Thankful for Others - 1&2 Thessalonians

Thankfulness

I have to say, I did not look for a book in the Bible for November that also had a focus on thanks. I was saying that I needed to choose a topic for the month and it just so happened that my husband said that I could look at the fourteenth book in the New Testament. I had never counted them before, but 2 Thessalonians is the fourteenth book; it is a short one, so it seemed best to group the two together. It was divine grace that there is also a strong theme of thanksgiving and it is November, traditionally a ‘thanks-focused’ month.

Thank God for People

We mentioned thanksgiving in the second of Paul’s lessons for leadership. It is a key of leadership that we are thankful for those who work alongside us. But the truly remarkable thing that Paul does in his thanksgiving to God is to thank Him for the Thessalonians. It opens the first chapter and the second chapter of both epistles with ‘we thank God for all of you’. It is the people that drive our work for Christ, works for Him that do not make an impact on the lasting kingdom of people is worthless.

Paul goes on to thank God for the word (1 Thess 2:13) that has saved them (2 Thess 2:13) and taken root in the Thessalonians to produce fruit (1 Thess 1:3). He ends with also thanking God for the impact the Thessalonians have made on him: joy (1 Thess 3:9).

Thank God for His work in believers

So, it seems like he is thanking God for the growth and development of these believers, through phases of the Christian life. It is a bit like the writings in 1 John 2, to different ages of believers.

1. The word was planted and watered, took root and saved the Thessalonians. (Infant)

2. They were fed by the word and teachings. (Child)

3. They began to fruit and work for the kingdom. (Young man)

4. The growth produced fruit, nourishing others. (Father)

It is too bad that Paul did not thank God for His gifts, character, promises and actions. We do however have so many examples of the praise and glory God deserves in the psalms and other books. But Paul’s life was focused on people, and that is the basic command (great commandment) that we have been given as well, to go and make disciples of nations, baptizing and teaching. So, I guess it makes sense that Paul thanks only for people in these two letters. (Sorry, I don’t have any interest in finding out if he said more in his other letters – there are simply too many!)

Focus on People

So, the questions I ask myself now are, ‘do I have people to thank God for?’ and ‘are they following him and developing, growing through these phases of Christian life?’ This leads me to the question of where I am in the phases and what I can do to move from one to the next and help others move from one to the next. I would say these phases and walking in and through them, accompanying others to do the same, this is the Christian life. This is no longer something that Paul instructs us on, but the walk that we make individually.

Dear Lord, thank you for these readers, brothers and sisters loved by you, chosen as first-fruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. Lord Jesus, you loved us and by your grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage our hearts and strengthen us in every good deed and word. Amen*

* Taken from 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17