Good morning Church

I want to share this with you because I believe it will bless your personal studies and application of God’s word.

When I was a child in elementary school, we learned word associations. (Red is to Apple as Bat is to baseball etc.) I mention that because in 1 Thessalonians 1:3 we see that same word association and understanding it will help us to understand other passages such as that which is found at 2 Thessalonians 1:3-12.

Let us look at it now:

💦
We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. – 1 Thessalonians 1:3 NIV

This is a key scripture that will help us understand all the letters written by the Apostle Paul.

Did you see it?

Here it is plain:

🔑Faith produces works
🔑Love prompts labor
🔑Hope inspires endurance

I attached the definitions of the words endurance, inspire, and prompt to help with understanding what is read as you enjoy 2 Thessalonians 1:3-12

Let’s look at those verses now using the keys above. (The key will be in all caps and in parenthesis )

💦
We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters,
and rightly so,
because your faith (WORKS) is growing more and more,
and the love (LABOR) all of you have for one another is increasing.

Therefore, among God’s churches
we boast about your perseverance (inspired by HOPE) and faith (WORKS)
in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.

All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right,
and as a result, you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God,
for which you are suffering.

God is just:
He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you

and give relief to you who are troubled,
and to us as well.

This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven
in blazing fire
with his powerful angels.

He will punish those who do not know God
and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

They will be punished with everlasting destruction
and shut out from the presence of the Lord
and from the glory of his might
on the day he comes
to be glorified in his holy people
and to be marveled at among all those who have believed.

This includes you,
because you believed our testimony to you.

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 (the deed is the WORKS).

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.

• 2 Thessalonians 1:3-12 NIV

Can you feel the excitement in these verses over the evidence of our growth?

Paul said that our faith is growing more and more (and remember faith produces works) so our works of faith are growing.

Paul said that the love we have for each other is increasing (and remember love prompts labor) so our labors for one another is increasing

So Paul felt the need to boast about our perseverance and faith ( perseverance is another way of saying endurance which is inspired by hope; so Paul is boasting of our hope and works)

Catch this now

..in all the persecutions and trials that we are enduring.

Do you see this?

Even in the midst of undergoing persecutions and trials we are still growing and increasing in faith (works) in love (labors) and our endurance is inspired by our hope.

What is crazy is that what led me to this is what I heard the very second I began reflecting on Galatians 1 (vs3) which led me to
1 Thessalonians 1:3

Know that no one who hopes in (trusts in, believes in, waits on ) the Lord will be disappointed. Psalm 25:3; Romans 10:11; Isaiah 45:23; 1 Peter 2:6