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2 Thessalonians 2:13-14
For those who believe in the truth and have opened their heart to receive it through salvation in Christ Jesus, the Apostle Paul teaches in 2 Thessalonians 2:13 that there is a binding through Christ Jesus and the indwelling of His Holy Spirit to pray for one another, as he and his ministry team are, “bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 2:13-14, NKJV).
This is a command of obedience to God in praying for one another in Christ Jesus as it is fulfilling of God’s working in our lives to share the gospel message throughout the world.
Jesus declared in John 15:5, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” To be called and chosen by Him is not to be a robot with no mind of our own, but to willingly accept His will for our lives and to cooperate with it in fulfilling God’s purpose in our lives. To choose us is not to control us but is the means by which His great plan of salvation works through His great love for us. It is not intended to glorify us but to bring glory to Jesus by which He then is reflected through our lives in obedience to Him bringing glory to us as well – in Christ.
Dear LORD,
You call us to You because You are the Master – the center of all things. You call us to You because You love us and desire to reflect Yourself through our lives as Your children in and through Your One and only Son Christ Jesus. Please help us to see that the process of salvation and sanctification are not controlling but in obedience to Your love for us in response to give Your love back to You through accepting it in our lives through Your calling on our lives – in Christ. In Jesus name I pray, amen.