If you want your faith to be recognized by others, here’s how to do it.
The believers in Thessalonica remind me of flowers blooming through a crack in a wall. They weren’t supposed to be there…the whole society was against them, and punished them for their faith. And yet, there they were, refusing to be ignored. Paul gives them the highest praise when he says “you became like us” as he refers to their suffering.
What really grabs me today is the reason that word of this church has spread far and wide. The reason people know about this church is because they are different. “They don’t worship our idols” has become known far and wide. Those who don’t believe have become angry with them, and those who have accepted Jesus are encouraged by them.
Are those two sentiments true of you today? Is your life an encouragement to other Christians? Are others in the body of Christ encouraged to set their idols aside because you have done so? I notice today that our sacrifices for the Gospel do no go unnoticed or unappreciated, even if we think they do. We probably won’t get the amount of praise we think we deserve…but that’s okay…we probably didn’t deserve as much as we thought we did…
God sees every sacrifice, and He is appreciative of them. It would seem that others see our sacrifices as well. Others notice that we choose to remain faithful in spite of hardship. Who knows? It could be our example that encourages them on to the finish line (even though we are never aware of it).
Faith isn’t just asking for things and expecting to get them, it’s living our lives here on earth in a way that testifies to our belief in another phase of existence. Idols, sinful behaviors, unhealthy attitudes, bad habits….these things are intentionally forced out of the Christians’ life in obedience to the Holy Spirit. In this way, Jesus is elevated in our lives, and as the Word says “If I (Jesus) am lifted up, I will draw all men unto me”.
Elevating Jesus,
PR