Caring For Leaders - 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28

Take a moment to pray to God and ask him to allow you to see what this passage really means in your life.

Read 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28

As Paul is wrapping up his letter here, we see an emphasis on many things- Kindness to others, respect, humbleness etc. These things all end up wrapping into one main thing, community. As seen in verse 12-13, Paul is telling the people to respect those “who are laboring among and are over you in the Lord”, which is basically the leaders of the Church. We can see that it is not a respect simply because of a position, but because of what they do, and how much they care for their work for God. Paul then goes on to urge the people to “admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted…” (verse 14). At the start of the sentence, it seems to be all about telling people off. One person is too lazy and not doing something and so on. Yet, at the end of the passage, Paul tacks on the phrase “be patient with them all” to show that its not simply about telling people off, but there is a manner in doing so, one of respect. Paul’s main underlying theme in this is slowly becoming clearer. We see in verses 15-21 of how our life isn’t truly one lived for ourselves, but for others. Not only should we stop people from doing evil, but also, we should do good onto others. We should rejoice, pray constantly, abstain from evil. There’s one story going on, and it’s definitely not yourself as the main character. Paul is giving a call to just do good onto others, and in doing removing ourselves from the pedestal and putting God on there instead. Then again, easier said then done. What Paul says sounds so simple, but in practice is much, much harder. However, there is hope at the end of the tunnel! Paul ends on an inspiring note. In verses 23-28 we see that this is a process, in which God is slowly making us more and more holy. We can see that in the end, because we are so faithful, God has our backs.

In the end, it’s a process. As you go about your daily lives, just try to be a bit more conscious about what is happening around you and humble yourself enough to show respect to everyone.

Side note: Interestingly enough, every chapter of Thessalonians has some mention of the second coming. Though surprising at first, I guess it makes sense, because of what’s happening. We know that Paul is writing to a church suffering from persecution etc. and he writes to encourage them, to tell them to hold on strong, and do good with others and so on. Therefore, it serves to help us, the reader, understand that earth is but a temporary home, and there is so much in store for us elsewhere. All the riches in the world mean nothing in the face of Christ. To me, it’s a great comfort, to know that eventually, we will have endless joy, not temporary happiness, but real joy to be with God.

Take some time to pray with God. Talk with him, have a relationship. Prayer is your time to spend with God, and enjoy it for what it is.