Always Moving Forward

Scripture – 2 Thessalonians 1:1-4: ¹Paul, Silas and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: ²Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. ³We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing. ⁴Therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.

Reflection: And so a second letter to the church at Thessalonica begins. The people are commended for their continuing growth in faith and love. In fact, Paul and his partners use the Thessalonians as an example of perseverance for other churches.

That’s a nice thing to hear. It’s also a little discomforting. It’s great to have a good reputation. There’s also a bit of pressure to live up to it.

There’s an old song we sing from time to time. It begins with the proclamation, “I have decided to follow Jesus.” It ends with the challenge, “…no turning back, no turning back.”

Once I embrace Christ as the leader and director of my life, there is no way to go except forward. If I get off track, I don’t back up and start over again. Jesus meets me where I am, He picks me up and we move forward from there. As we keep moving and growing and maturing, our reputation will take care of itself. As long as our focus is always on Christ and His call today, we don’t have to worry about maintaining that reputation. We just keep responding faithfully to what He has for us to do.