View devo: https://bit.ly/4zPcxL9
2 You yourselves know, brothers and sisters, that our coming to you was not in vain, 2 but though we had already suffered and been shamefully mistreated at Philippi, as you know, we had courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in spite of great opposition. 3 For our appeal does not spring from deceit or impure motives or trickery, 4 but, just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the message of the gospel, even so we speak, not to please mortals but to please God, who tests our hearts. 5 As you know and as God is our witness, we never came with words of flattery or with a pretext for greed, 6 nor did we seek praise from mortals, whether from you or from others, 7 though we might have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children. 8 So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us. (1Thessalonians 2:1-8 NRS)
Friend, welcome to Thursday! It's a great day to be alive and active and working for the Lord! If you're not, come alive, get active and GET TO WORK! Vamonos! Get Fired Up! Say to yourself, "I'm ready to go!" Alrighty then!
Belen Flores. Leo Villarreal. Two names that touched my life at critical times and made an impact on my walk with Jesus. There's plenty more, but I thought of Sunday School during crucial times and these two names came to my heart. Belen was a longtime member of El Buen Pastor Methodist Church in Kingsville, and Leo a longtime member of El Buen Pastor United Methodist Church in Houston. Belen was a school teacher and Leo was a rocket scientist. Both loved the Lord and believed in Him. We just read Paul speaking of his own love and commitment to Christ and how much he loved what he did for Jesus. And he shares how important it is for us to share with others. The old saying, "Somebody told somebody, who told somebody, who told somebody, who told YOU!" Be a somebody in that line!
Think of the people who have shaped your faith the most. Chances are, it wasn’t the ones with the slickest presentation or the most impressive credentials. It was someone who showed up, stayed close, and made you feel genuinely cared for.
That’s what Paul is reminding the Thessalonians of in this passage. He, Silvanus, and Timothy had come to their city fresh from suffering and shameful treatment in Philippi. Paul says they found the courage in their God to declare the gospel to the Thessalonians in spite of great opposition. Imagine being bruised and weary, and still choosing to speak up because the message was too important to hold back. Just yesterday I got a call from a lifelong friend, daughter of a pastor, who asked if a pastor could excuse himself out of meetings where he was being disrespected. Yes! I shared how I had walked out of some charge conferences as a DS when I told the congregations they were not ready for a charge conference and to call me when they were ready. Yes, people wept.
Then Paul does something I find so refreshing. He tells them what their ministry was not. It did not spring from deceit or impure motives, and it was not trying to trick anyone. They were not trying to please mortals, but God, who tests our hearts. They never used words of flattery, and they never put on a mask of piety to cover greed. Paul says they didn’t seek praise from the people they served or from anyone else.
In a world of curated images and carefully managed reputations, that kind of honesty is striking. Paul wasn’t performing. He wasn’t building a platform. He was trusting that God already knew his heart, and that was enough.
And then comes the image that stops me every time. Though they could have made demands as apostles of Christ, Paul says they were gentle among the Thessalonians, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children. Think about that. A nursing mother doesn’t lecture from a distance. She is close, patient, and attentive, giving of herself without keeping score. That’s the picture Paul paints of how the gospel was shared.
And look at where it leads. Paul says that because they cared so deeply, they were delighted to share with the Thessalonians not only the gospel of God but their own selves, because the people had become so dear to them. The message and the messenger belonged together. Good news was never meant to be handed over like a package. It is meant to be shared in the context of real relationship.
So here’s a gentle question to sit with today: how are you sharing what God has given you? Are you trying to be impressive, or are you being present? Are you after approval, or simply seeking to please the One who sees your heart? The people in your life may not need a perfect speech. They may just need someone who is tender, honest, and willing to share life along with the good news.
God has entrusted you with the gospel, and He has also placed particular people in your path who are dear to Him. Love them the way you have been loved.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, search my heart and purify my motives, and teach me to care for the people around me with the gentleness and honesty of Christ so that my life points them to You, in Jesus’ strong name we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! OUR CALL TO ACTION: Today, set aside your agenda and give someone your undivided, gentle attention, sharing a little of your own life along with God’s love.
I love you and I thank God for you! You matter to God and you matter to me! Whom can you touch with love and the Good News of Jesus?
Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.
