2 Thessalonians 3:5 (NIV) – May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.
Paul was writing to a group of people who weren’t sure whether or not they had missed something of God. Maybe they felt like they missed an opportunity, or the Day of the Lord. The Day of the Lord would be a pretty big thing to miss. I imagine that these folks in their sincerity wanted to be sure that they were following the Lord’s commands and operating with the fruit of the Spirit growing in their lives. Why then, would they have fears of missing something from God? Perhaps the apostle Paul sensed that the people from Thessalonica didn’t have the solid revelation of God’s love in their hearts.
With the exception of being convicted by the Holy Spirit for sin in our lives, if our hearts possess fear, we do not have the fullness of the love of God in us. Being directed into the love of God will remove all fear of measuring up, meeting the grade, or feeling like we’re missing something that God may be trying to tell us. Sometimes, (actually many times) our hearts betray us into thinking that we need to continually gain the approval of God which plays into the addiction of gathering approval from people. Lost is that chaos is the confidence of simply being in the love of God.
Being filled with the love of God will equip us with confidence to enter into His presence, having boldness to go before the throne of grace. When fear rules our hearts, we don’t enter the throne room because we feel inadequate, we don’t know what to say, we feel like we should be presenting some sacrifice to make our presence acceptable in the Lord’s company.
My friends, the more we allow God’s love to fill our hearts, the less we’re going to strive to gain approval or be worried about measuring up. There is no fear of missing something when made perfect in love.
Reflections
Context of scripture verse – 2Thessaolonians 3: 1-18
Consider:
- Read the context of the verses
Challenge:
- What areas in your life do you seek unhealthy approval from others? Do you ever feel like you just don’t deserve the love that God has for you? Write down some areas (be honest with yourself) that you desire approval from others and find yourself questioning God’s love for you.
Apply:
- Read 1 John 4:18 and write down what love replaces. Ask God to help you understand the revelation of His love for you. Verbally (out loud) remind yourself that God loves you unconditionally. Put sticky notes that remind you of God’s love in your house if needed!
Note to Self: (reflections, challenges, reminders)