2 Thessalonians 3:1

As Paul brings this letter to the Thessalonians to a close, we see his heart. He asks them to pray for him. He doesn’t give any details about specific personal needs, but he asks that the Lord’s message would spread rapidly. A literal translation of the Greek would be “that the word of the Lord may run”. Because Paul so often used athletic imagery, he was almost certainly trying to convey his desire that the good news should be spread as quickly and effectively as possible.

He longed for the message to be respected and accepted by as many people as possible. That’s what had happened when he visited Thessalonica and he was eager that it should happen in the same way in the much tougher context of Corinth, from which he was writing this letter.

I believe that we need to be praying today with a new urgency “that the word of the Lord may run”. It’s all too easy for us to accept our multi-faith society and lose our passion for sharing the good news of Jesus.

We are absolutely called to show grace and generosity to people of other religions. And it is good that we get to know them, befriend them and embrace opportunities to work alongside them. But, at the same time and out of deep love for them, we are called to be faithful to our Lord Jesus Christ, who came to die on a cross that they might experience his forgiveness and new life.

When we pray for one another, it is good that we should keep the focus on spreading the good news. Let’s pray that we will all become more urgent in our evangelism and increasingly eager to see the word of the Lord run throughout society.

QUESTION
What do you find the biggest challenges to sharing your faith with others?

PRAYER
Lord God, I ask you to give me a renewed determination to share your good news with those I meet each day. Amen

Released on 24 Jun 2023