Day 588: 1 Thessalonians 3- A Prayer For Love

Therefore when we could bear it no longer, we were willing to be left behind at Athens alone, 2 and we sent Timothy, our brother and God's coworker in the gospel of Christ, to establish and exhort you in your faith, 3 that no one be moved by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are destined for this.4 For when we were with you, we kept telling you beforehand that we were to suffer affliction, just as it has come to pass, and just as you know. 5 For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to learn about your faith, for fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you and our labor would be in vain.
Timothy's Encouraging Report
6 But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us the good news of your faith and love and reported that you always remember us kindly and long to see us, as we long to see you— 7 for this reason, brothers,[b] in all our distress and affliction we have been comforted about you through your faith. 8 For now we live, if you are standing fast in the Lord. 9 For what thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God, 10 as we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith?
11 Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you, 12 and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, 13 so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.
 
Meditation
Many Christians are lamenting the fracturing of the church.  The gospel compels us to pray for and seek unity in the Church. God is our Father (11). Christians are brothers and sisters in Christ- God’s family. We must display God’s priority to love one another through joining Paul in prayer for love to abound.

Paul’s motive is for us to look more like our Head, Jesus Christ, the Lord of love. To pray for love is to pray for the likeness of the Lord to be lived out in our life together.

Paul sent Timothy to Thessalonica around AD 49-50, when Paul was preoccupied in Athens (Acts 17:15-34; 1). Timothy was sent to “establish and exhort” the church (2) and he returned with a great report (3-6). Overflowing with thanksgiving (7-10) Paul bursts into prayer for the believers in Thessalonica.

Paul prays he could be present with them (11), a family reunion. Paul petitions the Father that their love will abound; love for one another and for all (12). Abounding love implies increase, an overflow from the love of our Father for one another. The purpose of the petition is for their hearts to be established as blameless before the Father (13). This is a prayer for the process of the sanctification of the church that they may look and live more like Jesus Christ.

The gospel is an announcement of God’s love for us. We must apply Christ’s work to our life together through praying for the love of our Father to abound in and through His family.

Richly Dwelling
- Do you pray for the love of our Father to abound in His family, the church? Why or why not?

-Jesus prayed for the Church to be one through love in John 17. Join Jesus in this prayer, taking a moment to pray for love to increase in the family of God.

-Who did the Spirit specifically put on your heart when you prayed? How can you put your prayer into practice through showing the love of Christ today?

Key Verse
12 and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you,