2 Thessalonians 1:3
What is your most special day of the year? Mine, without any reservation, is
Thanksgiving, it’s better than my birthday, and a close second is New Years, a
day to look back on the past and set a new course for each day that the Lord
gives you on this earth. Both of
those days have this in common it is a day to reflect on the many blessings
that are yours and to be thankful.
Thanksgiving is not a day centered around opening gifts, but a day to
thank the Giver, to acknowledge that your Father in heaven has blessed you
abundantly.
As we look at 2 Thessalonians 1:3, it is all about
thanksgiving, and I thought it was an American discovery, but it has been going
on since God put Adam and Eve in the garden. “We ought always to give thanks
to God for you brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly,
and the love of everyone of you for one another is increasing.” I am such a slow learner,
and I hope you are not like me in that my flesh often wins the battle with the
Spirit that lives in me. Usually I
give thanks for good health, for my family, and friends, and for the many
material blessings, but it is rare that I give thanks to our Father for the
spiritual growth of a member of my family or a friend. But a growing faith is of greater
importance than any other thing, for a faith that is growing is what over-
comes the world. How shallow of
me, have I not read, “Faith is the Victory that overcomes the world?” (1 John
5:4)
But the other thing that Paul is referring to is the love
for one another that is increasing.
For me to have increasing love for someone requires first and foremost
that God does a work in my heart, and second, that I spend time with the
person, so that I begin to be exposed to their heart. That is why we are encouraged to assemble together, but if
the church is large in size, hundreds in worship and that is all you do, it
will be almost impossible to love people you have no fellowship with. Yes, being part of a fellowship, a
body, requires each of us to engage in a small group, a Bible study group, so
that you can see that the person’s faith is growing and give thanks to our
great God for His faithfulness.
From the Back Porch,
Bob Rice
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