Well Remembered

1 Thessalonians 1:2-3 ~ "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."

As Paul addressed the church in Thessalonica, with an abundance of thankfulness, he reminded them of how well they were remembered. There is an exuberance of joy pouring forth from the apostle for this church. First, he was always thankful for them. What a tremendous testimony of gratitude. And not only was he always thankful, but he was constantly mentioning them in prayer. Truly Paul prayed for all the churches he founded in Christ. But this constant mentioning in prayer was more than just the habitual praying that many believers do. Paul was deeply moved by the Thessalonian church, and his thankfulness welled up in his prayers.

Take a moment and think about how precious it must have been for the Thessalonian believers to receive such a letter as this. Here is Paul, letting the church know that he was telling God about them. If an illustration would help, consider this: It is the foreman of a construction company, going to the owner of the company and constantly telling the owner how wonderful his team performed their work. And then, that same foreman writes a letter to the team and tells the team that he constantly informs the owner that they are excellent in their tasks. And thus, Paul lets the church know that their efforts are well reported before God.

There are three qualities of the church that Paul remembered before God and they ought to mark our Christian walk as well. They are a work of faith, a labor of love and a steadfastness of hope. These three make up for every Christian the expression of effort that is born of faith in Jesus Christ. James reminds us that faith, without work, is dead (see James 2:26). And the church of the Thessalonians embodied that expressive effort.

The first is their "work of faith." This was not merely a religious effort from the church, but the outward pursuit of faithfulness to Christ. That "work" they performed burst forth like an artesian well from their faith in Christ. They wanted to serve the LORD, wanted to pursue with obedience those commands given by Christ. For the work of faith is not merely religious work, but the dedicated effort to do that which Christ commanded. Menial or magnificent was of no consideration, they just worked to faithfully serve the LORD and each other.

The second is their "labor of love." The term "labor" also means weariness or fatigue. They loved Christ and one another even unto utter exhaustion. In truth, our LORD gave us that same charge when He exclaimed the heights of true Christian love. Jesus said in John 15:13, "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." To love someone, at the risk or cost of your own life, is the ultimate labor of love. And that is the love Jesus showed on the cross--having gone all the way to death for the sake of those He loved.

The final one is their "steadfastness of hope." It is hope that gives the Christian the willing endurance to continue on. If hope was more a wishful notion rather than an absolute certainty built on the promises of Christ, there would be cause to give up and not press on. For who would press on if there was no real hope. But when hope is real, the church will continue until the end--knowing that this hope must be fulfilled. Consider what 1 Corinthians 9:10 says, "Does he not certainly speak for our sake? It was written for our sake, because the plowman should plow in hope and the thresher thresh in hope of sharing in the crop." Endurance would end if there was no real hope.

Let me ask... have you not seen these three qualities of Christlikeness before: Faith, Hope, Love? This is the trifecta of Christianity. It is our faith in Christ that causes us to strive in faithful effort. It is our love for Christ that gives us the tenacity to labor unto fatigue. It is our hope in Christ that keeps us steadfast in our endurance. These are the qualities that Paul remembered before God our Father--and these are the qualities that should mark the believer still today.

In His Grace,
Pastor Michael

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