…now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought…good news of your faith and love and…that you always remember us kindly and long to see us, as we long to see you…
1 Thessalonians 3:6-13
Having heard from Timothy about the perseverance of the Thessalonians in faith and love, Paul was greatly comforted in the afflictions he faced in the course of his ministry. Their well-being brought fresh joy to Paul’s soul, for he understood his deep connection to them by virtue of their common union in Christ. Paul’s joy was a gift of our Savior. The “good news” report from Timothy was a “gospel” message to Paul because their perseverance was ultimately a gift of Jesus. Their faith was evidence of Christ’s work in them and a testimony to Christ’s salvation. In our verses today, Paul’s depth of joy was so profound that he was having difficulty finding the words to adequately express his thanks to God for the Christians in Thessalonica. In verse 10, we see that Paul and his ministry partners were spending day and night in prayer for the Thessalonian believers, regularly offering up prayers for the Thessalonians, thanking God for them, and to the Lord for sustaining their faith. Paul and his companions were also asking the Lord to open up a way to Thessalonica so that they could supply what the Thessalonians were lacking in their faith. Though the Thessalonians enjoyed a positive state spiritually, it does not mean they knew everything there was to know about Christ or that they had reached the end of their spiritual growth. They still had far to go, and yet, believers never reach a point where they cannot advance further in the faith. A 16th century theologian comments: “Those who far surpass others are still far distant from the goal. Hence, whatever progress we may have made, let us always keep in view our deficiencies, that we may not be reluctant to aim at something farther.” Because of Christ’s infinite goodness, the infinite blessings of salvation, and our own finiteness, we will never reach a point where we cannot grow more in our knowledge of the Lord and His work. This will be true even in glory, and we will spend eternity growing in our understanding of God and our love for Him. That growth begins on this side of heaven, as we attend diligently to God’s Word. We have not arrived yet, so let us continue to learn about the Lord.
Source: S C Ball March 7, 2024
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