SO THANKFUL FOR THESE THREE THINGS
2 Thessalonians 1:3-4 NKJV
3 We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other, 4 so that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure,
In Paul's second letter to the church at Thessalonica, he is conveying his thanks to God for three things that are present in this young church. These three things are not cultural, nor are they limited to that ancient time period. These are three important things that are hopefully visible in the church of today.
Faith that is growing exceedingly. From what we are able to learn about faith, we can see that faith is not static. Faith is not a fixed quality that someone either has or does not have. Our faith can grow and develop. And that is exciting news. The fact that we are not stuck with little faith or destined for a life of stagnant faith gives us all the belief that our faith can get stronger. Paul was very keen to point out that we live by faith and overcome this world's system by our faith in God. So, our level of living and experiencing God can increase as our faith grows.
Love that abounds toward other believers. This is another encouraging attribute because, once again, we are not spiritually stuck with a fixed spiritual capacity. Paul would later write the Corinthian church about faith, hope, and love, and that the greatest was love. The apostle John wrote that God is love, which would make love a supernaturally strong force in our lives. And the fact that our love can increase means our understanding of God can also increase.
Patience, or perseverance, in all persecutions and tribulations. Paul was thankful that this church in Thessalonica had not caved due to the persecution and difficult times that they had encountered. Even though these believers were going through some difficult times because of their faith in the living God, they were not giving up. We do not know the scope of the difficulties that these Christians had to endure. Many times, they were the scapegoats for all the problems in their societies. Families would disown them, and they faced physical harm in many cases. Because we tend to look at scriptures through our American context, we typically do not have a solid grasp of the persecution and oppression that the early church suffered. We are seeing more opposition to our Christian beliefs and values, but nowhere near the level that these early believers encountered.
In light of the challenges these early church pioneers faced, it's easy to see why Paul was so thankful for their faith, love, and perseverance.
APPLICATION
These three, our faith, love, and perseverance in the face of difficulties, are still important today. If you told me that you met a mutual friend of ours and that they were growing in their faith, their love was increasing, and that they were staying strong despite facing tough times, I would rejoice. If I knew that there was progress in those three areas, I could believe that the days ahead were going to turn out well. Everything may not be perfect, but with those three important spiritual qualities on the increase, the odds are stacked the right way.
Developing our faith by our relationship with the Lord through His word and prayer. Practicing walking in the love that Jesus commanded us to observe. And refusing to quit when things get rough are three areas that will be a blessing in our lives, just as they were to the early church.
PRAYER
Lord, I purpose to grow in my faith and love and exhibit the strong perseverance of one who has their trust in You and Your goodness.