SCRIPTURE: 1 THESSALONIANS 1:2-3
“We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. “
OBSERVATION:
Paul’s relentless theme of Faith, Hope, & Love rang out again this morning as I read thru my scheduled reading. These three words change everything.
Religious people always labor, work, and endure, but the motivations make all the difference. It is easy to be motivated by fear - fear of hell, fear of a curse, fear of abandonment by God, or fear of an angry God who places your all of your deeds on a judgement scale. When the motivation is faith instead of fear then our work is not an attempt to avoid something negative. Rather, it is energy focused on building something positive for others around us. It movement toward God’s best in our lives.
In the same way our motivation of love overcomes or trumps motivations of selfish desires and insecurities. It doesn’t allow us to believe that the world revolves around us. It gives a bigger perspective regarding our purpose here on earth. It motivates us to look outward - to share what we have been given, to see the miraculous in our lives as something God can use to bless others.
Hope is an anchor that hooks into our Kingdom purpose. It reminds us that there is more to come. This life is the beginning of a journey, not the destination. It makes room for patience, peace, joy, kindness, and goodness. It lifts our heads above our current circumstance and sets our eyes on what’s to come.
APPLICATION:
I have the capacity to perform out of fear as well as faith, out of self-centered ambitions or a sacrificial love for others, out of the narrow scope that my circumstances provide or the eternal perspective of the Kingdom of God. These are my choice and I will choose Faith, Hope, & Love.
PRAYER:
Father, thank you for the virtues of faith, hope, and love. Thank you for the ability to live in and according to those virtues. Help me to be conscious of these realities in my life always, and to choose them over their counterparts. In Jesus name, AMEN!
