READING: 2 Thessalonians 1-3
“We must always thank God for you, brothers.”
2 Thessalonians 1:3
I look around the church where I serve, and I see some folks who are striving in God’s power to follow Him. On the seminary campus where I teach, I work with young people whose faith is often stronger than mine is. I have friends and mentors whose trust and obedience make them great examples for me.
I don’t thank God enough for them, however – and today’s reading reminds me of that failure.
The apostle Paul often began his letters with a prayer for their recipients, but he begins 2 Thessalonians with a sense of “oughtness” in his praying: “We must always thank God for you, brothers. This is right, since your faith is flourishing and the love each one of you has for one another is increasing” (2 Thess. 1:3).Paul saw in the Thessalonians a growing faith toward God and an increasing love for each other—both that were answers to his prayers noted in 1 Thessalonians (1 Thess. 4:9-10, 3:12). When God so worked in the lives of the Thessalonians, Paul knew he had a duty to thank Him.
I have that same duty to thank God for what He has done (and is doing) in my family and friends. Today, I am challenged to daily pray a prayer of thanksgiving for someone in whose life God’s work is evident. Please pray for me that I will keep this commitment.
ACTION STEPS:
- Consider making this same commitment with me. Begin today with that kind of praying.
- Ask God to strengthen your faith in Him and your love for others.
PRAYER: “Father, I thank You for the way You are working in the lives of people I love.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Acts 18:19-19:41
