Prompted by love inspired by hope
Three powerful things summarize the life of the Thessalonians:1. The Exploits Of Faith. Faith is seen in its achievements. The eleventh chapter of the book of Hebrews is full of testimonies of the exploits of faith. Faith is the only guaranteed way to have results. People are tired of your excuses and tears and complaining; […]
Three powerful things summarize the life of the Thessalonians:
1. The Exploits Of Faith. Faith is seen in its achievements. The eleventh chapter of the book of Hebrews is full of testimonies of the exploits of faith. Faith is the only guaranteed way to have results. People are tired of your excuses and tears and complaining; they want to see results. I believe you want to see results too. Faith is the only sure way to make that happen. Your faith is revealed in your achievements. The only way to prove your faith is the results you produce. The only way you will produce results in your life is by developing and using your faith. It is imperative that you believe the word is even more imperative that you put it into practice. All your results will come through faith. The just shall live by faith. I challenge you to put the word of God into practice. I challenge you to trust God above your fears. I challenge you to despise your fears and act on the word of God. 1Timothy 4:15, “Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.” Verse 16 says, “Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.”
Our Lord Jesus Christ finished the work on the Cross of Calvary; trust him and enjoy the spoils.
2. Labour Prompted By Love. Unless we are prompted by love for God and humanity, our labour will be meaningless. People are motivated by various things to serve but the greatest motivator must be love. Jesus came to serve humanity and died because he loved us. Do we really love God? The beautiful thing is that God rewards every labour of love. Hebrews 6:10, “For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and LABOUR OF LOVE, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.”
Take note of the phrase: LABOUR OF LOVE. The immature and carnal Christian serves God for what they can get from him (self-love) but the mature and spiritual Christian serves God because they love God and love others. The mature Christian loves even his enemies. The immature or carnal Christian quits serving when he sees no results yet (his selfishness is revealed). The mature or spiritual person continues to serve regardless of the personal benefits. Our Lord Jesus Christ was motivated to go to the Cross and suffer for offenses he did not commit. John 15:13, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
So God is not only looking at what we do but why we do them. Maximum reward is guaranteed those who serve because they love him.
1Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”
The bible says you shall serve the Lord thy God and he shall bless thy bread and thy water, Exodus 23:25.
3. Endurance Inspired By Hope: we endure because we have hope based on the promise of God. Time reveals motives. Time reveals deception. No one can fake it forever. Endurance is the proof of sincerity. Enduring hope is the proof of belief. He who truly believes does not make haste (Isaiah 28:16).
As a nation we must be patient. As a nation we must not lose hope. We must not lose hope in one another, we must not lose hope in the government. We must not lose hope in our fight against corruption. God will heal our land and indeed is healing it already. As parents we must not lose hope concerning any child that is not behaving properly. Students must not lose hope. Workers must not lose hope. Businessmen and women must not lose hope. Pastors must not lose hope. They must continue to teach and preach the uncompromising word of God.
The hope of glory and of spending eternity with God in rest and comfort inspires us to endure whatever afflictions and persecution we might experience in this life. The hope of seeing the promises fulfilled in our lives should continue to motivate us. 1Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” Heb 6:12, “That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” Patience is the name of the game.
1Timothy 4:16, “Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; CONTINUE in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.” Continue in the practice of the doctrines if you are going to experience the joy of serving the Lord. Continue to love, continue to serve, continue to win souls, continue to work for the expansion of the kingdom of God, continue to pay your tithe, continue to support the gospel and contribute to the projects of the church etc. Don’t stop, don’t slow down, continue! The bible says soon we shall reap if we faint not!
Zechariah continued to serve God in old age despite not having a child; God visited him and John the Baptist was born. Continue to help those in need around you. Continue to be patient. Continue to pray, continue to read your bible, continue to attend all fellowships, continue to give, continue to serve, continue to be generous and hospitable, continue, continue, continue!!!
As believers, these three things must be present in our lives. We must be rooted in love and this love must motivate us to serve the Lord by serving humanity. And if our service is to yield fruit, it must be by faith. Ultimately, our hope of escaping hell and spending eternity with our dear Lord should inspire us to endure whatever afflictions may come our way in this life. We must not lose sight of this hope of glory. If only in this life we have hope, we are of all men most to be pitied. We shall be resurrected and changed! We will be with the one who has gone to prepare a place of us forever! Life does not end here.
But before we go in old age if the Lord tarries, we shall prosper and enjoy the manifestation of the blessing of Abraham through faith. We shall labour to serve God by making life better for people in our community. Faith, love, endurance and hope will produce unimaginable and uncommon results in your life. Happy Sunday!
Rev (Dr) Olowojoba is Snr. Pastor of Dayspring Bible Church, Sabon-Lugbe, Abuja & President, Dayspring Christian Ministries Int’l. e.mail: [email protected]