Paul’s Still Not a Pollyanna

     

Meditations on 1 Thessalonians

 

June 16, 2021

Paul’s Still Not a Pollyanna

 

That is why, when I could bear it no longer, I sent Timothy to find out whether your faith was still strong. I was afraid that the tempter had gotten the best of you and that our work had been useless.

1 Thessalonians 3:5

Read:1 Thessalonians 3: 1-5

 

This is the same Paul who writes “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.” (Philippians 4:6-7a) On the surface, it may appear a bit of a contradiction between what Paul writes and how he lives. I don’t think it is. To sort out the difference between Philippians 4 and today’s reading, I acknowledge that Paul’s pastoral heart is much like the heart of a parent for their child. It doesn’t do any good to tell a parent not to worry about their children; worry is an essential part of the parent’s job description.

 

I also noted how Paul was concerned that the Thessalonians not be worried about him and the persecutions he was suffering as much as he was concerned for their suffering from persecutions. Again, his pastoral heart was on display. Remember how we noted a few days ago that Paul shared his life with the Thessalonians while he was with them. Paul continues to share in this way while he is apart from them.

 

My Takeaway: Paul also reveals again that becoming a Christian is not a one-off confession of faith experience. It is a life-long pursuit of the life in Christ as our way of life. Hence, Paul wants to check on their faith development. Who is checking on mine? Who is checking on yours?

 

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2021 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.