“Like APPLES OF GOLD in a setting of silver is a word spoken at the proper time.“ [Proverbs 25v11]
As we come to the end of 2023 and take time to reflect on the past year, there are good and not so good memories. The apostle, Saint Paul, In his first letter to the church in Thessalonica chapter 1 verse 3 shares with them some of his memories of them: “We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labour prompted by love and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ”.
Paul mentions three fond memories about them -the first one being: Your work produced by faith. What is this work? It is important to notice that it is not plural works, but work that is only done once. From the context and especially verse 9 we see that this work or task that Paul refers to is a turning to God or what the Bible calls repentance. It is a work initiated by God when He calls us to make Jesus Christ Lord of our life and it is completed when we believe and exercise saving faith as Jesus confirms in John 6v29: Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.”
Many people have a superficial belief in Christ or an intellectual acknowledgement of Him, but that is not work produced by faith because James tells us in his epistle chapter 2 verse 9: “the demons also believe and shudder”. The belief that the Bible refers to is a faith that is life-changing and involves surrendering our hearts, mind and soul to the Lord – no longer is my life centred around my will, but His will, as the Lord’s Prayer says: “Thy will be done”. It has been said that faith is blind or a leap into the dark. I beg to differ – the work produced by faith is a leap into the light and love of Christ! Next week we will consider what is meant by labour of love.
God Bless
Graeme Greenwood