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1 Thessalonians 1:3b
In 1 Thessalonians 1:3b is the second thing in which the Apostle Paul gives thanks to God and remembers in his prayers continually (1 Thessalonians 1:2-3a) for those of the church at Thessalonica; that being their “labor of love” (NKJV). The word labor is reflective of doing work, and in this case it is related to doing things out of love for one another. This is a direct reflection of Jesus and the command He gave to His followers in John 13:34-35, “A new command I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
This is an example of following the command given by Jesus to love one another as He has first loved us.
It should be our desire as Christians to be a reflection of Jesus to all those we come in contact with and throughout the world which can be seen in our social media accounts. God is always watching to see if we will show others the love that He has first shown us through His grace and mercy to save us from sin. He gave His One and only Son to redeem us from sin, we should stand up in love for others to reflect Him in our lives. Sometimes this is a very tough thing to do, especially if the one God puts in our hearts to show His love to through us is our enemy. The reward, however, that He will give you will far exceed the sacrifice of love that you show to others as His representative in this world.
Dear LORD,
We understand a little better why the Apostle Paul called it a “labor of love” (1 Thessalonians 1:3b) because sometimes it truly is work for us to put aside our earthly nature and allow our new nature in Christ to shine through to others. Please prompt us always to be a reflection of Jesus. He stood up for us in love, we too should allow His love to flow through us to others. In Jesus name I pray, amen.