PRAYING FOR ONE ANOTHER
“We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father.”
—1 Thessalonians 1:2-3
THE APOSTLE PAUL was thankful to God for fellow Christians. He saw other believers as a great blessing from God and therefore Paul was diligent to pray for his fellow saints in Christ. The Apostle Paul was a thankful man. He knew God had saved him by His grace alone in Christ Jesus, and God’s grace had caused Paul to recognize that he deserved none of God’s good gifts, let alone redemption from Satan, sin, and God’s coming wrath. And so, Paul’s prayers are filled with thanksgiving to God for the gift of faith the Thessalonian believers had received, and for the tangible expressions of love they showed as evidence of their faith.
WHAT ABOUT YOU? Are you thankful to God for other Christians? Do you praise God for saving fellow believers? Are you thankful, as Paul says in our text, for their “labor of love and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father”? All too often we are thankful to God for our material blessings, but we fail to give thanks to God for other believers in Christ. However, Paul demonstrates in our text that we ought to always thank God for other Christians. Do you struggle to pray for other members of your church? Ask God to give you a thankful heart for other believers.
YOU SEE, PRAYING for one another is a fruit of faith. It’s only possible to express thankfulness to God for other believers, and for all things, when you are in a faith-relationship with Jesus Christ. That’s why Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” True faith in Christ unites us to the only source and reservoir of spiritual strength that’s necessary to be thankful in all circumstances and for other believers. The key words are “in Christ Jesus.” And so, every person in Christ Jesus has a duty to give thanks to God always for other believers, to make mention of them in prayer, to remember without ceasing "their work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father.”
PRAY THE LORD increases this fruit of faith in your life and in the lives of every believer “in Christ Jesus” for His honor, glory, and praise, and for the building up of the Church of Jesus Christ.
Friday Devotional: May 8, 2026
In Christ,
Pastor S. Henry
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GOD’S LOVE
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
—John 3:16
OUR TEXT emphasizes God’s wondrous love. The word “so” does not refer to the depth of God’s love. Rather, it means “like this or in this way.” How did God show His love for fallen humanity? In this way, "He gave His only begotten Son." God demonstrated His love toward elect sinners when He gave His only begotten Son to be rejected and forsaken because of their sins so that they would not be forsaken. “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21). And again in Galatians 3:13-14, “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE"), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” Simply stated, God gave His Son to their everlasting Hell.
HAVE YOU ever thought about everlasting Hell? Our sins deserve everlasting Hell, but because God loved the sheep that He gave to Christ (John 6:37), our sins were imputed to God’s Son on the cross. We deserve the justice of God in the everlasting flames of Hell, but because God loved the world, He gave His Son that He might bear the punishment of all that were given to Him (John 6:37). This is the way that God manifested His love toward undeserving, rebellious, God-hating people. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved" (Acts 16:31).
Tuesday Encouragement: May 5, 2026
In Christ,
Pastor S. Henry
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"Your Word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You."
~Psalm 119:11
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