2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 - With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul’s second letter to the
Thessalonians was written very shortly after the first letter. The reason for the letter was that the issues
he wrote to them about in the first letter had actually gotten worse. The persecution had intensified and they were
more confused about Jesus’s return. So Paul writes this short letter in hopes
of encouraging and comforting them.
In the first part of the letter,
the Apostle addresses their persecution.
He assures them that God has not forgotten them and God will hold those
who persecute them accountable. The
Thessalonians will be found righteous in God’s sight for their faithfulness and
their oppressors will be punished. The
Thessalonians had probably hoped that these things were true, but it was
probably good to hear Paul confirm it.
However, Paul offers a prayer in this section that they will stay the course in the midst of persecution. He prays that through this difficult time, they will be able to keep boldly doing the work to which they were called. Persecution doesn’t let them off the hook and Paul prays they will be found “worthy of [God’s] calling.”
There are Christians in America who
complain that we are in a time of persecution in this country. I want to go on the record as saying,
“hogwash!” There may be isolated
examples here and there of Christians actually suffering for their faith here
in the US, but it is not comparable to what the early churches in the Roman
Empire suffered. Are we portrayed as idiots, simpletons, and/or zealots in movies and TV? Yes, sometimes. Are our values always upheld by the laws of this country? No, not always. Is it easy to live out Jesus's teachings in our culture? No, but it's not easy to do so anywhere. However, there are many
places in the world right now where letting it be known that you are Christian
is a life-risking act. Christians die
every day for simply being Christians across the globe. We should remember that and pray for those
who face this danger daily.
My other challenge to us today is
to do the work God has called us to do.
If the persecuted church can be faithful under life-threatening
conditions, how much more faithful should we be?
Question: What work
has God led you to be involved in right now?
What is one step you could take today to move forward in faithfulness to
that call?
Prayer: Gracious God,
thank you for bringing me to this moment in my life with all the blessings and
privileges I have. Show me how I may
leverage those blessings and privileges for your glory. Amen.
Prayer Focus: Pray
for the persecuted church in other countries across the world.
Song: "No
Turning Back" Christian Persecution Play by CORNERSTONE ASIAN CHURCH YOUTH]
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