Daren Lindley

YOU ARE OUR CROWN!

It takes very little discernment to see the work of the devil. But when you are hungrily looking for Jesus transforming work, you will truly be giving him honor and you will be so encouraged in this act of worship!

Scripture:

^{1Thess. 3:19 & 20} After all, what gives us hope and joy, and what is our proud reward and crown? It is you! Yes, you will bring us much joy as we stand together before our lord Jesus when he comes back again. ²⁰ for you are our pride and joy.

Observation:

I find it interesting that Paul states that these people who are responding to the Lord are what give him hope. While at first blush we might think that his hope is misplaced, being in these people, his hope really isn’t in these people but in Christ Jesus who is in them. His hope remains in Jesus who is being made manifest in the lives of these people.

This change is very heartening. When we see the work of Jesus changing the lives of those we are around it’s amazing. Now, not only have we believed, but we have seen, and now what we have believed has been proven true in the lives of those with whom we live.

Paul’s encouragement is not merely that he has the opportunity to see the changed lives but that he will stand together with these people before the Lord. There is an interesting mix here, seeing Paul standing as a peer and also standing as a mentor. He stands as the brother of these people but also as one who is a spiritual father.

Application:

We frequently miss the amazing things Jesus is doing because we focus on the failures and shortcomings rather than the wonderful work Jesus is doing in the lives of people all around us. One of the best ways to worship Jesus is to acknowledge that he is doing an amazing job changing lives. Just look around at the lives of people who you know have been changed by Jesus transforming love. It takes very little discernment to see the work of the devil. But when you are hungrily looking for Jesus transforming work, you will truly be giving him honor and you will be so encouraged in this act of worshiping Jesus!