Praying for the Faithful

I Thessalonians 1:2-3 NLT We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, As we pray to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and the enduring hope you have because of our Lord Jesus Christ.


As I studied some of these words this is what I found.

Faithfulness : every undertaking that is done with devotion to the task as a result of  belief in and strong conviction that Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ and the source of our eternal salvation.

Work: that which one undertakes to do, enterprise, undertaking

Labor: intense labor united with trouble and toil, weariness, hardship and fatigue.

Love: love that is unconditional, laying one's life down. putting other's before self.

Patient: constancy, endurance, steadfast, persevering.

Hope: confident expectation, the thing hoped for



 Shouldn't we remember those who are so faithful?Think about pastors, teachers and missionaries and the devotion and conviction that drives them forward. Think about the hardships and fatigues that they suffer. Remember them putting others before themselves and doing their own thing. Their constant perseverance and steadfastness. And their unshakeable hope.

I know of a pastor who visited a member of his congregation on his birthday, in the middle of the night, because he got an urgent call. Was that not an example of  unconditional love? What if our pastors didn't come to church? Most pastors come to church even if they are sick, in pain or extreme fatigue. Why do they do it? They do it because they hope and are confident that the Lord is able to work through them that we might grow in our faith and that others will receive salvation through the gospel that they preach.

Prayer:
Father thank you so much for those who are faithful in your work. Grant them strength and rest. Let their work produce fruit for your kingdom.  Let them  receive unconditional love and the resources they need to continue their work.. Let them grow in their faith and revelation so that we might also grow in ours. Keep them in your tender care. In your precious name, amen.