Thessalonian thankfulness

We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Thessalonians 1:2-3

What a wonderful passage to be led to this last day of 2020. This crazy wild ride of a year has brought faith-testing experiences to all Christians globally. We’ve been forced to revisit the basics of our faith amidst upheaval and change.... to find stability in the reality of the gospel and to see if our experience matches that of Paul and the Thessalonian church.

I begin my thoughts on this passage with how Paul prayed: Paul gave thanks for the people that were his ministry. He was grateful to God for the gospel ministry and maturity he saw thriving in Thessalonika. And even as he was distanced from them, Paul prayed for them, filled with a thankful joy for what God was doing in and through them.

There were three things for which Paul thankfully praised God as he remembered them. First was their work of faith. What this group of Christians believed was lived out in action. Faith was not a private intellectual exercise. This church did something with faith in the gospel! As I look back at the challenges of this last year, I am so thankful that God has given me the chance to serve a church that didn’t sit and fret, but instead acted on meeting community needs in this crisis! Faith in action shines the gospel into our world.

The second thing that marked the Thessalonians was their labor of love. What they did, they did with a gracious motive. They loved and supported Paul’s ministry. They loved their city and faithfully proclaimed the gospel. They loved one another and made disciples. Love led them to action and nothing should ever stop that!

And finally, this church was known for being steadfast in hope. The glory of the gospel gave hope to believers. They proclaimed hope to their city. They faithfully believed despite hardship, tenacious in the grip of grace! And that steadfast hope is what Christians must display in these days as well! We may yet have changes and difficulties. I am encouraged to model a Christianity that does good work with faith, works hard out of love for Jesus and the people He died for, and steadfastly holds out hope in a hopeless world!