Pray for Faithfulness to God’s Calling
Read the Text: 2 Thessalonians 1
Memorize the Text:
But we ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God has closed you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and through belief in truth.
(2 Thessalonians 2:13, CSB)
Consider the Text: 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12
Believers receive a call from the Lord to serve him and his kingdom. The calling often comes as a service that seems too great for our ability. The assumption concerning one’s ability reflects the reality of weakness in human endeavors, but the assumption ignores the game-changing presence of God’s enabling power. Thus, when we seek to serve the Lord in faithfulness, we carry out God’s calling with a trust in the ability provided by the Lord. In 2 Thessalonians 1, the apostle Paul challenged believers to understand this truth and to seek the Lord in prayer for the faithfulness to fulfill their calling.
PRAY FOR THE LORD TO MAKE YOU WORTHY
The apostle reveals that he “always” prayed for the Lord to make the believers in Thessalonica worthy of his calling. Paul knew the constant nature of prayer and the consistent seeking of the Lord on behalf of others. At the same time, Paul believed that the Lord alone makes one worthy and that worthiness could not be obtained through humanity's efforts. Thus, the apostle request that the Lord make them worthy.
Paul’s declaration revealed that believers today need to seek the Lord and request that he make them and their work worthy, as well as the work of other believers. Likewise, believers need to understand that God is the one who calls, enables, and makes one the vessel worthy to serve. Believers need to seek the Lord for themselves and others so that each follower of Christ would hear the calling of the Lord and trust in the Lord to establish their worthiness.
PRAY FOR THE ABILITY TO DO GOOD
In the Book of Romans, the apostle Paul declared that no one was good. His statement comes from the Old Testament prophet Isaiah and finds its root in the fall of humanity. Left to the self, no one will do what is good in the sight of the Lord or for the Lord because each of our lives is plagued by the presence of sin. Thus, Paul called on believers to seek the Lord to obtain the ability to do good. Seeking the Lord opens the avenue for the believer to grasp what is good as defined by the Lord and ask the Lord for the strength, wisdom, and ability to live out that which is good. When you think about your life, are you allowing the Lord to define what is good and provide you with the needed resources to live that out?
PRAY FOR YOUR WORK TO BE FAITH-BASED
The believer’s work needs to occur in faith. The apostle told the church in Thessalonica that their work for the Lord required to rest on faith. A faith-based work depends on the Lord entirely. Every aspect of the journey rests on the certainty of God’s presence, power, and promises. These attributes provide the critical resources needed to work for the Lord. When the Lord calls you to live out the impossible, do you walk in faith? Do you surrender every component of your life to the Lord and trust him entirely in faith?
PRAY THAT OUR LIVES BRING GOD GLORY
The apostle Paul charged believers to live for God’s glory and not for the glory of self. He knew pride would be an enemy and attempt to keep people from serving the proper purpose. Since the Lord exists as the one who supplies the needed resources to carry out his calling, he alone is worthy of the glory that comes from serving him. Thus, believers need to focus on illuminating Christ in all they do and make sure he alone is praised. As you consider your walk with the Lord, do you need the approval and recognition of others for serving Jesus, or do you find your purpose in Christ and hope that he alone receives the recognition and glory?
PRAY THAT WE HEAR WELL DONE
The apostle Paul wrote that serving Jesus also brought glory from the Lord. The concept of receiving glory from the Lord finds grounding in the promise that the faithful servant would hear well done from the Father. At the same time, we find that Jesus stood in recognition of Stephen’s faithfulness at his martyrdom. Thus, we serve not to hear well done, but we pray that our service would be faithful to receive well done. Are you seeking to serve the Lord in faithfulness?
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.
