2 Thessalonians 3:5

“And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patience of Christ”

“The Lord direct your hearts into the love of God”: Stott notes, “Paul's prayer is that the Lord will lead the Thessalonians into. love like God's love and. patience or constancy like Christ's. The context suggests that they will then express their love and patience in their obedience” (p. 191). This directing is not mysterious or just something that happens, rather God has already given us both instruction and tremendous incentives concerning love and patience. The only thing left to do is to apply and practice such qualities (1 Corinthians 13:4 ff). “God's love for us ought to produce. reciprocal response from us to Him (Galatians 2:20; 1 John 4:7). The patience displayed by the Master challenges us to have this same characteristic in our own lives” (Denton Lectureship p. 281). See Hebrews 12:1 ff). Both qualities are absolutely necessary, because without love and patience, one is completely unprepared to deal with both the obstacles of life and the people that one encounters in life. “Direct”: To straighten fully, figuratively to direct or guide. This word infers that if we fail to manifest love and patience, then the obstacle that prevents such growth is found within us (2 Peter 1:5). “Hearts”: More is necessary than just outward compliance. Practicing something is vain, if one does not believe in its truthfulness.

“The apostle moves from the need to spread the word in the world to the need to obey the word in the church. There is something fundamentally anomalous about Christians who share the word with others while disregarding it in their own lives” (Stott p. 188).