Dearly Loved, Sacrificially So - 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

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Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope, comfort you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say. 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

Who I Am In Christ!

I am putting the brakes on my eyeballs to take this in. I love the Lord. I am a believer. So this verse says:

  • I am loved by Jesus and God the Father,
  • God gives me eternal comfort
  • He gives me a wonderful hope,
  • He comforts me,
  • He strengthens me,
  • In every good thing I do,
  • In every good thing I say.

God Bends Over Backwards to Give Us Hope

Who am I in Christ?

I am this: dearly loved. Sacrificially so. I matter to Him so much that He's given me eternal comfort. ETERNAL comfort is what the verse says. I can hardly take that in.

In recent months, I see over and over this word HOPE in the New Testament. God bends over backwards to give us hope! And He wants us to know it for sure. We don't have to dig hard to find it. Just try to avoid hope in Paul's letters!

He Is Strengthening Me

Then He uses the word comfort again. This is Paul praying that the people reading the letter would be comforted. This sense of comfort is important. I doubt he's talking about life being a cakewalk; he's talking inner peace and comfort. I need that.

And He strengthens me. Why? Because I am weak. And here's what I'm figuring out. When I admit my weaknesses, I often get empowered. I don't fully understand that dynamic. But I'm finding it to be true. My hurts are still there, but admitting them goes a long way to lessening their power.

He's strengthening me in the good things I do and say. And that is who I want to be, one who does and says good things. Good as defined by God. Not this world's standard of good.

Lord, comfort me. Give me hope. Strengthen me. So that I can and will do good. And say good things. I ask that you enlarge my understanding of how you will use me in this. I want to be all-in. Today. Blessed be the Name of the Lord.

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