Free Bible Commentary
“1 Thessalonians 3:11-13”
Categories: 1 Thessalonians“Now may our God and Father Himself and Jesus our Lord direct our way to you; and may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another, and for all people, just as we also do for you; so that He may establish your hearts without blame in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints.”
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Paul prayed that the Thessalonians would increase and abound in their “love for one another” (verse 12). It was Paul’s desire and prayer that the Lord would direct his way back to the city of Thessalonica in order to help his beloved brethren (verse 11). But, whether he found himself in their presence again or not, his prayer for them was that the love they already possessed for one another would continue to grow. There is a danger of taking our loved ones for granted and actually growing more distant from them as we are exposed to their particular ways and quirks. But brothers and sisters should love one another in spite of their differences, and strive to find and bring out the best in each other as they seek to be more like their Savior.
Paul prayed that the Thessalonians would increase and abound in their love for “all people” (verse 12). As we focus on channeling our love inwardly to our brothers and sisters in Christ, it must not be to the exclusion of all the lost souls of our brothers and sisters in the human race that live all around us. There have been some religious groups that have isolated themselves from society at large and have chosen to live in their own little cloistered communities. But the Bible, and the Lord Jesus himself, tell us to “go into all the world and teach the Gospel to all creation” (Mark 16:15). The greatest act of love that we can express to anyone is to tell them about God’s greatest act of love in sending His Son Jesus to die for their sins. Our love should be great for “the household of faith,” but we must make certain to “do good to all people” (Galatians 6:10).
Paul prayed that the Thessalonians would have their hearts established “without blame in holiness” (verse 13). The Lord wants His people to be stable in mind and firmly planted in faith (established). In this condition of heart they can be the most faithful to the Lord, live the highest quality lives for themselves, and do the greatest amount of good for the people around them. We want to make certain that we are living holy and sanctified lives “at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints.” We know not the day nor the hour of His return, so we must live our lives each minute as if it could be our last. “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10).
Please read 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 for tomorrow.
Have a blessed day!
- Louie Taylor
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