Flourishing Faith and Growing Love
We ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, since your faith is flourishing and the love each one of you has for one another is increasing. 2 Thessalonians 1:3 csb
I enjoy gardening very much. When I’m in the garden, I feel just a little more connected to the Lord. There are so many spiritual lessons I see while tending plants. For instance, if I want my plants to grow, I need to water them. I need to enrich the soil with organic matter and break up the hard ground. This allows the roots to receive the water, nutrients, and oxygen they need to grow into larger, healthier, and happier plants.
In the Apostle Paul’s second letter to the church in Thessalonica, he expresses his thankfulness that their faith is flourishing and their love for one another is increasing. Paul had planted this church and was now hearing about the fruit of his labor. But it made me wonder how is their faith flourishing, and how is their love increasing? What causes these two spiritual fruits to grow?
Just like a garden, there are certain elements that must be added to our lives if we want to flourish spiritually. In Romans 10:17 says, “So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the message about Christ”(CSB). If we want our faith to grow, we need to be in God’s Word. The Word of God feeds and strengthens our faith.
In 1 John 5:2-3 tells us, “This is how we know that we love God’s children: when we love God and obey his commands. For this is what love for God is: to keep his commands. And his commands are not a burden.” As we spend time in God’s Word and then put it into practice, we discover that loving God is expressed through obedience. And in keeping His Word, our love for Him—and for His people grows.
James 2:26 says, “For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.” The works of faith are works of love. When we serve others, we are dying to self. The combination of God’s Word and God’s love produces God’s works in us. This is how the fruit of faith and love is produced just like in the garden.
I’m reminded of an old Maranatha song we used to sing: “More Love, More Power, More of You in my life!” Sadly, our self-centered culture has often infiltrated and influenced the church, so that we see less flourishing faith and less growing love for others and more love for self. But it doesn’t have to be that way for you. All we need to do is add the right spiritual elements, and the garden of our hearts will begin to flourish once again.
Agape,
Frank
