WHEN I THINK OF YOU

1 Thessalonians 1:2-7
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust.

The Faith of the Thessalonian Believers

2 We always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly. 3 As we pray to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and the enduring hope you have because of our Lord Jesus Christ.

4 We know, dear brothers and sisters, that God loves you and has chosen you to be his own people. 5 For when we brought you the Good News, it was not only with words but also with power, for the Holy Spirit gave you full assurance that what we said was true. And you know of our concern for you from the way we lived when we were with you. 6 So you received the message with joy from the Holy Spirit in spite of the severe suffering it brought you. In this way, you imitated both us and the Lord. 7 As a result, you have become an example to all the believers in Greece—throughout both Macedonia and Achaia.


Many of you who receive the Gospel Pearl each day, I have known for years. Others I don’t know at all. Some I have only encountered briefly along life’s path. No matter which group you would fall in, when I think of you, my spirit is lifted. What gives me this lift? I think it is captured in what Paul writes in verse four … “that God loves you and has chosen you to be His own people.”

For those I have had the opportunity to get to know … to labor in the vineyard with … to witness in action for Jesus Christ, I “…think of your faithful work, loving deeds , and the enduring hope you have because of our Lord Jesus Christ.” When I think of you, I think of your love for Jesus Christ and your love for others in the Body of Christ.

When I think of you, that combination … God’s love for you … your love for God and others … it lifts my spirit and raises my hopes in the New Year!