1 Thessalonians 1:3

1 Thessalonians 1:3 – We continually remember before our God and Father your works produced by faith, your labor prompted by Love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. Faith, hope and Love; Paul mentions these as traits that the Thessalonians possess. He doesn't, however, just tell them, “I see these things in you.” When he talks about them he mentions them by the fruit they are producing in their lives. First he mentions faith, but he does so by the works that their faith produces. If your faith is real it will be followed with action. James says “You show me your faith without works and I will show you my faith by what I do!!” His point being that there is no way to show your faith without doing something. Our actions prove our faith real. “Faith without works is dead.” Next Paul mentions their labor which he says is prompted by Love. Love is a lot like faith in the in the sense that it also should produce action. If you truly Love someone you will labor for them. You will do what you can to make their lives easier and more enjoyable. If you walk past a man sleeping on the street and say to him, “stay warm and well fed,” but then continue on and do nothing your words are hollow. They do not show Love. But if you see that same man and give him a blanket and a meal to eat your actions show that your words are sincere. Those same words will show Love because they are backed with action. Love without action is meaningless. Now Paul mentions endurance which comes from hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. Hope inspires us to keep going. Without hope we would lose the will to push on through the hard times. There is so much depression and suicide because too many people have lost their hope. Jesus gives us the hope we need to endure through life and we must pass it on to those around us. So it is important for us to possess these character traits as well; faith, hope and Love. It is not enough though to just have them, we must act on them. They must be proved real in our lives by our corresponding action.