“So, we have been greatly encouraged in the midst of our troubles and suffering, dear brothers and sisters, because you have remained strong in your faith. It gives us new life to know that you are standing firm in the Lord. How we thank God for you! Because of you we have great joy as we enter God’s presence. Night and day we pray earnestly for you, asking God to let us see you again to fill the gaps in your faith. May God our Father and our Lord Jesus bring us to you very soon. And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows. May he, as a result, make your hearts strong, blameless, and holy as you stand before God our Father when our Lord Jesus comes again with all his holy people. Amen” 1 Thessalonians 3:7-13

The moment we stop growing in our faith is the moment we should be concerned. We can never know God enough. That is why we are called to encourage one another in the faith and to pray for one another night and day. Each day we wake up is a choice to follow God. I pray for my children every day. Prayer and Jesus, who is love, are the greatest gifts that I can give them. I pray that as they go throughout their day, they remain strong in their faith, and that God gives them courage to stand against Satan when he throws temptations in their path. I do that because I love them and I want nothing more in this life than for them to know Jesus. We are to pray for each other in that same way because we love each other in the body of Christ. If we as believers don’t encourage one another who will? We must lift each other up and pray for courage and strength to follow Christ in complete obedience. There is no marriage or friendship stronger than one centered around Christ. To pray for one another is to love one another. In prayer we encourage not tear down. Even when we gently correct each other, it is meant to be encouraging not accusatory.

My favorite part of 1 Thessalonians 3 is verse 12 “And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows.” Isn’t that beautiful? A blog that I follow by Pastor Perry Noble said this, “We have made love flowery and feeble when it’s actually the greatest gift that God gave us. If we step back and look at the bigger picture of what love is – what God created it to be – it changes everything.” May our love for each other overflow!

Prayer

Gracious God, I pray that today we love each other as you taught us to. Help us to encourage one another in prayer and by doing so love one another. Love is the greatest gift you have given us.  Help us to use it the way you intended it to be used because it changes everything. In Jesus Name, Amen.