Paul the
apostle's desire and prayer for the Thessalonian church members was
for the “Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God,
even our Father, which has loved us, and has given us
everlasting consolation and good hope through grace”
to “comfort” their
“hearts, and establish”
them “in every good word and work”.
In chapter three and verse one of his second letter to the
Thessalonians, Paul asks the church members to “pray” for he and
his companions where we read:
Finally,
brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free
course,
The
verse begins, “Finally, brethren,
pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free
course,...” Paul
began with the word, “Finally”
which means “hereafter, at last, for the future, henceforth,
besides and moreover” “brethren”
or “a brother, whether born of the same
two parents or only of the same father or mother and a fellow
believer united to another by the bond of affection”
“pray for us”
which means “offer prayers, supplicate and worship” “that
the word”
or “speech and utterance by a living voice which embodies a concept
or idea” “of the Lord”
which refers to “he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which
he has power of deciding; master and the title given to God the
Messiah” “may have free course”
which means literally means “to run like those who run in a race”
and metaphorically means “to have rapid propagation, strength in
performance or attaining and exertion of all one's effort to
overcome”. Paul's desire for prayer from the Thessalonians
concerned the “free course”
of the “word of the Lord”
which ranked higher in importance than his personal needs.
The verse goes on to say, “...and
be glorified, even as it is
with you:” Paul continued, “and
be glorified” which means “praised,
extolled, magnified, celebrated, honored and clothed with splendor”
“even as it is” or
“also and indeed in the same manner as”
“with you” which refers to the
Thessalonian church members. Paul and his companions' desire was for
others “celebrate” and “honor” the gospel of Jesus Christ in
the same way the Thessalonian church members did.
When
we meditate upon Paul's words, we understand Paul's desire for the
church members in Thessalonica to pray for he and his companions. It
is interesting to note what Paul specifically asked for in prayer -
“that the word of the Lord may have free course” and not
his personal needs. Paul wanted as many people as possible to know
and believe the gospel of Jesus Christ, and for this to be realized,
God's word had to be propagated and set free like those who run in a
race. Perhaps we will be inspired by Paul's words as we ask the Lord
to allow His word to have “free course” in and through us
when we share with others, and may the Lord Jesus' words “be
glorified” in others “even as it is” in us.
Next
time Paul asks the Thessalonians to pray that he and his companions
“be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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