the better. As I’ve written before, hope that is real will endure. Otherwise, it is merely wishful thinking. What causes hope to endure is its object. 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. It is vital for us to maintain our hope. If faith is the assurance of things hoped for (Hebrews 11:1), then when we lose hope, our faith is crippled.
James 1:6-8 says, “he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.” Fear and despair cause us to doubt, making it very difficult to for us to receive God’s comfort.
As we pray today, let’s…
· thank God for His comfort.
· ask God to help us deal with any fear or despair we may be feeling.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
The Beatitudes 1
This week I will begin a series based on my study of the Beatitudes. I hope you will find it helpful...
Matthew 5:3
Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus singles out the poor in spirit as possessing the kingdom of heaven. But what did He mean, and to whom was He referring?
During His ministry Jesus spoke much about the poor. But commentators agree that here Jesus was not speaking about those who have little wealth and few worldly possessions. However, we can gain some insight into this passage by comparing the poor in wealth with the poor in spirit.
Those who are poor in wealth have no ability to help themselves. They are utterly dependent on others for their physical survival and well being. Likewise, those who are poor in spirit have realised that they have no ability to improve their spiritual condition. They have resigned themselves to the fact that they are utterly dependent upon God for their spiritual life and well being.
Barnes wrote, “To be poor in spirit is to have a humble opinion of ourselves; to be sensible that we are sinners, and have no righteousness of our own; to be willing to be saved only by the rich grace and mercy of God; to be willing to be where God places us, to bear what he lays on us, to go where he bids us, and to die when he commands; to be willing to be in his hands, and to feel that we deserve no favor from him.”
Jesus said of the poor in spirit that, “theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” The poor in spirit, by definition, have the ability to hear and respond to the gospel of the Kingdom. Gill stated that as the gospel is preached to those that are poor in spirit, “it not only reaches their ears, but their hearts; it enters into them, is applied unto them, they receive and embrace it with the utmost joy and gladness.”
Once they have heard and responded to the gospel, the poor in spirit also receive an inheritance in the kingdom of heaven. Gill described this inheritance saying, “eternal glory, this is prepared for them, and given to them; they are born heirs of it, have a right unto it, are [being made fit] for it, and shall enjoy it.”
So indeed blessed are the poor in spirit!
As we pray today, let’s remember that we can’t earn the answers to our prayers. Whatever answers we receive are not because we deserve them, but are received because of God’s grace.
Matthew 5:3
Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus singles out the poor in spirit as possessing the kingdom of heaven. But what did He mean, and to whom was He referring?
During His ministry Jesus spoke much about the poor. But commentators agree that here Jesus was not speaking about those who have little wealth and few worldly possessions. However, we can gain some insight into this passage by comparing the poor in wealth with the poor in spirit.
Those who are poor in wealth have no ability to help themselves. They are utterly dependent on others for their physical survival and well being. Likewise, those who are poor in spirit have realised that they have no ability to improve their spiritual condition. They have resigned themselves to the fact that they are utterly dependent upon God for their spiritual life and well being.
Barnes wrote, “To be poor in spirit is to have a humble opinion of ourselves; to be sensible that we are sinners, and have no righteousness of our own; to be willing to be saved only by the rich grace and mercy of God; to be willing to be where God places us, to bear what he lays on us, to go where he bids us, and to die when he commands; to be willing to be in his hands, and to feel that we deserve no favor from him.”
Jesus said of the poor in spirit that, “theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” The poor in spirit, by definition, have the ability to hear and respond to the gospel of the Kingdom. Gill stated that as the gospel is preached to those that are poor in spirit, “it not only reaches their ears, but their hearts; it enters into them, is applied unto them, they receive and embrace it with the utmost joy and gladness.”
Once they have heard and responded to the gospel, the poor in spirit also receive an inheritance in the kingdom of heaven. Gill described this inheritance saying, “eternal glory, this is prepared for them, and given to them; they are born heirs of it, have a right unto it, are [being made fit] for it, and shall enjoy it.”
So indeed blessed are the poor in spirit!
As we pray today, let’s remember that we can’t earn the answers to our prayers. Whatever answers we receive are not because we deserve them, but are received because of God’s grace.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Prayers of Paul 12
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.
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.
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