PAUL'S PRAYER FOR THESSALONICA

1Thess 1:2-3

Morning Meditations 11/8/14

The text we will look at this morning is: "We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers; Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;"

Prayer has been an important subject to me all my ministry. When our church burned in 1978 and I lost all my books, I lost several books on prayer that could not be replaced. I have since obtained several books on prayer. I am always attracted to books on the subject. But sometimes in my search I have neglected the most important book on the subject, i.e., the Bible. So this morning I want to examine, for my benefit, one of Paul's prayers. Maybe this will also be an encouragement to you.

The words "we give thanks" (eucharisteo) is a present active indicative verb. It means "to be grateful, feel thankful." I am sure that it was a great encouragement to the Christians in Thessalonica to know that Paul had not forgotten them. He has an "attitude of gratitude" for these Christians. This thankfulness is to God. This means that Paul is acknowledging the work of God in the lives of these believers. The words "making mention of you in our prayers" is something he is doing continuously. "Making mention" is a present middle participle. The present tense means that he continually does this in the present tense of his life. The middle voice means that he is benefited by this prayer himself. When I pray thankfully for others, I am helped by this prayer myself. Have you ever noticed how a negative attitude affects your own personality? I'm sure Paul knew Christians in Thessalonica who were not right. All churches have people like that. And those of us who minister to them know something of their weaknesses. Sometimes our knowledge of that hinders our prayers for them. It did not hinder Paul's. This is a good lesson for me to learn. I must grow in grace to the point where I can have knowledge without it being a hindrance. Grace allows me to see that God loves this brother in spite of his weaknesses. I must see that grace can get him beyond his present weaknesses. And one of the factors that fit into what God in grace is going to do in that persons life is the prayers that are being sent up in his behalf.

The words "in our prayers" tell us that Paul had solicited his associates to pray with him in their behalf. I do not know why it is so hard at this point. It is probably a matter of pride. Our human nature does not like to entertain the idea that it needs help. My prayers are enough. I have never really thought that in my mind. But I have thought it in my practice. Pride is something that will keep me from prayer.

Then Paul tells the believers the content of his prayers in their behalf. First of all, "Remembering without ceasing your work of faith." The word "remembering" (mnemoneuo) is a present active participle. It means he is continually remembering and bringing to mind without ceasing your work of faith. The words "without ceasing" means without intermission. When I read something like this, I have the tendency to neutralize the impact of this inspired statement by saying that Paul couldn't go around all the time with this on his mind! That kind of thinking lets me off. It helps soothe the conviction of the Holy Spirit over my lack of prayer. I have to remind myself that this is the inspired word of God.. God doesn't exaggerate. What a challenge this is to my lack of prayer.

The words "your work of faith" means that what they were doing was a faith response to what God was saying. The word "work" (ergon) means "the business, employment, that which any one is occupied." When we do something because God says it and we believe it, that is a work of faith. Paul is thanking God without ceasing for these believers' faith response to what God was saying.

Second, the words "and labor of love" mean that the work of faith was not just an unfeeling response to what God was saying. Their motive was love. The word "love" (agape) is the kind of love that God has for the world. It is a love that acts. It is a love that sacrifices. It is a love that does not take into consideration that those on whom it is bestowed will not appreciate it. Therefore the word "labour" (kopos) is used. It means a beating; a beating of the breast with grief, sorrow. It is a labor that affects the emotions. It is a labor that requires discipline. It is a labor that the believers' in Thessalonica were doing and for which Paul remembered with thanksgiving. Let me say this love is the love given by God. It will never continue as a work of the flesh. It will stop. The flesh demands compensation for what it does. So we must receive this love from God and exercise it because of our love for the Lord. It will be a labor. We may beat our breasts at times. But if we are loving others because He wants it, we can continue on a grace basis. God empowers His work in our lives.

Third, the words "and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ" speak of the endurance and the Motivator. The words "patience of hope" mean the patience that hope gives. Hope is the joyful anticipation of a reality. Hope is faith with eyes. It deals with the unseen. It is not dealing with fantasy however. God has made some promises that await fulfillment. Those promises motivate patient endurance of hardship brought about by our obedience to Him. Remember the word "labor?" Sometimes you "beat upon your breast" because of the ingratitude of those on whom you bestow your labor. Your breast gets sore! And your feelings get blown up by a smart bomb that comes right down the stack! You are ready to stop this labor of love business on this particular person and move on to another "who deserves it more." See how merit creeps in? Then you remember your "hope in our Lord Jesus Christ" and stay under the load of the present circumstances. The word "patience' means "the characteristic of a man who is not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings."

The words "in the sight of God and our Father" should describe what is in the believer's mind in all his service. It is not what man thinks that counts. We are in a kingdom not of this world. There is an unseen world that exists right alongside of the present world order. It is where God, Christ and the holy angels live. They are watching (Eph 3:10). Paul tells them in my prayers I remember all these things you are doing "in the sight of God and our Father." I thank God that He is my Father and His eyes are eyes of grace.

May the Lord bless these words to our hearts.

In Christ

Earl White