Somebody has offended you, made you mad and you are ready to throw in the towel! Paul and the Thessalonian believers faced the same challenges in this passage:
1Finally, brothers, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you. 2And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men, for not everyone has faith. 3But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. 4We have confidence in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we command.5May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance. II Thessalonians 3:1-5
As an Evangelist and an Apostle, Paul suffered much opposition and had many opportunities for discouragement. That's why he asked the saints to pray for him that the Gospel would continue to spread and be received - just as the Thessalonians had received it so gladly! He also prayed for protection against evil men who opposed the Gospel. Paul encouraged them to continue to follow his pastoral direction and prayed that the Lord would direct their hearts into to God's love and into the perseverance of Christ!
When people offend and abuse us, it's easy for relationships to disintegrated into bitterness, division and hatred rather than love. When life get's hard, it's easy to throw in the towel and say "I can't do this Christian thing"! Or to "lay down our religion" get even and pick it up again.
As we continue to share the Gospel with our friends and neighbors, we need to pray for God's protection and the Lord would direct our hearts into the love of Christ! We don't have the human capacity to love people when they abuse us! We want to strike back!
Lord help us to persevere, to stay strong, to stay in faith and not to give up - even when things get tough!
In Jesus Name! Amen!
Monday, April 12, 2010
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