Work it!

1 Thessalonians 1 (New International Version)

¹Paul, Silas and Timothy,
To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
Grace and peace to you.

²We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. ³We 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.

I was reading this passage this morning, actually I was looking something else up when I landed on this by mistake. I love the greetings in the Epistles because if a Bible author had sent me a letter, I so often wonder how he would have to address it. Would it be, "oh ye of little faith," or "church of the big dreams of wealth," or even "prayer-less stumbler in the dark." I am very sure all of those would apply at some part of my life, and perhaps even over the past year or two. So how would he address me today? What do I need to focus my life on so that I might get an address more rightly reflecting what God wants to do with me as a church of one set up to influence my little part of the world?

Well look at the passage - the fine folks at the New International Bible have given it a chapter heading which says,

Thanksgiving for the Thessalonians' Faith

which is odd, because I don't see it that way at all. By time you read down to what we now call verse three, it says that the writers are giving thanks for the Thessalonians' work, labor and endurance.

These are actions. So - even though the motivations are mentioned, and praised, it is really the actions taken by the people of this church which are being remembered with thankfulness.

OK Lord. I'm listening. I want to do the things which would create a memory in the lives of people around be which would first point to you, then be worth this type of praise. Not for my own ego or self-worth, but for the furtherance of the Kingdom of God.