1 Thessalonians 1:1-3

1 Thes. 1:1-3 Paul, Silas and Timothy,

To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

Grace and peace to you.

[2] We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. [3] We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labour prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

If someone was writing about my life in Jesus I would hope that they could write this way of me. I love the way that Paul phrases the work of the Thessalonians in three couplets.

They are known for their work for God, work which is produced by faith. I hope that my faith plays an active part of my life, that my faith in God, my trust that he will be there when I need him to, will move me to undertake tasks for him that would otherwise scare me.

They work hard, it is labour. Yet inspired by love, their care and concern for their brothers and sisters, and also for people who do not know Jesus, they are willing to go the extra mile in their service. I would hope that people would find me to be accommodating in this way too.

And they are willing o endure work and labour. They are willing to keep going even if the world seems against them because they have hope. They trust in the promise of Jesus that he will overcome this world and bring love, peace and justice in the world to come. I pray that in my life I continually grasp the eternal significance of all that I do and trust in the eternal promises of Jesus about restoring my relationship with my creator.