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Encouraged to Overflow · In the Stillness Podcast

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  Hey you guys, it's friendly. Welcome back to In the
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  Stillness. I'm so happy that you are
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  joining me for another episode. I hope you're feeling expectant
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  going into today because we've got some great points and things
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  to talk through. We're going to be finishing
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  chapter 3 and I'm going to do this episode a little
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  differently than usual. I'm going to read 1 chunk and
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  then I'm going to talk through those verses, and then we're
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  going to go through the second part.
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  So with that, let's go ahead and jump into First Thessalonians
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  chapter 3, verse 6. But Timothy has just now come to
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  us from you and has brought good news about your faith and love.
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  He has told us that you always have pleasant memories of us and
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  that you long to see us just as we also long to see you.
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  Therefore, brothers and sisters, in all our distress and
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  persecution, we were encouraged about you because of your faith.
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  For now we really live. Since you are standing firm in
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  the Lord. How can we thank God enough for
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  you in return for all the joy that we have in the presence of
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  our God Because of you, night and day, we pray most earnestly
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  that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your
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  faith. OK, so this first section, there
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  is so much here, but the first thing that really stood out to
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  me was the significance of encouragement in the body of
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  Christ. When Timothy brings this report
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  back to Paul, he's telling him that the Thessalonians are
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  standing firm in faith and love and that they remember Paul
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  kindly and that they long to see him.
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  And Paul says that even amidst all of the trials and suffering
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  that he's going through their faith.
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  It encouraged him. He even says, for now we live if
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  you are standing fast in the Lord.
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  And I think that that is so powerful because encouragement,
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  It promotes unity. It keeps believers steadfast
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  through different seasons. It reminds us that we're not
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  here to do this alone. It brought to mind Romans 12/15,
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  which says that we rejoice with those who rejoice and we mourn
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  with those who mourn. So that communicates that
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  there's space for both celebration and sorrow within
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  community. And I think sometimes it can be
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  easy to get this wrong because we might feel weird or avoid
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  sharing the good things and blessings that God is doing in
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  our lives. Maybe because someone else is
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  struggling and going through a hard season.
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  And of course, we have to share sensitively.
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  We need to be humble and aware of the timing.
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  But I also don't think that we should bottle up our testimony
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  and hold back from what God is doing in our lives just because
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  someone else is in a hard season.
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  Think about this. What if what God is doing in
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  your life? What if the good blessings that
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  he has given you is the very thing that helps a friend hold
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  on to hope while they're really struggling?
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  So maybe you're enjoying a job that is going really well, that
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  could remind someone who might be in a job that they don't
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  really love, that there is hope and that their job right now is
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  not the end all be all. Or maybe you're in a healthy
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  Christ centered relationship and they're still in a waiting
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  season. That could remind them that
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  godly love exists and that there's people out there.
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  Because I believe part of steward stewarding your
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  blessings is sharing them, even if it's just sharing how God
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  brought it about encouragement. It also builds up church
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  leaders. It strengthens newer believers
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  who aren't as used to resisting temptation or facing opposition.
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  And it reminds people that their obedience in the faith is
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  producing fruit and it's worth it.
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  So here's the other part that stood out to me.
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  Reciprocation. We see Paul is overjoyed not
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  just because they're doing well, but because they remember him
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  and they desire to see him too. So their bond is not one sided.
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  It's a two way St. And this is also just showing us
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  that deep relationships are a two way St. like in friendships
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  and even more so spiritually in our relationship with God.
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  It goes both ways. You both have to invest and be
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  intentional. So if you desire friends who are
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  consistent and loyal, who are prayer warriors and trustworthy
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  people that you can confide in, are you practicing being that
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  too? Because ultimately, you attract
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  what you are. So be the friend that you want
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  to have. I want us to ask ourselves too,
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  is my faith inspiring my friends and expressing itself through
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  love? Am I standing firm so that it
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  encourages them to do the same? And how am I working on becoming
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  an even better friend? Let's also look at Paul's heart.
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  He is being persecuted. He is in no way in an easy
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  situation, but he is not focused on his discomfort.
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  He is so overwhelmed with gratitude because the church is
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  growing. He says he cannot thank God
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  enough and it leads him to pray constantly.
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  Y'all. He is alive to make Christ
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  known. He is thriving off of knowing
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  that they are seeking God. And honestly I was thinking
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  about this. If this is how much Paul loves
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  this church that he doesn't even really know super well, imagine
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  Jesus's love for us. That made me emotional and
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  Paul's gratitude. It also challenged me because no
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  matter where we are in our lives, we are to be praising God
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  with such overwhelming thankfulness and gratitude.
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  There is so much to thank Him for.
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  It's endless to give y'all Just a few things that came to my
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  mind. One, if you are a believer, you
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  can thank Him for the revelation of His grace that has called us
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  to salvation literally for breath and your lungs, the way
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  that your heart is pumping blood so that you are breathing a
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  clean slate. New mercies every morning being
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  made into a new creation. You have a secured, promised
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  eternity and the gospel is continually advancing across the
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  world. There are more than enough
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  reasons to thank God. And also, how often are we
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  actually talking to God through prayer?
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  Is it a few minutes a day or all throughout the day?
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  Because Paul was praying 24/7 for these believers.
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  OK, so now after going through that chunk, I want to finish by
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  reading verses 11 through 13. This really feels like Paul's
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  prayer over them. So that's kind of why I want to
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  close out with it. So beginning in verse 11, now
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  may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way
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  for us to come to you. May the Lord make your love
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  increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else,
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  just as ours does for you. May He strengthen your hearts so
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  that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God
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  and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.
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  I love that Paul prays specifically.
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  He asks God to make a way. He requests that their love
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  increase in overflow. He asks God to strengthen them
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  and to prepare them in holiness for Jesus.
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  So I just want to encourage y'all do not shy away from very
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  specific prayers because sometimes it's those specific
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  ones that actually end up boosting your faith the most
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  when God answers them, often in ways that are even better than
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  you could imagine. And the word overflow that Paul
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  uses, you cannot overflow with love if you're not being filled
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  first. So this is not shallow.
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  It's not just being sweet. This is actively reflecting
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  Christ's love as seen in his life.
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  So let me ask you guys, are you spending quality time being
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  filled by God so that you can outpour unto others?
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  Y'all for me and I know for all of us, there is nothing good in
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  US apart from Jesus. I am noticeably different if I
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  do not spend time alone with my father every day.
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  Community is amazing. It is such a gift.
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  But I truly do need my time with just me and Him in the
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  stillness, in the quiet place. Because it's in the quiet place
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  that the Lord renews my mind. He reminds me why I exist.
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  He helps me respond to others with patience and slowness and
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  with grace. And He empowers me to pursue
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  holiness. And also how incredible to think
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  one day we are going to be standing with believers from
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  this church in Thessalonica, with Paul, with the other
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  apostles fully united before Christ at his return, the
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  marriage of the Lamb. Just what a picture to look
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  forward to. So let this be the prayer over
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  us that God would make a way when there isn't 1.
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  That our love would increase and overflow.
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  That He would establish our hearts, blameless and holiness
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  before Him. OK, well that is what I have for
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  you guys today. I loved finishing chapter 3 with
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  y'all. I'm going to be traveling this
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  weekend, so I don't think I'm going to have any new episodes
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  for the next couple days, but I am so excited to be back next
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  week as we head into Chapter 4. Praying that your love overflows
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  for the Lord and a bounce for others today and that this can
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  leave y'all with some encouragement to give and to
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  receive. I'll talk to y'all soon.