Actions, Motives and Expectations by Pastor Jim Jung

“As we pray to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and the enduring hope you have because of our Lord Jesus Christ…And now the word of the Lord is ringing out from you to people everywhere, even beyond Macedonia and Achaia, for wherever we go we find people telling us about your faith in God. We don’t need to tell them about it” (1 Thessalonians 1: 3;8 NLT )

I love these descriptive verses from the book of Thessalonians. They describe a people who had encountered the message of the gospel so deeply that it changed the very sound resonating from their lives. Thessalonica was a city of people that literally ran the Apostle Paul out of town and persecuted him as he attempted to minister in other nearby regions (ref: Acts 17:1-13). But a group of converts had been so radically changed that the sounds of their faith were being heard across the country.

Paul recognises 3 distinct sounds that were being trumpeted from their lives:

1.          Their faithful work (their actions)
2.          Their loving deeds (their motives)
3.          Their enduring hope (their expectations)

As I think about these words I am struck with an incredible thought: my actions, motives and expectations produce a sound that impacts others. In light of this, consider the following:

•        My actions can either ring out sounds of selfishness, greed, anger, complacency, and apathy – or they can trumpet out sounds of love, joy, peace, and gratefulness.

•       What sounds are my motives ringing out to those around me? Am I using them to help me gain acceptance; are my friendships with people based on what I can get out of them; do I respond to the boss positively because I want her to think of me when promotions come around?

•       Are my expectations grounded on the certainties of Christ and His Kingdom? Things like security, joy, peace, love, long-suffering, patience, and kindness?

These Thessalonians had that figured out! They were going to engage their faith by doing what they knew was right, ensuring their thoughts and core values were in alignment with the teachings of Jesus, and their hope was fixed on the prize promised to them.

What an incredibly simple, yet profoundly powerful way to tune our lives to the rhythm and sound of heaven.