Good Morning Friends,
"Night and day we pray most earnestly that
we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith. Now may our God
and Father and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you. May the Lord
make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just
as ours does for you. May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be
blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus
comes with all his holy ones." (1 Thessalonians 3:10-13)
Paul had three prayer requests related to the
Thessalonians:
That God would clear the way so he could visit
them again. Paul enjoyed his relationship with the Thessalonians, and the other
churches he had opportunity to serve. He longed to come to them and help them grow
in the faith. He wanted to be with them, not for what he could get from them,
but for what he could give them.
That God would help their love increase. He
longed for them to love each other more. It wasn’t that they were having
problems with each other, but there is always room for growth in our love for
others. Paul was concerned about more than just how the church got along with
itself. He longed to see their love grow for everyone, Christians around the
world, and those who were not yet a part of the church. Love is a hallmark of a
relationship with Jesus. He works in our hearts to turn them away from just
thinking of ourselves to thinking of others, too.
That God would strengthen their hearts to be
prepared for Jesus when He comes again. No matter how strong and mature they
were in the faith Paul knew they could not rest where they were. God’s
continued work in their hearts was needed. That’s true of us, too. None of us
has arrived at the spiritual place where we can take it easy and no longer be
concerned about growth and strengthening.
God’s work will not be done in our hearts until we’re done with the
world.
His, by Grace, Steve
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