1 Thessalonians 3:1-6 (NIV)
So when we could stand it no longer, we thought it best to be left by ourselves in Athens. We sent Timothy, who is our brother and co-worker in God’s service in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith, so that no one would be unsettled by these trials. For you know quite well that we are destined for them. In fact, when we were with you, we kept telling you that we would be persecuted. And it turned out that way, as you well know. For this reason, when I could stand it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith. I was afraid that in some way the tempter had tempted you and that our labors might have been in vain. But Timothy has just now come to us from you and has brought good news about your faith and love. He has told us that you always have pleasant memories of us and that you long to see us, just as we also long to see you.
How do heights affect you? Me? Ain’t no way I’m climbing no stinkin’ mountain.
I don’t even like looking out of a window from a tall office building. Naturally, I think mountain climbing is for the mentally ill. And I say that with much love. At the fair or any amusement park, I’m the one on the ground looking up at my family, who are crazy people anyway, riding on rides that no human being should ever subject themselves to under any circumstances. But they love it. They scream and make silly faces and then can’t wait to get back on it. See…mentally ill!
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Now, don’t get me wrong and please don’t start a boycott of my blog, I do admire those with the guts to climb things—kinda. The movie, Cliffhanger scared the daylights out of me. And Vertical Limit just shut up! Of course, I know it takes amazing talent and strength to do these climbs but I’m just not there with these folks. Certainly, I wish them many successful climbs and all that and my heart goes out to those and their families when things don’t work out the way they planned.
God was truly with two British climbers when they found themselves stranded in the Swiss Alps for two nights. They spent those two nights on a freezing ridge. Fortunately, their lives were saved when the girl sent a text message to a friend in London. Can you imagine the thoughts that were going through their minds? Terrifying to say the least. All worked out for them in the end and they were saved. Help was on the way!
The passages in our scripture are in a letter from Paul to the Thessalonians. When he went to Athens, he became worried about them. Twenty years passed since Jesus’ death and the people were now weary. So Paul sent Timothy to check on them. But, as you can see from the passages, Timothy brought back good news.
Three things kept them going. The first is the faith of others. You see, when we observe faith in others, it actually keeps us going when we are weary. God has a way of blessing us with other people of faith. That’s His gift to us. It’s like dieting or exercising with a friend. We keep each other in check. It brings on the competitiveness in us. Who loses the most weight over a certain amount of time?
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The next thing that kept them going was persecution. Sounds odd, right? Our persecutors give us strength in our faith. Let’s face one ugly fact; we know that as Christians we will face persecution. Knowing this should strengthen our faith. It’s kinda like when you were a kid and your mom told you not to touch the chocolate cake she made for company. I know I’d go for the cake every time. It just makes you want it all the more. Same thing with knowing you’re going to get challenged as a Christian. Makes you want to just dig in more and cling to your faith.
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The third is love and sharing struggles. When we feel the love of others, it’s a source of strength. Love in Greek means good actions. That’s why service is a source of giving us strength because we focus on the service and less on our own struggles.
Sharing similar struggles also gives us strength. If you think about it, that’s the basis of AA (Alcoholics Anonymous). The sharing of pain and sorrow is an uplifting thing. Simply because you don’t feel alone. Like you’re the only person who’s ever gone through a tough time.
Struggles happen whether you are a Christian or not. Christians, however, have the tools and resources to deal with it. Ultimately, when we focus on our faith, God pushes us out to others and this helps us to endure whatever befalls us. Don’t you just love that?
What’s your story of struggle? How did you deal with it? What were the things that kept you going? Did you find solace in others? In God?
And that’s what I learned in Church……see ya next time!
