Thessalonians_3
Scripture
1 Thessalonians 3:12-13
and may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another, and for all people, just as we also do for you; so that He may establish your hearts without blame in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints.
Observation-What does it say?
Thessalonica is in the northern part of Greece. It was a port city on the Aegean Sea, and was part of the trade route that went to present day Istanbul. The church was founded by Paul, who spent a few weeks there after leaving Phillipi. After he left, the Thessalonians were facing persecution from the local Jews. The Jews were upset at the rate the church was growing, and that they were making converts of those interested in Judaism.
The opening three chapters of this book are very personal to Paul. He is concerned for the church much like a mother would be of her children. He reminds them of his time there, as some of the persecution came in the form of name calling by the Jews. He goes on to praise them for their continued faith, and expresses relief at the testimony of their love for one another. He then tells them of his prayers for them. To overflow with love for one another and for those who are not in the church.
Understanding-What does it mean?
One of the hardest things that we have done as parents, so far, is sending our children off to school. During the first days and weeks of kindergarten, our nerves were about as heightened as they could be. We worried about if they were ready, if they were going to survive without us, and about how they would behave. It is like the first real evaluation of your parenting skills. We were fortunate enough to have the same kindergarten teacher for our first two boys. There is no way to express how proud I felt when we sat down for parent teacher conference the second time through. She looked at Jen and I and said, “You are raising some good kids.” My heart just about jumped out of my chest. And that really is my hope, to raise boys who are well behaved, loving, and willing to serve others.
Paul is similar in his relationship to the churches he planted. He wanted them to continue in their faith more than anything else. He wanted them to have a love that was abundant and overflowing. Most of all, he wanted them to know the real saving grace of Jesus’ death on the cross. He also wanted the same message to spread from them, not just stay in the little circle of people who had heard the message while he was there.
Paul had the same message for other churches as well. In Galatians 6:8-10 he wrote, “Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” Our behavior is sometimes overlooked in the process of sharing our testimony with the world.
In the words of St. Francis of Assisi, “Preach the Gospel at all times, and if necessary use words.”
Life Application
Jesus, help me to be slow to anger, as this is most likely to be one of the ways I turn people away from you. Help me to be better at listening, so I can more fully understand the struggles that others are going through. Let me also be sparing in the words that I offer to others, so I won’t offer anything that is contrary to your word.
-Tyler Galloway