Pastor Barry's  "Chapter & Verse"  2024  Day 127

May 6;       I Thessalonians 1:3;        183/260;        ‘Faith, Love & Hope’

1 Thessalonians 1:3 remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father,

Faith, love and hope was a favorite summary of Christian teaching in the early church.  The three were mentioned together in many verses in the epistles of Paul.   The work of faith means what you are occupied with.  Faith grows by feeding it on the Word of God and by living by faith.  You live by faith by trusting the Lord to do what the Word says He will do.  Faith pleases the Lord when you conduct the affairs of life trusting in and acting upon what the Word of God says.  Labor of love is very interesting.  ‘Labor’ means an intense labor united with trouble.  What that means is walking in the love of God is not easy as people can be and often are nasty.  The Thessalonians were learning that they needed to walk in love because they were Christians and were serious about their walk with Jesus.  Their desire and determination to walk in love was a battle to discipline their emotions that wanted to treat others as they were treated.  Taking control of your flesh, making it come in line with the Word of God was laborious.  The end result however, was maturity and freedom from conducting your life as the unsaved do and perhaps as you used to do.  Responding in an angry and resentful manner with others will never demonstrate to others the character of Jesus that they desperately need to see.  Patience in hope is just that.  Hope is an expectation of good.  What we are hoping for is manifested by faith.  Patience enables us to expect what we hope for without being discouraged until our faith brings that hope to pass. What a trio.