1 Thessalonians 1:3 (TPT)
“For we remember before our God and Father how you put your faith into practice, how your love motivates you to serve others, and how unrelenting is your hope-filled patience in our Lord Jesus Christ.“
We can get caught up in performance. Oftentimes, instead of relying on God, we try to do things in our own strength. When we do that, we operating in works of the flesh. It’s easy to tell the difference because works of the flesh always result in feelings of exhaustion and frustration. But that’s not to say that we should do nothing. James tells us that faith without works is dead. What does he mean by that? What’s the difference between works of faith and works of the flesh?
It comes down to motivation. Are we doing these works to earn favor with God? Are we doing these works to manipulate our circumstances? Are we doing these things to get what we want? That’s a completely different picture than the one we see here with the church at Thessalonica. The believers in Thessalonica had heard a life-changing message. They had accepted the gospel whole-heartedly. It had changed them from the inside out, and as a result they began to serve others. They weren’t doing these acts to earn God’s acceptance. They knew they already had that. Instead, their love for God and their love for each other motivated them to put their faith into practice. They did good because their hearts were full of love for Jesus. They wanted to follow in His footsteps. He went around doing good, and so did they.
When we put our faith into practice we are doing works of faith. When our love for God motivates us we live our faith out loud. Those acts speak loudly to the world about our relationship with Jesus Christ, and the change He can make in a heart that’s devoted to Him.
Father, I thank you for the sacrifice of your Son Jesus Christ. I want my life to be an example of a true disciple. I want to be more and more like you. I want to live out my faith, but I don’t want to get trapped into doing works of the flesh. Help me to check my motives and to make sure that I am operating out of genuine love and devotion to you and not to try to earn anything or manipulate anything. Forgive me for the times when I have done things out of vain conceit. I want to be a light for you not a monument to myself. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
A Beautiful Mess 