Known By Our Character
Read the Text: 1 Thessalonians 1
Memorize the Text:
Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people.
(Colossians 3:12-13, CSB)
Consider the Text: 1 Thessalonians 1:3
How would your friends, family, and acquaintances define your life? Would they identify you as a follower of Christ or a person of the world? Would your character reflect the person of Christ or the elevation of the self? In 1 Thessalonians 1:3, the apostle Paul noted that he knew the believers in Thessalonica by the evidence of their faith. He saw the presence of faith, love, and hope in them and recognized the influence of these three characteristics on each believer’s life. If a person observed your life would they find your living out genuine faith, love, and hope?
IS YOUR WORK PRODUCED BY FAITH?
The apostle Paul declared that the work produced by faith distinguished his readers as Christ's followers. The work produced points to the act of producing something and the element of withstanding difficulty. The evidence of their lives shows a faith that believes in the truth and doctrines detailed by Scripture, but more significant than that, it produces complete trust and reliance upon Christ. Thus, the apostle declares that he notices their relationship with the Lord through the evidence of their complete trust in Jesus.
When you evaluate the work produced in your life, do you see work that centers on the self or occurs because of Christ? Are you demonstrating how to follow the Lord in faithfulness and trust him to provide the needed ability to carry out the work of God’s kingdom? The work in life offers a microscope into the genuine belief and trust in Christ that dwells in us.
IS YOUR LABOR MOTIVATED BY LOVE?
The work produced by faith occurred under the motivation of love. Love served as the motivator in both a vertical and horizontal influence. Vertically, the love for God motivated the believers in Thessalonica to serve the Lord in faithfulness. They committed to the Lord entirely and demonstrated a wholehearted love for the Lord that included heart, mind, soul, and strength through their activity. At the same time, the believers served the Lord because they loved others more than the self. Thus, they sought to serve the Lord by serving others and pointing others to Christ.
When love motivates our activity, we seek to serve the Lord and others. The motivation reveals true love and focus. If we act out of a love for the self, our actions center on elevating our lives. Thus, we become plagued by pride and arrogance. We must strive to live out love in obedience to the Lord and serve others in a way that points them to Jesus. How is love motivating you? Are you motivated to live for the self or God and others?
IS YOUR ENDURANCE INSPIRED BY HOPE IN JESUS CHRIST?
The apostle saw that the believers in Thessalonica faced life with the certainty of hope that comes from Christ. Their trust in Jesus did not exist limited to the here and now but found certainty in the eternal future found in the promises of the Lord. As a result, the work of the believers endured in faithfulness because of the hope that lived in them. Hoping with certainty provides the base to endure through life because certainty comes from the Lord, not a person, place, action, or feeling.
As you journey through life, do people see genuine hope existing? Do they see a follower of Christ who rests in the promises of the Lord and journeys through life with hope based on these promises? The believers in Thessalonica demonstrated the importance of living in this manner. Thus, we must strive to walk in the hope that comes because of the certainty in our relationship with Christ.
The apostle Paul about the importance of faith, hope, and love on several occasions. Here, the apostle declared how each characteristic impacts believers in their walk with the Lord. Each of the three characteristics leans on the others and forms a life that walks in faithfulness. Are you walking in faith, hope, and love? Are you walking in two of the three and need to work on the third? As you evaluate your life, will you strive to live out a work produced by faith, a labor motivated by love, and endure through hope that comes from the Lord alone?
This blog is part of the Coffee and Quiet Time with Jesus Devotional Series found at equippingfaith.com. Join the journey of reading through the New Testament this year. More information can be found at equippingfaith.com.
