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| "Labor of Love" |
| "We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ." First Letter of Paul to the Thessalonians |
| During his second missionary journey, Paul had visited Thessalonica, the capital of the Roman province of Macedonia, and founded a church there. Once his missionary work was far enough along, Paul began to watch over Thessalonica and other communities through letters. Paul's letter to the newly converted Christians in Thessalonica was probably the first of many such letters. Paul had heard that the congregation in Thessalonica was suffering greatly fro persecution, as were many of the other Christian communities he had established in Asia Minor and Europe. So Paul sent a representative to find out just how bad the situation was in Thessalonica. Encouraged by a glowing report of their faith and dedication under very difficult conditions, Paul wrote this letter to praise their efforts and to answer any questions they had about the second coming of Jesus Christ. Because the Thessalonians had no guarantee that the congregation would survive, or even that their efforts would be rewarded when Christ returned, their work was especially meaningful. When Paul spoke of their "work of faith and labor of love," he was expressing his deep appreciation for the Thessalonians' persistence in spreading the gospel against all odds. Meaning today: When someone unselfishly devotes a great deal of time and energy to a task for no material gain but just because it is deeply important, the effort is described as a "labor of love." |
| 1 Thessalonians 1:2 |
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