I don’t know who said it, but I know that our world seems to live by this axiom, “He who dies with the most toys, wins.” However, we all know that it isn’t our stuff that makes a difference.  Just look at the people in your life that have made a difference in you… It wasn’t their stuff that made that difference.  It was their heart.  It was how they loved you, and it is what that love called them to do in you.

How often to this the Bible points! Paul, speaking to the Thessalonians, declares that he remembers something about them.  He doesn’t mention their wealth (cause they had none).  He doesn’t mention their stuff (the same reason).  He mentions their faith, their love, and their hope. (1 Thessalonians 1:3)  In other words, they were living out their faith, putting love into action, and showing their hope.  Their life as Paul lived with them made an impression on him.  He remembered it.  In fact, he constantly remembered it!

Paul’s statement points us to this conclusion – if we really want to make a difference in the lives of those around us for eternity, then we must have a lived out faith, an active love, and a visible hope.  If our faith, hope, and love are all realities that other people can see in our life, then we can truly make a difference.  Isn’t that what the people around you need from you? Is it what they see?

Something to think about,

Pastor John