1 Thessalonians 1:3 (ESV) — … remembering before our God and Father your work of
faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
NOTE: The word
"work" is the Greek word, ergon,
meaning your place of employment or duty. My job is to exercise faith and to
live by faith. The word "labor" is the Greek word, ergos, meaning a beating or to cause trouble
or toil. Loving others is difficult. Most people are not very lovable and are
not very appreciative of love because we are all selfish to the core. Finally,
our hope, elpis, is an expectation of
fear in the literal sense, but in the Christian sense, it is an expectation of
joy. I think the reason the word for fear is used is that fearful expectation
is an impending doom that you don't think you can escape. You are sure it will
happen and you are afraid. It is that same assurance but translated in a good
sense for a Christian. We know that our hope is in Jesus Christ and he is
coming back for us.
PRAYER: Thank you
for the work that you have called me to. Give me grace to live my faith and to
toil in love for all those around me. I know assuredly that my future with God
is a guaranteed reality.
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