Loving God, granter of life, thank You for this precious day; may it be a precious day in the life of this dear reader; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
Our text for today comes from 1 Thessalonians 2: 9 You remember us in those days, friends, working our fingers to the bone, up half the night, moonlighting so you wouldn't have the burden of supporting us while we proclaimed God's Message to you. 10 You saw with your own eyes how discreet and courteous we were among you, with keen sensitivity to you as fellow believers. And God knows we weren't freeloaders! 11 You experienced it all firsthand. With each of you we were like a father with his child, 12 holding your hand, whispering encouragement, showing you step-by-step how to live well before God, who called us into his own kingdom, into this delightful life. 13 And now we look back on all this and thank God, an artesian well of thanks! When you got the Message of God we preached, you didn't pass it off as just one more human opinion, but you took it to heart as God's true word to you, which it is, God himself at work in you believers! (The Message)
The Apostle Paul encountered many good people in his journeys of sharing the Good News with everyone. As he established churches he found that in them were found many good people, and some not so good. The same is true today. My only encouragemenet with the ones who are not yet where God would have them be, is that they're in the right place for perhaps one day God touching them and bringing them to faith. In this passage he is reminding these readers of how he and those with him worked hard at supporting themselves so that they would not be a burden to them while they labored among them in preaching and teaching the Gospel. They were to them like fathers who encouraged and held hands so they would not slip nor fall from their faith. And now as they looked back on those days, they rejoice because God's word became a living word,a true word; God Himself at work in the life of believers.
How about you? Is God alive and working in you or have you not yet made room for God in your life? And how do you view the Good News of God? A good human opinion of possibilities or options or have you received it as God's true word for your life? The right choice might make all the difference in the world (and Heaven!).
PRAYER: Loving God, bring rich and wonderful blessings upon Your church. For those who believe make their faith stronger. For those who have not yet come to faith, bless and protect them and help them come to true, living faith. Bless and protect those pastoral leaders among them, giving them encouragement and support during each day. I pray this in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
