1 Thessalonians 3 -- In The Heat Of Battle

Paul was concerned about the new Christians in Thessalonica, for they were now encountering strong persecution.  He worried that, as the devil turned up the heat, he might also trick them into giving up their aggressive Christian testimony in exchange for his relaxing of the persecution, my commentary said.  Even today, we can find ourselves tempted to swap loyalty to Christ for personal comfort.

“They needed encouragement not to buckle under the pressure of opposition.”  We have to remember that opposition is not always a sign that God is displeased with our direction.  Instead, it’s more likely that we are walking in His will and Satan is trying to throw us off.  According to Paul, trials are a discipline in our lives that:

1)       Prove the reality of our faith

      2)      Enable us to comfort and encourage others going through similar trials
      3)      Develop certain graces, such as endurance in our character
      4)      Make us more zealous in spreading the Gospel, and
      5)      Help us remove the dross from our lives.

They are almost like spiritual fitness programs.

For me, yesterday was certainly a day filled with trials.  The only thing I can remember specifically praying was, “God, I trust you.  Help me to know what to do.”  Paul revealed so much more about his prayer life in this chapter.  He prayed night and day, out of habit, and I’ve felt lately that I’ve gotten out of this habit to some extent, even though one of my boys mentioned to their friends the other day about how well it worked when I prayed about even the small stuff, such as finding a lost item.  Thank You that they’ve taken notice, Father.  Paul’s prayers are intensely fervent.  You can almost see the sweat forming on his brow from the effort.  His prayers were very specific.  This not only focused God’s power and attention, but it also allowed Paul to more easily see the results of his praying.  His prayers were also altruistic – praying for the needs of others more than his own needs.

Father, the trials seem to have been dialed up a few notches yesterday, and they’ll probably continue for awhile at this higher level.  In the heat of it all, I’ve not taken as much time as I should to cry out to You.  Strengthen my faith.  Allow me to encourage others.  Give me more endurance.  Clear the spiritual barnacles out of my life, and use this as a story someday of how You picked me up and carried me through the trials.  I really need to be more like Paul in my prayer life.  I pray now that You help me to do that, Father.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford