Good morning! In life we find ourselves growing in knowledge, height, weight and more. There are so many ways to learn, add height, gain/lose weight, and change. Today, Apostle Paul will share with the Thessalonian believers that they bring him great joy, but there is still room to grow. Join me as we finish 1 Thessalonians chapter three.

Bible verse – 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 NLT

“⁹ How we thank God for you! Because of you we have great joy as we enter God’s presence.  ¹⁰ Night and day we pray earnestly for you, asking God to let us see you again to fill the gaps in your faith.

¹¹ May God our Father and our Lord Jesus bring us to you very soon.  ¹² And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows.  ¹³ May he, as a result, make your hearts strong, blameless, and holy as you stand before God our Father when our Lord Jesus comes again with all his holy people. Amen.”

Reflection

In these verses, Paul talks about entering God’s presence in prayer. He mentioned he prayed night and day asking for God to let him see the believers in Thessalonica again, because he knew there were areas in their faith that were not fully developed or missing. He also prayed for the believers love for one another, for all people to grow; and that God would make their hearts strong, blameless and holy.

Sisters and brothers, the life of a believer is a process that develops over time. There is no progress if we remain in the same state we were a year ago or for years. We progress by taking steps of faith, by learning from life circumstances that cause us to grow in spiritual maturity and by allowing the Lord to lead us through those times.

Apostle Paul mentioned that there were gaps (v.10) in the believers faith and while he was unable to return to them we will read about those gaps in a couple of chapters (stay tuned). Sisters and brothers, if we are honest, there maybe gaps in our faith as well. We have grown from infants in the faith, but have not fully matured. However, the Lord is still faithful to reveal those gaps and strengthen our faith to maturity.

Questions to ponder:

• Who are you praying for at night and in the day? ______

• What gaps do you have in your faith? ____

• Will you allow the Lord to close those gaps? ______

Prayer

Father God, thank you for your love toward us. Thank you for your faithfulness that never leads us astray. Thank you for seeing us at our worst, yet still loving us enough to send your one and only son Jesus to save us. Thank you for the Holy Spirit that comforts, guides and corrects us in our ways. Thank you for leading us beyond our own self-centeredness to healing and wholeness in you. Lord, we pray for our sisters and brothers of the faith who are lacking or struggling with their faith today. Lord, we/they need you. Help us/them to feel your presence today. Give us wisdom and discernment in our situations and help us to be at peace. In Jesus name, amen.

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