- Joined
- Oct 26, 2007
- Messages
- 11,642
Don't you remember, dear brothers and sisters, how hard we worked among you? Night and day we toiled to earn a living so that we would not be a burden to any of you as we preached God's Good News to you. You yourselves are our witnesses--and so is God--that we were devout and honest and faultless toward all of you believers. 1 Thessalonians 2:9-10 NLT
Paul didn’t want to give his listeners any excuses to reject the message of God’s love for them. He demonstrated God’s saving love by laying down his life for their sake, working doubly hard to both share the Gospel and to pay his own way. He didn’t want anyone to accuse him of preaching Jesus for profit.
Consider what kinds of excuses someone could have for not receiving the message of God’s love for them. Is it possible that people could very well confuse the messenger with the message? If you share about God’s love and sacrifice in a way that undermines the message, you may be doing more harm than good for others. By showing that you recognize the needs of others and that you are acting solely for their benefit, you give greater credibility to the message that God loves them.
Prayer: Jesus, help me to see the ways I can serve others and alleviate their reservations about the message of Your love and salvation.
Paul didn’t want to give his listeners any excuses to reject the message of God’s love for them. He demonstrated God’s saving love by laying down his life for their sake, working doubly hard to both share the Gospel and to pay his own way. He didn’t want anyone to accuse him of preaching Jesus for profit.
Consider what kinds of excuses someone could have for not receiving the message of God’s love for them. Is it possible that people could very well confuse the messenger with the message? If you share about God’s love and sacrifice in a way that undermines the message, you may be doing more harm than good for others. By showing that you recognize the needs of others and that you are acting solely for their benefit, you give greater credibility to the message that God loves them.
Prayer: Jesus, help me to see the ways I can serve others and alleviate their reservations about the message of Your love and salvation.
