1 Thessalonians 1:3 We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

I know I’ve written on this before, doubtless multiple times, but it hits me every time I run into it. The various “abstract” things in our lives always have “concrete” effects, whether we recognize it or not. For example, true faith works, as James wrote about extensively. It does no good to say we believe this or that unless that belief is reflected in what we do. Often enough, we aren’t even aware of our own hypocrisy, until the Lord points it out to us through someone or something. Then there’s the matter of love. As the whole Bible points out, love is the ultimate motive. The Old Testament says it many times, but that chorus reaches a crescendo in the New Testament, with John 3:16 and 1 Corinthians 13 and 1 John 4 and many more. A sufficient quantity of the right kind of love can make us do anything, which is why the devil loves to twist love around and pollute it. And then there’s the matter of hope. A complete loss of hope is essentially fatal, but hope that is grounded in God will carry us through anything. As Paul said, “And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” (Romans 5:5) There are false hopes, so we need to be careful of the object of our hope, but for those who have received the Gospel, we have “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:27) All of that put together is why I love this verse!

As a person with a gift for words, I can talk a pretty good line, but as the saying goes, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. That’s another reason I like this verse: it helps me check on my own spiritual health. Am I acting out the faith I proclaim? Am I giving of myself sacrificially, as Jesus sacrificed Himself for me? Am I enduring with grace all that I go through because of my assurance of the ultimate outcome? Those are very serious questions for me, because I am in the position of teaching others, and as James said, “We who teach will be judged more strictly.” (James 3:1) I am never to be satisfied with just saying the right thing. I rejoice in the privilege of speaking God’s words, but I must be sure that I receive and apply them myself, rather than just push them onto others.

Father, thank You for this verse, and for speaking to me through it every time I read it. May I indeed live out our Word and not deceive myself, (James 1:22) so that I may be a useful son in Your service, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!