Word of Encouragement (7/5/2021)
We are moving on to 2 Thessalonians and we begin with a short prayer: “We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing” (1:3). I hope you see a pattern developing: what it is for which Paul gives thanks. In this prayer, he gives thanks to God for the Thessalonians’ faith and love. Let us make three short observations about his prayer of thanksgiving.
First, Paul gives thanks for people, not for things. We should take this to heart. If we are honest, what makes us burst out in thankful praise? Isn’t it usually “things” or “events”—a surprisingly large gift or an unexpected success or a sudden turn of events for the better, etc.? This shows how materialistic we are. Even when we give thanks for people, it’s usually what they have done for us in their kindness and generosity. This shows how self-centered we are. When was the last time you gave thanks for someone simply for what s/he is, simply for being there? We get so fixated on the small, insignificant ways other people annoy us that we fail to appreciate many of their positive, valuable traits until they are gone and it’s too late. How much more enjoyable our relationships would be if we can be grateful for the unique beings that others are, even their idiosyncrasies! After all, God made them all in the image of God, each unique in his/her own ways, and placed them in our lives for a purpose, ultimately for our good.
Second, Paul gives thanks for the Thessalonians’ faith. He thanks God for this because faith is a gift of God (Eph. 2:8) to His elect. But why should he give thanks for their faith? It’s because Paul was the instrument God used to bring saving knowledge to the Thessalonians (Acts 17:1ff). What greater privilege is there than to be used by God to convey the gift of eternal life to someone? But even if we had nothing to do with someone’s salvation, we should still thank God for his faith. For he is a living testimony to God’s saving grace. His faith testifies to the power of the gospel to save all who believe, no matter how wicked and evil they may be. And we should thank God for his faith because we have another soldier added to the army of Christ, who will fight alongside us for the sake of the gospel.
Paul thanked God particularly for the Thessalonians’ growing faith. From this, we can see that faith is not supposed to be stagnant. So, the Hebrews writer rebuked his audience, saying, “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God” (Heb. 5:12). Can we grow in our knowledge of God and not grow in faith? To know God, who is glorious, is to worship Him. To know God, who is beautiful, is to love Him. To know God, who is faithful, is to trust Him. The more we come to know the faithfulness and trustworthiness of God, the more we can trust Him.
What a blessing it is when we have around us those who are growing in faith! Their growing faith serves as a telescope, which shows the greatness of God in tangible ways. When the vision of God looms larger and larger, our faith cannot remain lethargic and complacent. As our vision of God is renewed, our hearts are drawn to His majesty and glory and beauty more and more. As our faith is restored and renewed, our spiritual life regains its vitality, direction, and purpose. Do you have someone like that in your life? Give thanks to God for them. And let us pray that we will be such a person in someone’s life and strive to grow in faith through the knowledge of God’s Word and our obedience to it!