Perseverance and faith in the midst of all your persecutions

2 Thessalonians 1 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

Paul and Silvanus and Timothy,

To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: ² Grace to you and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

³ We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brethren, as is only fitting, because your faith is greatly enlarged, and the love of each one of you toward one another grows ever greater; ⁴ therefore, we ourselves speak proudly of you among the churches of God for your perseverance and faith in the midst of all your persecutions and afflictions which you endure. ⁵ This is a plain indication of God’s righteous judgment so that you will be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which indeed you are suffering. ⁶ For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, ⁷ and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, ⁸ dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. ⁹ These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, ¹⁰ when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed—for our testimony to you was believed. ¹¹ To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power, ¹² so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

In 2 Corinthians 11:23-27 Paul says:  Are they servants of Christ?—I speak as if insane—I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.     So Paul knew well what it was to suffer and be persecuted for the sake of the gospel. In today’s text he says:   We ourselves speak proudly of you among the churches of God for your perseverance and faith in the midst of all your persecutions and afflictions which you endure. This is a plain indication of God’s righteous judgment so that you will be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which indeed you are suffering. For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.    The world likes to refer to karma, or what goes around comes around, the idea that the universe will equalize things or pay back good for good or evil for evil. Yet if that same type of justice is attributed to God, if God will even things out, whether in this world or in eternal life, they say that is injustice.

For believers it is not that we seek the demise of those who are against us. Jesus says:  “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Matthew 5:44-45) In Psalm 37 the psalmist says:  Do not fret because of evildoers, Be not envious toward wrongdoers. For they will wither quickly like the grass And fade like the green herb…Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes…The wicked plots against the righteous And gnashes at him with his teeth. The Lord laughs at him, For He sees his day is coming.    We should neither glory in what awaits those who are against us or against the Lord, nor worry or be envious of the temporary success they have. For us it is also not that we glory in our suffering, as if by suffering we feel that we justify ourselves as worthy of God’s blessing, eternity with Him. We simply live as those who are confident that what we have and experience in this life is nothing compared to the riches and blessings we have in the kingdom of heaven. We have those blessings both now and in eternity.

In Philippians 4:11-13 Paul says:  I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.  Jesus says:  “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33)    Our contentment should be in the things of God, not the things of this world. Again in Psalm 37, the psalmist says:  Trust in the Lord and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He will do it. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light And your judgment as the noonday.    We become content in the circumstances of this world, whether good or bad, because our focus is on God. Our hearts and our desires become aligned with His and we see beyond the temporal things of this world to the eternal kingdom of God. As we delight in God and dwell in His presence the attractions of the world become less important. We are content in Him.   

In today’s text Paul says:  We pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.   It is not that we as believers merely hold on and weather through this life, knowing that better things are in store. We have a calling in this life, a commission from the Lord which we are to fulfill both in faith and with power. Jesus says: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)  He says: “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)  He says:  “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned. These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” (Mark 16:15-18)   It is not ours to explain or justify the righteousness and justice of God, nor how He will execute that justice. That is for Him alone to carry out. For us we are to, as Colossians 3:2 says:  Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth;  Even while we live and work on earth, fulfilling our calling in faith and power.

May Paul’s declaration be our prayer:   I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Thank You heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ and precious Holy Spirit.  Amen.