2We always give thanks to God for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers; 3constantly keeping in mind your work of faith and labor of love and perseverance of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father. 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3; 4:13
There is an adverb in the greeting from Paul to the Thessalonians that reminds me of my father, who passed away 20 years ago today. My parents left the tiny island of Taiwan over 55 years ago to serve as missionaries in a country they knew little about before leaving their own country. My parents were hard workers, struggling and laboring in a foreign country where they probably knew not one word in the local language when they landed on its soil. He could be often found working and praying at three or four in the morning. He was a living example of the adverb adialeiptós that I would read much later in life in the Greek of Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians. Even difficult circumstances can bring about adialeiptós (incessantly, without intermission) good work in us. In this case, Paul incessantly thinks and prays for the Thessalonians. Some people who leave such a profound effect on you that it compels you to talk to them. Some people’s candor and work are something so noble you cannot help but thank God and cheer them on. To remind them to weep – but not to weep like those with no hope (see 1 Thess. 4:13). In Paul’s case, it was not one person but a whole church. His remembrance and reflection about the work of these Thessalonians resulted in one implication that evoked his perpetual thanksgiving and constant prayer: they responded to the Gospel. The Gospel reminds us that we are being conformed to the image of the Son. It also reminds us that we labor with the same tools, hands and feet as others but with different motives and results. In many cases we do the same thing but with a different song in our hearts. Paul was not there involved with the day-to-day, but he got the pleasure of knowing that the presence of the Lord is sufficient. He learned from this early church community a good lesson in life for disciples of Jesus: that the same Spirit that hovered over the waters in Creation is holding Gospel communities together in their work also. They worked (for each other and in the city) because they had faith in (trusted) the Lord. They toiled in difficulty even if things did not work out because God’s love loved them first. They bore down under pressure because their hope was in Jesus. And this is the nature of the day’s labor for believers. One good work evokes another good work and one “constantly” evokes another “constantly.” We work sometimes by remembering other believers’ work. The Thessalonians received the Gospel message that rang out without intermission, and they responded by working together incessantly. And while Paul may not be present to get involved with the day-to-day activities, it is not as though he was not working with them. Perhaps at three or four in the morning, you could hear him calling on the Father in heaven and mentioning the Thessalonians also. Lord, make me a person who cannot stop thinking about You and my fellow brothers and sisters. Help me to see the work of my local church and my fellow saints in the workplace. Comments are closed.
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