Good morning! I’m not sure how many readers, reading this can recall a time when your parent or another adult provided you guidance on living an honorable life. Yet, we have had someone in our lives who have influenced us in a good way. Today we will continue our reading in 1 Thessalonians chapter 2 with Apostle sharing a time when he encouraged the believers.

Bible verse – 1 Thessalonians 2:7-12 NLT

“⁷ As apostles of Christ we certainly had a right to make some demands of you, but instead we were like children^[b] among you. Or we were like a mother feeding and caring for her own children. ⁸ We loved you so much that we shared with you not only God’s Good News but our own lives, too.

⁹ Don’t you remember, dear brothers and sisters, how hard we worked among you? Night and day we toiled to earn a living so that we would not be a burden to any of you as we preached God’s Good News to you. ¹⁰ You yourselves are our witnesses—and so is God—that we were devout and honest and faultless toward all of you believers. ¹¹ And you know that we treated each of you as a father treats his own children. ¹² We pleaded with you, encouraged you, and urged you to live your lives in a way that God would consider worthy. For he called you to share in his Kingdom and glory.”

Reflection

Apostle Paul is reflecting on his time with the Thessalonian believers and the ministry that took place while he was with them. Paul reminded them that He did not demand financial support, he worked/labored to earn a living and ministered to them because he didn’t want to burden them and he knew it was more important to share the Good News and care for their spiritual needs. Paul just like a caring father was on a mission to guide them and build them up in the faith.

Sisters and brothers, the sentence that stood out to me was “We pleaded with you, encouraged you, and urged you to live your lives in a way that God would consider worthy.”

I recall the teachings and guidance that I received from my mother, step father and other adults. It was a battle by the time I was in my teens because I thought I knew the secret of life. Yet, I clearly remember my mother’s pleas with me to listen to her wise counsel, even in the midst of her struggles she encouraged me in the faith, and urged me at the point of tears to live a life worthy of self-respect and dignity. My mother didn’t simply do that because she was my mother, she did it because she loved me and saw greater things in me than I saw for myself at the time.

Sisters and brothers, Paul could have simply preached the Good News to those who would listen, but he did more. Paul loved on them as fellow believers and he discipled them with great care. If we learn anything from these verses it should be the reminder that sharing the Good News is the mission and loving believers with the love of Christ is essential to their growth and maturity – so that, they will be all that God planned and purposed them to be. Don’t get me wrong, the Holy Spirit will do the transformational work, but the Lord has invited us along to partner with Him to encourage and strengthen others in the faith.

Therefore, keep sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ and love on believers and non-believers so that they will see Christ through you.

Questions to ponder:

• Who has God strategically placed in your life to share the Good News of Jesus Christ?
• Who do you need to encourage in the faith?
• Who do you need to show the love that Christ has shown you?

Prayer

Father God we thank you for another glorious day. Thank you for waking us. Lord, we know, no one loves us more than you. Lord, we are so grateful for your saving grace. Lord, we thank you for sending other believers to be examples of Christ on earth, we thank you for spiritual parents, friends, co-workers, etc., who are strong in the faith who encourage our spiritual growth. Lord, we desire to be used by you to show the love of Christ in our homes and throughout the world. Lord, your word says that you give wisdom and discernment, will you pour out wisdom and discernment in our lives so that we may be effective in our partnership with you to share the Good News? Lord, give us a willing, humble and obedient heart to follow you each day. Continue to transform us. In Jesus name, amen.

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