Remember Where You Came From

Commentary

The Bible is not simply a book of religious ideas or good moral advice; it is the very Word of God.  It is “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (II Timothy 3:16). Someone has said; doctrine tells us what is right, reproof tells us what is not right, correction tells us how to get right and instruction tells us how to stay right. First Thessalonians is saturated with Bible doctrines. Most of the major doctrines of Scripture are touched on in these chapters.
Timothy met Paul in Corinth (Acts 18:5) and gave him the good news that things were going well at Thessalonica and that the Christians were standing firm in spite of persecution. He also reported that the Thessalonian Christians had good memories of them and desired greatly to see them (v. 6). This brought great joy to Paul’s heart. People so often have very short memories of the good things others do for them. Selfishness and pride often blur our memories and cause us to forget that we owe a great deal to others for our success (vv. 7-8). We gladly receive help when we are in a desperate situation but then when things are going good we often forget to say thank you and to express our appreciation in other ways. During persecutions or pressure we should encourage one another. Our faith in the Lord will be like a breath of fresh air in a new life. Those who are new in their faith can learn from the steadfastness of the mature.

Application

May the Lord help me to never forget where I came from and also who helped me to get where I am. It may have been my parents, a friend, a teacher, a pastor, or a co-worker but most of all it was my Lord. I just need to be looking for ways to share my appreciation in tangible ways.