Monday: 27th August, 2018
Reference text: 2 Thessalonians 1:1-5,11-12.
2 Thessalonians 1:4 We take pride in you among the churches of God, for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure:
There are particular assignments that when tasked with, can very easily become burdensome and cause one to get discouraged. At such times, it takes a degree of appreciation from others to realise that the efforts we have put into that venture, have not been wasted. It takes positive affirmation from another person at least to make us aware that there has been some benefits gained in one way or another from the services rendered because for many, that is rewarding.
Thus, for the church in Thessalonica, having showed signs of growth in faith and love as a community, it will come as an extra spring in their step that they had three key leaders of the church writing to them to share in their achievements. Using an equivalent of the words ‘we are proud of you’, Paul and his companions wanted to commend them for all their efforts and to remind them that their hard work was yielding returns.
Beloved, sometimes, this is all others require us to show: our appreciation for what they do, taking pride in what they do well and to share in that joy. Sadly, when we have nothing to celebrate ourselves, we are unable and unwilling to do this. Even though sometimes this may be harder since we may need some cheering on ourselves, that should not be our reason for refusing to encourage or cheering others on.
Remember # always be happy to share in the joy of others.
#sly
Leave a Reply