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1 Thessalonians 3:7-13
We have been reassured about you, brothers and sisters,
in our every distress and affliction, through your faith.
For we now live, if you stand firm in the Lord.
What thanksgiving, then, can we render to God for you,
for all the joy we feel on your account before our God?
Night and day we pray beyond measure to see you in person
and to remedy the deficiencies of your faith.
Now may God himself, our Father, and our Lord Jesus
direct our way to you, and may the Lord make you increase
and abound in love for one another and for all,
just as we have for you,
so as to strengthen your hearts,
to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father
at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones. Amen.
The word of the Lord.
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I met a parent the other day who was once involved in the Boy Scouts.
He told me stories about some outdoor adventures he took his scouts on, including hikes in Appalachia and boating trips in Minnesota.
“At home,” he said, “I rarely pay attention to the weather report. But out there, in the middle of nowhere, your life depends upon it. We’d be glued to the weather hour by hour.”
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Isn’t it easy to take a similar approach with God?
When all is well – when we’re resting comfortably at home – it’s easy to take God for granted.
But when the storms of life are raging, we cling to Him hour by hour.
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Mature Christians, however, seek God at all times.
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This is essentially Paul’s point in our first reading.
Like any pastor, he’s anxious and concerned about his flock. “Night and day we pray beyond measure to remedy the deficiencies of your faith,” he says.
Paul’s exhorting these early Christians to care about the weather, as it were; to remember the Lord at all times, not just during the storms of life.
To use Paul’s words, turning to God only when we need him is a “deficiency” in faith.
May we take Paul’s advice and spend time with the Lord daily. Doing so will strengthen our faith when we need it most.
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Image credits: (1) Northside Assembly of God (2) CBS New York (3) Chase Oaks Church