Topic: OUR GLORY AND JOY
Text:1 Thessalonians 2:9-20
2:9 For you remember, brethren, our labor and toil; for laboring night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, we preached to you the gospel of God.
2:10 You are witnesses, and God also, how devoutly and justly and blamelessly we behaved ourselves among you who believe;
2:11 as you know how we exhorted, and comforted, and [a]charged every one of you, as a father does his own children,
2:12 that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.
2:13 For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.
2:14 For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus. For you also suffered the same things from your own countrymen, just as they did from the Judeans
2:15 who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they do not please God and are [b]contrary to all men,
2:16 forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they may be saved, so as always to fill up the measure of their sins; but wrath has come upon them to the uttermost.
2:17 But we, brethren, having been taken away from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavored more eagerly to see your face with great desire.
2:18 Therefore we wanted to come to you—even I, Paul, time and again—but Satan hindered us.
2:19 For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?
2:20 For you are our glory and joy.
STUDY:
Continuing from where he stopped yesterday, Paul in today’s text narrates what examples he and the other apostles were to the Thessalonian Church. He was grateful to God continually that when the Thessalonian church heard the Word from them, they received it as the Word of God and not that of men (v. 13). According to Paul, he and his co-labourers were eager to visit the Church to encourage them and their new-found faith but Satan hindered them. This incident must have led Paul to write this letter. Paul emphatically stated that their hope or joy in rejoicing would be them in the presence of Jesus Christ at His coming.
As a believer in Christ, what gives you joy or what do you glory in? Everything here on earth is temporary and will one day vanish. Our glory, joy and rejoicing should be those who together with us, will appear in the presence of Christ at His Second Coming. Let us jointly work towards this while there is still time, by accepting Jesus as our Lord and Personal Saviour and working out our salvation with fear and trembling.
Prayer:
: Dear Lord, may I be an instrument to bring men to your presence at your appearing, Amen.
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