As the Apostle Paul closed out his 2nd inspired epistle to the brethren at Thessalonica, he gave them two final motivations to remain faithful to the Lord despite heavy persecution in and around Thessalonica. Today, these same two motivations can serve as great reminders for us as we strive to remain faithful in the 21st century. He completes the letter with the following words, “Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all. The salutation of Paul with mine own hand, which is the token in every epistle: so I write. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all” (2 Thessalonians 3:16-18).
Peace Is A Great Motivator. One of the things that people long for most in life is peace. When we look around the world, there are some countries that long for peace. Did you know that there is an even greater peace than the absence of conflict among nations? There is peace that can be between mankind and God. Bible students understand that sin is the great separator (Isaiah 59:1-2). However, the same prophet that tells us what sin does, prophesies to us about Jesus and who He would be. “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). During our Lord’s earthly ministry Jesus said, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). As the Apostle Paul penned the words to the Romans, he reminds them that one of the great blessings that have is peace, and that this peace should serve as a great motivator for them to remain faithful to the Lord. “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).
Grace Is A Great Motivator. Grace has often been described as “getting what we do not deserve.” We do not deserve justification, but God gives it to us (Romans 5:1). We do not deserve peace with God, but yet He gives it to us. We do not deserve hope, but God assures us that we can desire + expect eternal life (Titus 1:2). We do not deserve salvation from the wrath of God (Romans 6:23), but God still extends salvation from sin. Nor do we deserve reconciliation, but through the grace of God, we can be friends with Him once again (2 Corinthians 5:14-21).
Lets be sure that we remain faithful to the Lord (Revelation 2:10), so that we do not fall from the grace and peace, He so richly provides (Galatians 5:4).