3:1 Imagine the plight of Paul and the apostles. Christianity is now well-established in almost all regions of the world but the mission of the apostles was to introduce it to the world. To introduce a philosophy of life to a world full of powerful people already committed to their own interests. This philosophy of life went directly against many and it was Paul and the apostles mission to keep pushing on despite directly confronting adversaries. They had God's direction, of course, and knew how to navigate the tumultuous landscape.
3:2 When Paul's presence began to draw an overwhelming amount of negative and dangerous attention, Timothy was dispatched in his place. Paul was widely known for his pro-activism; enemies knew that to thwart or even kill Paul would be a gigantic blow to the apostles mission and therefore, he in particular was viciously sought after.
Yet as we can see, even when a situation becomes dark and uncertain, God ensures that we have something or someone (symbolized by Timothy's placement) to remain with us as we endure.
3:3 Opposition was muddying the conditions for learning. Ideally, God wishes for us to learn of this philosophy under the conditions is seeks to restore to the world: peace, calm, safety. As happened for the Thessalonians, that is not always possible. Yet to restore at least some safety to this region, Paul departed with the intent of causing his most fierce adversaries to leave with him.
3:4-5 Paul was unafraid of his adversaries and Paul was unafraid of dying. However, it was not time for Paul to leave the earth for he had so much work to do. As Paul could no longer endure the tribulation (and simultaneously maintain his life, preserving his chance to keep working) he worked with the Thessalonians from afar through letter and word from Timothy with them.
Paul reminds us at the end of this verse that our faith requires commitment and maintenance. We are almost constantly tempted away from our values by our own frustrations, by events and people around us. In order to ensure the health of our faith, we spend time with it. Contemplation of our spirituality, thought spent on things bigger than ourselves and immediate surroundings. The blessed irony of it is that although our faith requires us to "work" on it, while we are doing so, it truly feels as though it is working on us while we rest.
3:6-7 What better balm and comfort is there in a difficult time than to know that the people you love are thriving in health and faith? Paul's determination is solidified again and again as he sees that the word of God has healed and helped and held those whom Paul has spoken it to.
3:8 For now we live if you stand fast in the Lord. We are alive in the energy we produce in the earth. Paul expresses that all of the fleeing and danger, adversity and pain was worth the struggle if it produced such faithful and thus happy people. The works that we do while we are here are manifestations of ourselves and they abound, we abound, alive, extensions of each other.
3:9-10 Paul writes of the particular and familiar experience of not knowing how to aptly thank God for His generous work in our lives. Consider this: Paul is fleeing from ferocious enemies... yet he devotes his prayer not to praying for his own life, but praying to be allowed to continue to work on the behalf of others.
3:11 God does direct our way when we trust Him and give Him permission to do so. It then becomes our work to have "Patient Hope" which we spoke of in the last chapter. To have the courage to accept that His way knows better and further than we do... to have the trust to accept that delivery of our blessings will come in perfect time (rather than what we think would be convenient time).
Life is a classroom and this classroom is like a video game. We are constantly experiencing the same level until we use that experience to gain skill and thus reach a new level... which will require the skill we learned. We're going to repeat the same lessons so we might as well get our proverbial notebook out and start listening, studying, analyzing, observing, learning, growing. We want to be ready because when we are ready... the answers to our prayers can be delivered.
If you pray to be in (for example), Level 7, well that is where the package of blessings is. They've been provided...it's up to you to journey toward them. And "Level 7" can represent anything: a job, a relationship, an opportunity... we require the ability of being able to maintain those things in order to have them. Use the experience around you to grow in character: in responsibility, patience, endurance, wisdom, kindness. God will direct you but you have to take the steps.
3:12-13 And such is Paul's prayer for us: that we grow in compassion. Compassion which is comprised of all the traits we need: love, hope, justice. When this classroom comes to its culmination, Paul prays that we will all qualify for graduation, rejoining with our compassionate God.
