1 Thessalonians 3:11-13 Love

Now may our God and Father Himself and Jesus our Lord direct our way to you; and may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another, and for all people, just as we also do for you; so that He may establish your hearts without blame in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints. [1 Thessalonians 3:11-13 NASB]

It is Paul's fervent desire to return to Thessalonica, and be reunited with the believers there. And he prays for that end. Spoiler alert: It takes longer than he originally anticipated, but he does find his way back to Thessalonica.

He is also praying for the Thessalonians that their love would increase. This is not a judgment against them. He says later in this letter;

Now as to the love of the brethren, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; for indeed you do practice it toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, to excel still more, [1 Thessalonians 4:9-10 NASB]

He equates their love for one another with holiness before God. Peter tells us;

Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. [1 Peter 4:8 NASB]

Jesus said;

“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. [John 14:15 NASB]

 Then He said;

“This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. [John 15:12 NASB]

When we think about sanctification, we usually think inwardly, about our personal holiness. We consider the areas where we stumble in sin; the weakness of our flesh; or the pride that we have yet to overcome. 

Yet, many areas of holiness are relational in nature. Consider the fruit of the Spirit. Joy and peace are internal. But love, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control are all about relationships. Paul tells us;

Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. [Ephesians 4:1-3 NASB]

We see in these verses that walking worthy of our calling in the Lord means being in a right relationship with one another. Being humble, gentle, patient and tolerant; all under the province of love.

Let us join Paul in his prayer;

Father, I agree with Paul's prayer for me and my Christian community, that You will cause us to increase and abound in love. I pray that our hearts will be ready when we see You face to face.