Themes

"We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Thessalonians 1:3

I love the themes in the Bible. As a sermon writer spotting themes is important to me. We pastors must be careful not to read into the text. When I read and reread a passage of Scripture I try to see it word by word, phrase by phrase and sentence by sentence, also paragraph by paragraph and chapter by chapter and book by book. This short and long view of the Word of God allows me to pick up on themes that are consistent within the meaning of different passages in context.

In this verse there are three things that Paul says he remembers the Thessalonians for..... their work, their labor and their endurance. Good stuff, huh? When we appreciate people we are often thankful for their work, labor and endurance. Right now I am grateful for the staff of Grace Harbor Church. They work hard and endure. What a blessing they are. Note also that they not only work, labor and endure, but that their work is produced by faith, their labor is prompted by love, and they endure by the inspiration of hope. Wow. The words produced, prompted and inspired say a whole lot if you begin to think about them. The work is a by-product of faith, hope and love. These are the three things that always remain: faith, hope and love. See the theme? Paul mentions faith, hope and love in 1st Corinthians 13, but here in Thessalonians 1 he mentions those same three things again. Why? Because they are important precepts and principles in our lives. The theme of faith, hope and love are throughout His Word. So, if I want to get the meaning out of this passage beyond the fact that Paul is thankful for the hard work of the Thessalonians, consider the three phrases.

1. work produced by faith 2. labor prompted by love 3. endurance inspired by hope

Now we know how and why the Thessalonians work so hard. I can relate. I work because of my faith and labor because of my love and endure inspired by hope. For me this week, this is a great reminder of why I do what I do. I hope this little window into how I dissect Scripture a little helps you to see deeper into His Word. As you read devotionals, read the Bible and study His Word, may you gain life application insights into the themes that are woven throughout its pages. Try diagramming a passage of Scripture sometime and watch the meaning just fly off the page and into your heart. This works for me and so I just had to share it with you.

In His Service and in His Word,
Pastor Fred

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