1 Thessalonians 1:3 – PATIENCE OF HOPE
1 Thessalonians 1:3 Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Fathers;
Paul is writing to the church at Thessalonica and he is telling them that he gives thanks for them always for the testimony of their lives. Paul does not simply flatter the church with vein words, but he gives the church three examples of their testimony in which he gives thanks to God for. Paul is thankful for the faith, the love, and the patience demonstrated by the church.
This is another passage in which hope and patience are linked together. If there is something you want really bad, it is hard to be patient. However, this is exactly the position that the church in Thessalonica found itself in; they desired to see the return of Jesus Christ. The Church in Thessalonica understood the hope that Christ was coming again one day soon. However, even though they knew that Christ was coming, they did not allow their focus to become obsessed with the desire of their heart.
Instead, the Church in Thessalonica learned to live for today by being patient regarding the hope that they had within them. Rather than focus all their attention upon someday Christ coming back, they continued in the faith and labored in love so that their testimony was seen by all. This church hoped for the return of Christ, but they learned to be patient so that God was glorified through their lives.
In the book Pilgrims Progress, there is a time when Christian sees a path that is going right alongside the path that he is taking. The other path on the other side of the fence is much better and would be easier to walk on. The other path appears to be going the same direction that he was going so the next thing you know, Christian takes the different path and soon finds himself in trouble.
Christian had the hope of one day getting to the Celestial city. However, rather than take the path that was given to him to follow, Christian chose to get to the Celestial city his own way. Because Christian was not patient in pursuing the hope that lied within him, he soon found himself in trouble. There is much we can learn from the story of Christian.
Satan will always be quick to show us ways that we can get out of our own problems in our own strength. We will think that we are being spiritual in that we are helping God take care of our problems. However, even though God has given us hope, we can never escape the trials that God brings into our lives in our own strength and expect that we will receive the blessings of God in our lives.
God knows what is best. God’s timing is rarely going to be the same as your timing. When you understand what God desires you to do, you probably want to see it happen right away. Nonetheless, God often desires that you wait a while and develop patience so that your life will better reflect the light of God.
Do not allow your focus to become consumed by the thing that you hope for. Instead, learn how to labor for Christ in your present situation so that God receives the glory. God understands the bigger picture. If you are hoping for something, continue to wait patiently and do not try to make it happen in your own strength. Instead, allow God to work through you so that your life is a testimony to others.