As always, here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:
1Finally,
therefore, brothers, we are asking and urging you in the Lord Jesus, that, just
as you received from us how you ought to be walking (just as you are walking)
and pleasing God, that you should abound more and more, 2for you
know what commands we gave to you through the Lord Jesus.
I’ve been pondering these two verses for a while
specifically because I fear they’re the kind of words which are easily skimmed
over. If we’re not careful, these two verses could be read as clichés. What do
I mean? In a sense, the words are so familiar, it’s easy, without even
intending to, to just assume, “I’ve got this, of course,” and read on. Try
reading them again. Sure they’re familiar, but what do they mean … really? Do
you know? And whatever they mean, are you doing it? These are the questions I’ve
been asking myself. One man also observed this problem and said of these very
verses, “…having been bred up from our
cradle in the knowledge and understanding of our Christian duty, we are apt to
fancy ourselves familiar with the practice of it too. We are convinced in our
minds that we know it well enough; and this of itself inclines us to be too
soon satisfied with our accustomed way of doing it.”
For whatever it’s worth, this is precisely why I study the
Bible … and by “study” I mean slowing down, stopping, and trying to ponder over
every single verse. I also try to be constantly reading the Bible from cover to
cover. I manage to get all the way though it about every two and half years. I
like to do that reading, hoping it gives me a constantly broad view of what the
Bible teaches (and what it does not). But I find I also need this time where I
stop and linger over specific passages. I need to do exactly this – to fight
this tendency to find it “familiar” and, as the fellow said, “… to be too soon
satisfied with our accustomed way of doing it.” This is God’s world, not mine
or ours. As we would read the Bible, we must all resolve not to be so “soon
satisfied” but rather be resolved to know the mind of God, to deliberately hold
up our lives to the standard of His Word, and to strive to live our lives
according to His heart – not our familiar and perhaps comfortable notions of
what Christianity should be.
I like Bishop Westcott’s thoughts on these verses: “Are we able to pause in the solemn
stillness of thought till we are alone with God, and to offer ourselves to the
fire of His love; that so little by little all may be consumed in us--all
passion and pride, all self-seeking and self-trust--which does not minister to
His glory, which does not, that is, make clearer to men His infinite
perfection?”
“Pause in the solemn stillness of thought …”
And so I linger here.
First of all, I note Paul reminds the Thessalonians of “how
you received from us how you ought to walk and please God” and that what they “received”
was “commands we gave to you through the Lord Jesus.” In their (the
Thessalonians’) case, their instructors had been careful to only teach what was
truly from the Lord Jesus. Even as I type those words, I wonder who can say
that today? I fear such teaching is almost non-existent, that the church of
today has turned into a colossal “bait and switch,” to a place where people are
drawn in with talk of God and Jesus and Heaven, then fed traditions and standards
and expectations which simply have no basis in the Bible. Paul could say with
confidence, what we taught you was directly from God Himself. It was His truth. They were His commands. Again, I wonder if anyone
can honestly say that today.
And, once again, this is why I study the Bible. I don’t want
to feed on other people’s ideas of who God is and what He desires of me. I want
to know that the “truth” I’m believing is true
truth. I must say, I appreciate my pastor and anyone else who teaches the
Bible, but, especially today, we’d better all be Bereans – listen well then go
home and study our own Bible and “see whether these things are so.” Whether we’ve
received the “commands through the Lord Jesus” or not, it is, in the end, our own
responsibility to know God and walk with Him. Here in America, we all know how
to read. Why shouldn’t we read the Bible for ourselves? And here in America we
have all kinds of helps and tools available, so why shouldn’t we all be
studiers? I say we can and we should. And so we study on. Lord help us not to
be simply “familiar” with the Bible but to be constantly resolved to know it
better.
Next I notice what it’s all about is their “walk.” It is
their “walk” which Paul wants them to consider. He had instructed them “how
they ought to walk” and he commends them that, in fact, they are so “walking,”
and wants them to do this “more and more.” Stop and ponder for a minute, what
is a person’s “walk?” It is, of course, how they live, what they do, the kind
of person they are all day every day wherever they go. That’s their “walk.”
That is the “walk” where we ought to know and follow “the commands through the
Lord Jesus” and where we ought to “please God.” All day every day. Not just at
the church building. Not just during services or involved with ministries. All
day every day. At our jobs. Driving down the road. Brushing our teeth. Paying
for our groceries. Calling AT&T about our phone problem. Dealing with the
sewer backup in our basement. And on and on and on and on and on. That’s life.
Our own individual “walk.” Once again, Lord help us not to be satisfied with
the ways we’ve hopefully let the Word impact our daily walk. Help us see those
times, those situations, those places in our life where perhaps we just haven’t
made the connection between faith and the person we are.
And notice the “more and more.” In 3:12 Paul had wished for
them that the Lord would “… cause you to
increase and abound in love toward one another and toward everyone.” Now he
again wants them to “abound more and
more.” In 4:10, he’ll commend them for their brotherly love and then say, “Yet we urge you, brothers, to do so more
and more.” “More and more.” Can I
just inject the thought that this is one of the wonders of grace? Truly knowing
Jesus isn’t simply another religion, another set of rules – it is a living,
breathing relationship of knowing this beautiful Savior who died and rose again
specifically to call me to Himself and to save my soul and to actually redeem
me – to gather up the mess of who I am and to patiently, kindly, work with me
day by day by day to show me His love and teach me how to live it myself. This
is precisely why real faith is a “more and more” thing. Every experience of His
grace I enjoy only makes me want more. Every time I try to trust Him and then
experience how utterly amazing He is – it only makes me want to trust Him more.
And every time He actually helps me to love others and I get to watch and see the
good He brings about – it only makes me want me to love more and more. I ask,
is that not true of all real relationships? To know my wife and every single
minute I get to spend with her only makes me want to know her more, to spend more time with her. I love the words
from the old hymn, “Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes.” Yes. Lord
give us more and more of You – and may more and more of You translate into more
and more of a grace walk for us.
Lord, help us to be deliberate about building our lives on
Your Word, and may our daily lives – all day every day – be pleasing in Your
sight. May we really know You and trust You and love in a “more and more” relationship
that makes us more and more like You.
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