1 Thessalonians 3:6-4:12

I tell you, you can really feel Paul's heart in this passage. The spiritual father in him comes out boldly in this text. It's so moving. I mean, how can you get away with saying, "we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith," and yet still come across as loving as Paul does? Here in our country, we would take offense at such a comment. But Paul was writing this to people who were growing in their faith. He was writing to people that may have been his most favored church of all those he had planted up to this point.

Look at what he says in 4:1, "We ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more." I call this the idea of Always Growing. How else can you say they were walking as they ought and pleasing God, yet they must do it even more? We're never done. We are never just like Jesus, though we are called to become more and more like him until the day He returns to be with us.

But Paul gives some simple commandments to be followed, and these commandments are still vital to our sanctification: "abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness." These are the things to be avoided, yet how many people think they can simply ignore the command to abstain from sexual immorality? The worldly way of life is to sleep with whoever, whenever, wherever. Some think they have morals because they won't sleep with someone on the first date, or live with someone they haven't been dating for at least a year. But God calls us to holiness, a different way of life, the life of a resident alien in this world. We represent His Kingdom; therefore, we live according to His standards, which are completely different from the worldly standards.

But Paul also gives some positive commands: "now concerning brotherly love you have no need for us to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love on another, for that indeed is what you are doing for all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one." I love the fact that Paul says again how they are doing what they are called to do, but he urges them to do it more and more. Never be satisfied with loving each other. Grow, grow, grow. Why? Not so we can be saved, but because we are saved.

Are you growing? Are you growing in the things you are already doing well? Never be satisfied!