1 THESSALONIANS 1:2-10 – We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

THEME OF THE DAY. WAITING ON THE LORD. Sometimes we are tempted to put human understanding on words and concepts in our Bibles. Bad practice that each of us may easily do. Today’s scripture is one of those times with the word “wait” as applied to the Thessalonian believers in their waiting for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. Back to us first.

How do we define “waiting”? Immediately we think of inactivity, a pause of activity waiting on something to happen. Some illustrations are waiting on a ride, boarding a plane, for people to get ready to go somewhere, and an event to start. For the most part, our concept of waiting on someone or something does not involve much activity unless it is some form of busyness on something of not much significance just to “pass the time” away. But that is not the example of Biblical waiting as seen in the Thessalonians. What do we find them doing while waiting for Christ’s Return?

First, Biblical waiting on the Lord consists of aggressive Christian living that leaves a visible example for other believers – And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.

Next, Biblical waiting on the Lord consists of aggressive sharing of the faith by our lives and words – For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything.

And finally, Biblical waiting on the Lord Jesus weans us from the world, turns us away from sin, and promotes personal holiness – For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

In looking to the Thessalonian believers we observe a “waiting on Jesus” people, not a waiting like for a bus, but a waiting that moves us to aggressive Christian living, aggressive sharing of the faith, and the pursuit of holiness producing separation from a sinful world.

PRAYER: “Father, teach me that waiting on Your Son is not a call to passivity but spiritual activity.”

QUOTE: “Waiting on the Lord’s return is not like waiting on a ride. We are active in the waiting.”