1 Thessalonians 1:1-3

1 Thessalonians 1:1-3

Paul and Silvanus and Timothy.  To the assembly of the Thessalonians.  In God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  Grace and peace to you all.  We give thanks to God at all times regarding you all while unceasingly making remembrances upon our prayers, while remembering your work of faithfulness and toil of love and patient endurance in the hope of our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and our Father. 

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Paul wrote to the assembly of people in Thessalonica.  After greeting them, Paul lifts up three very neat attributes for which he and his associates remember the Thessalonians in their prayers.  First of all, they are faithful in their work.  They are trustworthy.  They make promises and keep them.  They do their job well.  But we can assume that this faithfulness is more than just a sense of obligation.  This is a faithfulness rooted in the faithfulness of Jesus Christ.  As Christ was faithful, so are these Thessalonians.  Paul and his associates see Jesus in the faithfulness of these people.

Are you faithful?  How does your faithfulness help bring Christ into the lives of others?

Second Thought:

The second attribute is the fact that they work in love.  We’ve already talked about the fact that they work hard.  But there is more to work than just diligence.  What good is hard work if we are not loving what we are doing?  Again we see Christ.  Ministering to human beings is difficult.  Yet Christ did it because He loved us.  In fact, Christ even died for us because He loved us.  That’s what makes His death so personally inspirational.  He died because He loved.  His love makes it personal and intimate.  When Paul and his associates remember the Thessalonians, they see God through the Thessalonians in their love.

Do you love?  How do people around you see love?

Third Thought:

Finally, Paul reminds them of their hope in Christ.  When Paul thinks about the Thessalonians, he remembers their ability to look to the future.  Paul remembers their desire to put things in an eternal perspective.  Paul sees Christ in that because Christ also lived that way.  Christ was able to go to the cross and die for our sake because He saw the eternal.  The Thessalonians are putting the same perspective on hope as Christ hoped for the resurrection and eternal salvation of the people of God.

What is your perspective?  Are you hoping for the life to come?  How can people see your hope in you?

Passage for Tomorrow: 1 Thessalonians 1:4-5