1 Thessalonians 2:8 NIV84 and 1 Thessalonians 2:12 NIV84

I'm still struggling with the idea that anything I muster up on here would be edifying to anyone, but here we go.

So when I read 1 Thess 1:3, to say that I was slapped in the face would be a an understatement. It talks about "works produced by faith, labor prompted by love, and endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ." When people look at my life, is that what they see? Are my works produced solely by faith? What about my labor? Is it out of love? Or do I do it because I have to...and what about endurance??? That is not something that I think of as a key factor in my life. I mean, endurance isn't a "fruit of the spirit" is it? But how important is it, how vital, when THE hope of our Lord is behind it? I want my works to be full of faith, my labor to be overflowing with HIS love, and endurance to come out of complete trust and the hope that He gives. We are called to be his witnesses, and he is ours. "We are not trying to please men, but God, who tests our hearts." When we shift our total and complete focus on Him, we begin to forget about ourselves. And that faith that produces works will come. That love will be given to us so that we may labor for one another. And that hope will be put in us, giving us the ability to endure what we never could alone. Sorry if this seems a bit redundant, but it hit me pretty hard.

So, as I went on to read 1 Thess 2:1-12, Paul, Silas, and Timothy's lives continued to amaze me. In verse 8, they say that "We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our loves as well, because you had become so dear to us." What really struck me from this verse was the fact that they shared the gospel before anything else. For me, my first instict is to share my life with someone. I would much rather tell them of what I am dealing with rather than bring up the awkwardness of the gospel. And why is that so awkward? I don't get it, but it is. :/ So what if the first thing that came out of our mouths was the gospel? How would that change the relationships we have with everyone around us? We would no longer be worried with our own reputation, but His. Isn't His reputation the important one anyways? Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that when they ask for our order at Starbucks, we reply with "Do you know Jesus?....and a latte please." (unless you are lead to do that!)
I suppose it just all comes down to what the "biggest thing" in our lives is. I want to be so infatuated with Him that the gospel IS the biggest thing to me.

Nope, I'm not done yet. I still got another verse. :)

I just love how the reading for today ended with verse 12, which says "encouraging, comforting, and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory." What an honor to even have the ability to live lives worthy of God! But that's not it! He calls us into his kingdom and glory. Wow. And how do we live lives worthy of him? I don't think that I have a complete answer to this question, but I do believe that by simply being his witnesses in this broken world, as he is our witness in heaven, we can begin to live lives worthy of Him.

Grace and peace to you all