With a new year many people make a resolution to exercise more and get their body in shape. But how about making a resolution to exercise your spiritual muscles more, to devote more time to prayer and to get your Christian life in shape?
Yesterday we looked at how a lack of prayer weakens the church. Lack of training in how to live for Christ is often the root cause of the problem that results in the church’s lack of effectiveness.
The apostle Paul was a great believer in the power of prayer. He knew no great work for God happens without prayer. Therefore he asked the Thessalonians to pray for him, for the spread of God’s Word, and for deliverance from evil men 2 Thessalonians 3:1-2. It shows Paul was not too proud to ask others to pray for him. We can do the same. We can pray for others and allow them to pray for us.
Verses 3-5 we see Paul’s prayer for the Thessalonians church. He prays for results – lasting results. He has a concern for the lost. Do you have this same concern for the lost and pray for the spread of God’s Word and for those you know personally who do not know Jesus?
Paul also warns the Thessalonians not to be taken in by those who profess to be followers of Jesus but are not living the Christian life, verse 6. Similarly our words and our actions must match up with what we profess to believe. Paul urges the Thessalonians to follow His example. We would do well to follow it too.
Paul was not a quitter. He did not give up when things got tough, but kept on in prayer, in missionary service, in working hard so that others would be drawn into the kingdom. Are you persisting in prayer and work for God? Or resting on your laurels, thinking you’ve done enough in the past and can ease off now? Paul urges us not to ‘grow weary of doing good,’ verse 6 but to keep on.
Join me next time for some more lessons learned from Thessalonians.
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