Gleanings in First Thessalonians
Chapter 1
Our second installment of our gleanings in First Thessalonians
If thou will bear me some of your patience
1Thess 1:3
Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;
Paul, again, always seems to be believer/saint consumed in his thoughts, many times in his epistles, he takes the time to remind the saints that he is thinking of them.
Here three things are reminded that was noted of the apostle: work, labour, and patience. Three actions not for salvation or to remain saved, but for service.
A work of faith – faith is: (Heb 11:1)”… is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Faith is believing what God has said.
A labour of love (charity) – love: (1 Cor 13:4-8) “… suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth:…”.
Patience of hope – hope: (Rom 8:24-25) “ …that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.". Hope is the confidence in what we know will happen, and helps us to keep moving forward.
Paul mentions these three things and prioritizes for the long run:
1Cor 13:12-13
For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
Paul refers to not “ceasing” several times in his writing – for remembrance, prayers, thankfulness (Rom 1:9; 1 Thess 1:3, 2:13; 5:17; 2 Tim 1:3)
I have wearied thee, I shall “cease” for this morn’
Grace and Peace James
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