I Thessalonians 3:1-10

I Thessalonians 3:1-10

In this passage Paul addresses two themes that are extremely vital for a strong faith but are often absent in our lives. These two themes are affliction and affection. Verse 3 will almost certainly never appear in a positive attitude self-help book. Look carefully, speaking of affliction. Paul says, “We are destined for these.” There is no way to separate affliction from the life of a disciple. Paul uses the word affliction three times and distress once in this passage. He feared that the pressure of these hardships would deceive the Thessalonian believers.

Hardship can be misunderstood in a number of ways, which can lead to confusion about our faith itself. If we believe the result or the objective of our faith is the “good” or “best life” now, then suffering means faith isn’t working. If faith is a talisman that wards off trouble, then faith can seem useless when we suffer. When we misunderstand affliction and distress, we have no context for a part of our faith walk to which we are destined. 

Paul doesn’t go into a theology or doctrine of suffering. “Why?” is not the most critical question. What he does do is answer the question “how do we endure”. Paul weaves together the themes of affliction and affection like two dancers sharing a complex waltz. He does so from his own experience being deeply and personally associated with hardship. In verse 7 we get a picture of how to survive. There is a genuine brotherhood between Paul and these believers because of their sharing a common faith. Their love and friendship were such that Paul said that because of hearing of the faithfulness, he was ‘really’ living (v. 8).

Sometimes it seems that our faith or our spiritual walk is lacking vitality. We may call it a dry spell or a flat feeling. We don’t want to engage in the spiritual discipline, and there is no attraction toward the things of God. Perhaps the element that we are missing is simply a close bond with other believers. It is the suffering together that has the potential to take us to the deepest level of faith and commitment to God and our beloved fellow believers. 

“Help me Lord, to understand the place and value of affliction for my faith. AMEN”