How You Ought to Walk and Please God 1 Thessalonians 4:1

Paul and his traveling companions desired to see the Thessalonian church members to establish and comfort them in their faith in Jesus Christ. He also desired that they increase in their love toward one another and to all men which would cause the Lord to “establish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.” In chapter four and verse one of his letter, Paul “beseeched” the Thessalonians to remember how they “ought to walk and to please God” where we read:

Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as you have received of us how you ought to walk and to please God, so you would abound more and more.

The verse begins, “Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as you have received of us how you ought to walk and to please God,...” Paul began with the word, “Furthermore” which means “hereafter, the rest, for the future and henceforth” “then we beseech you” or “ask, entreat and beg the Thessalonians” “brethren” which refers to “fellow believers who are united to another by the bond of affection” “and exhort you” or “call to one's side, address, speak to, entreat, encourage and instruct you” “by the Lord Jesus” who is “he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master whose name means Jehovah is Salvation and is the Son of God, the Savior of mankind and God incarnate” “that as you have received” or “as the Thessalonian church members had accepted, taken and joined in” “of us” which refers to Paul and his traveling companions “how you ought to walk” or “make your way, progress and make due use of opportunities” “and to please God” which means “be agreeable to and accommodate one's self to the opinions desires and interests of the Godhead bodily and trinity comprised of God the Father, Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit”. Paul had given and demonstrated how the church members in Thessalonica were to act and be, and he “exhorted” them as a spiritual father to follow his instructions.

The verse goes on to say, “...so you would abound more and more.” Paul added, “so you would abound” which is the Greek word “perisseuō” and means “to exceed or be left over and above a certain number or measure; to exist or be at hand in abundance; overflow” “more and more” or “to a greater degree, by far, sooner, more willingly and readily”. Paul not only desired for the Thessalonians to “walk and please God” but also that they would excel and overflow in them too.

When we think about Paul's exhortation, we too should be challenged in our “walk and pleasing” of the Lord. As we stop to think about the wonderful things He has done for us, we “ought” to be challenged to continue in our relationships with Him. The Lord Jesus has provided salvation, sanctification, justification and power to live the Christian life, and our motivation should be to “please” Him at all times. While we ponder these things, let us ask the Lord Jesus for His help in “abounding more and more” in our relationship with Him, and should we get off track at all, may the gentleness of His Holy Spirit bring us back to a stronger and stronger walk with Him.

Next time Paul reminds the Thessalonians about the commandments of the Lord Jesus he and his companions gave them, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

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