2 Thessalonians 1:12 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.
The Christians at the Church
of Thessalonica were suffering much persecution and going through many trials
and tribulations. Paul realized they needed much prayer, and he wanted to
assure them that he and his missionary team were holding them up in prayer
daily.
Paul started his letters to
the Churches he planted, often with prayers of thanksgiving along with praise
for their faith, hope, and love. Although all of God's churches that Paul had
directly or indirectly planted during His missionary journeys were facing
trials and tribulations testing their faith. Paul's heart desired that all the
saints be found worthy of God's calling on their lives and consequently glorify
Christ Jesus. Paul was aware of the importance of continuing the fight to
spread the gospel to the ends of the earth while enduring great pain and
tribulation. Paul wanted all Christians to know that God recognizes the
suffering they would have to bear in His name to follow His will for our lives.
God promises he will
never leave or forsake those who trust in Him and continue their calling
despite the danger and hardships. He promised that all who remain faithful to
Him will live with the joy of reigning with Him in His kingdom to come that
will last eternally. The day is coming when God will silence Satan and fill the
earth with the glory of the Lord.
God's supreme purpose is for
all Christians to bring honor and glory to Christ Jesus. When we spread the
good word of His gospel to the ends of the earth, we are holding Him up in
great honor and glory. The beautiful part about this is that, like the Christians
at Thessalonica, when we live our lives in a manner that honors the Name of
Jesus, we are a small part of the answer to the prayer of the Apostle Paul. He
prayed that the name of Jesus would be honored through the surrendered lives of
the Thessalonians, which still holds today. We can honor Jesus today by
allowing the world to see our lives surrendered to Christ Jesus. We bring honor
to His name when he alone is the source of all exaltation in us, and the person
that we are in Jesus is much more important than who we are in ourselves. This
marvelous work of being worthy of His calling on our lives can only come to
fruition according to God's grace and his mighty hand.
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