Who do you thank God for in your life? Take a moment to think of someone for whom you are constantly encouraged by their faith in Jesus, their love for others, and their steadfast hope in Jesus despite life’s challenges.
Could you think of someone? If not, make this a prayer for Jesus to bring people into your life who have these qualities:
- strong faith in Jesus,
- love for others, and
- steadfast hope in Jesus regardless of the difficulties they face in life.
If you could think of a few people with these qualities, how could you encourage them to keep living faithfully for Jesus? How would they like to receive encouragement? For example, are they most encouraged by a text message, a private message via social media, or an email? Or maybe they are most encouraged when they receive a handwritten card, a phone call, or an in-person visit. The key to encouraging is the recipient who is supposed to be encouraged should determine what you do, not your own preferences.
The apostle Paul often begins most of his letters encouraging believers in Jesus. When Paul writes a letter to the Thessalonians, he desires to encourage them in their faith in Jesus because Paul receives an amazing report (delivered by Timothy) about how they are living out their faith in Jesus. Paul thanks God for the Thessalonians, mentioning them in his prayers.
How does Paul encourage them? He writes them a letter (1 Thessalonians) describing the qualities the Thessalonians exhibit that have brought him encouragement and are worth emulating.
We [Paul and Timothy] always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly. As we pray to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and the enduring hope you have because of our Lord Jesus Christ. We know, dear brothers and sisters, that God loves you and has chosen you to be his own people. For when we brought you the Good News, it was not only with words but also with power, for the Holy Spirit gave you full assurance that what we said was true. And you know of our concern for you from the way we lived when we were with you. So you received the message with joy from the Holy Spirit in spite of the severe suffering it brought you. In this way, you imitated both us and the Lord. As a result, you have become an example to all the believers in Greece—throughout both Macedonia and Achaia. And now the word of the Lord is ringing out from you to people everywhere, even beyond Macedonia and Achaia, for wherever we go we find people telling us about your faith in God. We don’t need to tell them about it, for they keep talking about the wonderful welcome you gave us and how you turned away from idols to serve the living and true God. 1 Thessalonians 1:2-9
These words must have been such an encouragement to the Thessalonians. To hear from the apostle Paul that he knows they are constantly working at their faith. They labor in love for one another. They have a steadfastness of hope in Jesus. They know Jesus loves them because Jesus made it possible for them to hear the truth of the gospel. When they heard the truth, they received it and welcomed it with deep and full conviction, embracing the power that comes with receiving the Holy Spirit. They demonstrate evidence they are believers in Jesus because they became imitators of Jesus who faced tribulation with joy.
Paul encourages them by stating how proud he is of them for becoming imitators of Jesus and examples to all the believers in their cities and neighboring regions. Their faith in Jesus and their faithfulness to live like Jesus have become known everywhere the gospel is being shared. They truly have turned their whole lives over to serving the one true, living God—Jesus Christ—and making Him known.
Paul doesn’t stop with the encouragement. Additionally, in 1 Thessalonians 2:13-14 and 2:19-20, Paul thanks God that the Thessalonians welcomed the word of God and accepted the gospel as the truth from God (not men) and allowed the gospel to work in them. Paul was also thankful that they had become imitators of Jesus because Paul was aware that they suffered opposition and persecution for believing in Jesus. Paul calls the Thessalonians his hope, joy, and crown and his pride and joy.
If you had a person like the apostle Paul in your life who shared the gospel of Jesus Christ with you and that person was no longer present in your daily life to see you or consistently talk with you but was able to send a friend in the faith to check on you (i.e., Paul sent Timothy to check on the Thessalonians), what evidence of your faith in Jesus would the friend find?
Consider these questions: Would the friend find that
- You are being an example of faith in Jesus for others to emulate?
- Your faith in Jesus is a source of encouragement for others to grow in their faith in Jesus?
- You are consistently praying for other believers in Jesus, specifically praying for their spiritual growth to demonstrate evidence of their faith in Jesus?
- You are exhibiting steadfast hope in Jesus despite opposition or persecution for your belief in Jesus?
- You are living in the truth of the gospel and the power of the Holy Spirit with full conviction?
- Your whole life is a testimony to the truth of the gospel of Jesus?
- Your life imitates Jesus?
- You have turned from worthless pursuits to serve Jesus wholeheartedly?
What evidence of your faith in Jesus could this person report about you? Are there any areas of your life you know need to demonstrate evidence of your faith in Jesus because they currently do not?
Maybe you have seen evidence of faith in Jesus similar to the Thessalonians in another person’s life, and you want to encourage them like Paul encouraged the Thessalonians. Why not take some time to encourage them today?
