1 Thessalonians 3:5 – ‘I sent to find out about your faith, for fear that the tempter might have tempted you, and our labor would be for nothing.’
In the Apostle Paul’s first letter to the church of Thessalonica, he recalls how anxious he was to learn if they had held onto their faith in Christ in spite of the persecution that had come to them. The Apostle Paul reminds us that we must stand firm in the Lord because we have an enemy of our souls.
We learn throughout Scripture means of grace that God has provided for us to remain steadfast in the faith. We are told in the book of Hebrews not to abandon meeting together with other Christians so we can consider how to encourage one another in love and good deeds (Heb.10:24-25). We are told in Romans that faith comes by hearing the word of Christ (Rom. 10:17), and we should therefore continually pursue the preaching and teaching of the Word. We are warned in Colossians and James about anger leading to unrighteousness and being overcome by evil towards a hard heart (Col. 3:8; James 1:20, 4:2).
How are you standing firm in Christ today? Are you guarding your faith in the Gospel that has been entrusted to your care? Has the tempter tempted you to stray from Christ and His people? It is time to come to your senses and return to God and His people for the judgment is near.
Heavenly Father, I pray that you use me to encourage others and check on their faith today. Lay on my heart those who need to be encouraged through love and good deeds once again as your day draws near. Examine my own heart and point out anything displeasing in your sight. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.