I Thessalonians 1:1-10
1:1 In faith, Paul greets the Thessalonians. There is an ebullience in Paul's faith and it follows him, surrounds him, in every interaction; he is constantly conscious of his faith and of God and it guides his actions and words.
1:2 The apostles are "always" thankful because their gratitude to God is infinite. Moreover, the apostles always pray for their fellow-workers (us) of God. Through our channels of faith we enable God to enter our lives. Once we give Him permission, He listens to and then answers our prayers. Trust and faith solidify the channel. The more we trust, the more we live and speak and do with faith, the more solid is His channel for reaching us. Wavering faith and corrupt or selfish works cause blessings to slip right out of the channel, not as a punishment but as a logical consequence of not maintaining a healthy bond.
The upshot is that prayer is an active force. Paul's prayers for the children of God came through a broad and truly solid channel; thereby allowing us to receive pure, determined, focused, and bold blessings.
1:3-4 In verse one we spoke of Paul surrounding himself with his faith, being constantly conscious of it. Here we are encouraged to do the same, to constantly be aware of:
- Our Work of Faith: to remember that we each, individually, were planted here with purpose. To remember that we have the freedom, opportunity and support to be impactful. In every moment, our lives are speaking a message to the people around us. Our expressions, our reactions, our temperament, our outlook... the elements of our lives are a conglomeration and we present it to the world whether we mean to or not. Mean to. Choose what you are presenting, be meaningful and purposeful. Do not waste time searching for who you are... create who you are in every moment.
- Labor of Love: to remember that love is our current of life. There are different wavelengths of love but each encourages us to be fair, honest, kind, empathetic, helpful, patient, brave on the behalf of another. Love itself breeds within us a tendency to be gentle and generous.
- Patience of Hope in God: to remember that the vexations of life are part of a classroom God has decided we can majorly benefit from. To have patience while requesting blessings and to have the patience to wait for the perfect time to receive them. Patience affords us the space, time and ability to analyze our situation with clarity and objectivity. To cultivate persistent hope; that our eventual destination on the path of faith is love, life and happiness. God supplies us the key to contentment and trust: patient hope. In other words, give Him the time to gather and build your blessings, the course through which they will develop in your life, and have hope that what He chose for you is the best for you.
- Knowing Our Election of God: to remember always that not only were we created by also chosen. God sees the potential within us and if we are willing, works with us to draw that potential out. He sees that impact we are capable of making on the earth and humans around us and for that reason, is proud to offer us membership in His work here.
1:5 Be perceptive, God reaches toward you with powerful love in a myriad of ways. In nature in prayer, in conversations, in books, within your own intuition... in so many circumstances, He is there. Listen, perceive.
1:6 Remember how this faith established you during your time of tribulation. Paul reminds the Thessalonians to be conscious of the fact that when they were weak, they were made strong. Just as we should never "bite the hand that feeds us" we should never neglect for forget the hand that fed us just because we no longer feel hungry. In both sorrow and joy God is with us; we should never abandon Him.
1:7-8 You are an example. Be proud of that responsibility. Inspire others. Provide an example of courage, compassion, generosity, patience, faith. Whatever it is that we produce on the earth, it reverberates, abounds around the earth.
1:9-10 Sometimes words are not the best conveyor of emotions or explanations. Quite often, behavior speaks louder than words ever could. The Thessalonians had abandoned a former way of life, a life without our creator, and had adopted this philosophy of life. Their example made waves around regions of the world and Paul encouraged them to take responsibility for what message those waves were bringing to the shores of humanity around them.
Your life creates waves which reach the regions of humanity. Take responsibility for what messages those waves are bringing to the shores.
