LOVE WILL CARRY US TO THE END
- Mikey Gonzalez
- Jan 15
- 6 min read
What kind of love is this that can carry us to the end? It is certainly not the kind of love we see in movies or the love often experienced in relationships among friends and families that are falling apart. The love that will carry us to the end—the return of our Lord Jesus Christ—is the love that comes from our Father in heaven. It was displayed in Jesus and constantly prayed for by Paul as he wrote to the various churches. Paul understood that this kind of love is the only love capable of carrying us to the end, enabling us to press forward despite suffering and persecution. He also recognized that only when we are filled with and overflowing with this love can we walk in holiness and righteousness, growing day by day to become more like Jesus until we see Him again.
A prayer for such love can be found in Paul’s letter to the church in Thessalonica. Paul and his companion Silas had founded this church but eventually had to flee due to the intense persecution the Christians in that city faced. They were accused of defying Caesar, the Roman emperor, by proclaiming that “there is another king, Jesus.” Paul had a deep desire to revisit this church. Although he could not go himself, he sent Timothy and received a good report: the Thessalonian Christians were not only enduring but flourishing, despite the persecution. Encouraged by this news, Paul wrote a letter filled with gratitude, and encouragement to persevere, along with a vision and assurance of Jesus' return.
This letter contains three prayers. At the beginning is a prayer of thanksgiving, and at the very end is a prayer for sanctification through the God of peace. The central prayer, found in the middle of the letter, combines both themes. Here, Paul gives thanks and prays for the love of God to abound in them, strengthening their hearts and carrying them to the end.
“For this reason, brothers, in all our distress and affliction we have been comforted about you through your faith. 8 For now we live, if you are standing fast in the Lord. 9 For what thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God, 10 as we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith? 11 Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you, 12 and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, 13 so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.” (1 Th 3:7–13 ESV)
THANKSGIVING
“For this reason, brothers, in all our distress and affliction we have been comforted about you through your faith. 8 For now we live, if you are standing fast in the Lord. 9 For what thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God,” (1 Thessalonians 3:7-9 ESV)
The foundation of Paul’s prayer is deep gratitude for the church in Thessalonica. Paul is filled with great joy upon hearing from Timothy that, despite the hardships they face and the slander they have likely heard about Paul, they have remained steadfast in faith, love, and hope. This report brought relief to Paul, easing the burden he carried for this church. As in many of his other letters, it becomes clear that the faithfulness of his brothers and sisters in the Lord—the “sheep” entrusted to his care—was deeply important to him, so much so that he was willing to give his life for them. Paul recognized that his reward was found in and through them, just as Jesus will one day receive His reward and inheritance in the saints (Revelation 19:7-8; Ephesians 1:18).
There is a sense of mutual encouragement between Paul and the Thessalonian believers, as both endured persecution and distress. The testimony of Jesus in our lives holds great power (Revelation 19:10)—it not only strengthens our hearts but also uplifts the hearts of our brothers and sisters. We need one another; only together can we persevere to the end.
SUPPLY WHAT IS LACKING
”as we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith? 11 Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you,” (1 Thessalonians 3:10-11 ESV)
While Paul prays that the Lord would direct his steps to the church in Thessalonica, he makes his reason for wanting to see them clear: to supply what is lacking in their faith. In this context, faith refers more to their faithfulness in living out their beliefs. Paul longs to provide them with additional encouragement, teaching, and instruction so that any deficiencies—such as those he later addresses in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18—would be resolved. His goal is for them to continue growing in maturity, hold firmly to their hope, and, ultimately, persevere to the end.
INCREASE AND ABOUND IN LOVE
“and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you,” (1 Thessalonians 3:12 ESV)
Whether or not Paul could return, he knew the church needed to sustain itself. The key component for that would be love among the believers—as opposed to disunity, factions, or disagreements. Although Paul had received good news from Timothy about the Thessalonians’ love, he recognized that love can always be strengthened and deepened with God’s help, especially in matters such as submission to leaders and patience with those who are more immature in their faith.
Paul specifically addresses this prayer to the Lord Jesus, knowing that it is only by looking to Jesus—the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2), who displayed perfect love in all circumstances (Hebrews 4:15)—that we can learn to love our brothers and sisters at all times and even choose to love our enemies (Matthew 5:43–44).
With this kind of love—a love that is pure, not self-seeking, patient and kind, humble, and long-suffering (Philippians 2:2-7; 1 Corinthians 13:4-8)—the church can experience unity. This unity, with Jesus and His love at its very center, strengthens and sustains us until the end.
HOLY UNTIL THE END
“so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.” (1 Thessalonians 3:13 ESV)
Only the Lord Himself can strengthen believers in their inner being, preparing them in two essential ways for Jesus’ coming: to be “blameless” in their outward, visible conduct toward each other and the world, and to be “in holiness” in their relationship with God and Christ. Both of these qualities are fruits of God’s love at work in and between believers. Paul’s prayer makes it clear that when love reigns in a person’s heart, there is no room for sin—for sin stems from pride and selfishness. To be made blameless in holiness is deeply connected to abounding and overflowing love. It begins in the heart.
The heart needs strengthening because it is the center and source of one’s inner life—encompassing thoughts, emotions, and the motivation behind purposeful actions. Paul understood this and, therefore, prayed that our hearts would be strengthened and firmly established in love.
Paul then places everything in the context of the ultimate goal: that the believers in Thessalonica would endure until the Lord’s return—not just barely making it but having hearts strengthened by love to walk blamelessly in holiness until that day. He reminds the church that the present age is fleeting and points toward the greater age to come when Christ returns. A vision of that day and the hope it brings, combined with abounding love, fuels believers to avoid compromise and complacency. Instead, they are empowered to press forward, pursuing excellence alongside all the saints until the very end.
PRAYER
“Lord, I thank You for my brothers and sisters who encourage me to keep pursuing You. Today, I pray that You would continue instructing the hearts of the saints with Your Word, through teaching, preaching, and the guidance of Your Spirit. I ask that Your love—full of mercy and compassion, slow to anger, humble, and meek—would abound and overflow in the church. Let Your love empower us to walk in righteousness and holiness, following in the footsteps of Jesus Christ, even unto death and the resurrection, when He returns. Amen.”
REFERENCES
Bruce Barton et al., Life Application New Testament Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale, 2001), 902.
Gene L. Green, The Letters to the Thessalonians, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: W.B. Eerdmans Pub.; Apollos, 2002), 171.
Gordon D. Fee, The First and Second Letters to the Thessalonians, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2009), 123.