Greetings to you in the Name of Jesus on this Tuesday, my friend! I trust you had a blessed holiday weekend!
Read II Thessalonians 1:1 – 12 (again).
Last Friday, we covered the opening three verses of Paul’s second letter to the Believers at Thessalonica. In just the third verse, we learned that Paul commended them for (and commented on) their thanks, faith, and love.
Moving deeper in our passage, Paul continues to commend the Thessalonians on their steadfastness and thereby instructs all of us on how to live during periods of “persecutions and tribulations”. So, what are some of the keys in enduring through tough times?:
1st key (vv 4) – Patience. In Luke 21, Jesus is speaking to the disciples about the end times; during His detailed discourse about the end of the age, He makes this extraordinary statement: “By your patience possess your souls”. Webster’s dictionary provides this synonym for patience: long-suffering. My brother, our very souls depend on our ability to be patient, to be long-suffering; knowing that we are indeed Heaven-bound!
2nd key (vv 4) – Faith. In his first epistle, the apostle John writes “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.”. Our faith; that is, our absolute trust in the LORD and the completed work of His Son; is both our victory and also the way we overcome the world!
3rd key (vv 4. 5) – Endurance. Because we as Believers “endure” (vv 4), we are manifesting evidence of a righteous God and are being counted worthy of the Kingdom of God. The writer of Hebrews conveys this same thought in Hebrews 10: “For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise:”. And what is that promise? According to I John, “And this is the promise that He has promised us—eternal life.”.
4th key (vvs 6-10) – Foresight. Much like a physical key has teeth and cuts, both of which are necessary to operate the lock, this spiritual key also has two dimensions. In these verses, we read in detail about the coming return of Our Lord – on the one hand, His return brings righteous judgement on those who are persecuting His people; on the other hand, it brings rest and restoration for those that belong to Him. Because we have been told (and know!) that He is returning in all of His glory, we are better able to withstand the trials that we face.
Finally, my brother, I leave you today to walk in the fullness of this mighty benediction from vvs 11 and 12 of today’s reading: “Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”. Amen!