Faith and Love

 

DEVOTION

THE 1^ST LETTER TO THE THESSALONIANS

FAITH AND LOVE

1 Thess 3:6

6 But Timothy has just now come to us from you and has brought good news about your faith and love. He has told us that you always have pleasant memories of us and that you long to see us, just as we also long to see you.

NIV

Here again I get the sense of a real community of believers, always thinking, remember, and longing to see each other. I wonder sometimes if those people in my past have pleasant memories of me. Do they remember my faith and love? Did they experience my love toward them? Do I demonstrate any love toward them? Do I demonstrate any love toward the people in my present that someday they will have pleasant memories of me? Do I have pleasant memories of those in the past I knew? Do I recall their life of faith and love? Can my faith and love be reported on as good news to someone else? It is good news to someone else, do they even care? Do I care about getting a report about somebody’s faith and love? I would think in a real community of believers even if separated by miles would be together in the Spirit and thus all these answers would be yes. But are they? Are all the answers yes? At least now because of the modern technological advancements such as Facebook I am able to check in on all those people I have fond memories of and they can do the same with me. I can see what love they are demonstrating in their lives and how their faith is active and playing such a role in how they live. I would imagine they could so likewise with me. They could read my posts, my blog, and my book and find out all about my life of faith and love. I suppose in that sense we still are a community of believers, interacting with one another in a binary method rather than in person because of the many miles which separate us and the extremely busyness our lives are filled with. Now I must ask myself do I indeed live such a life of faith and love in front and wide open before my fellow believers. I pray I do. I hope I am being an example of a believer with faith in God beyond anyone or anything else. I hope and pray people know and sense my love for them. I know I may not act that out as much as I should. That is not an easy flowing trait as it should be. Why is that? Maybe I really do not love like I should. Maybe I say the words but really do not have it inside. Maybe it is inside but I have such a struggle getting it out. This I need more of the Spirit for. I know my life is forever changing, growing, being stretched and strained, being melted down and reformed into what God desires me to be. I must allow him more access to continue the work in me, as he continues to work for me and through me. Faith and love.