II Thessalonians 3:1-5

Finally, brothers and sisters, pray for us, so that the word of the Lord may spread rapidly and be glorified everywhere, just as it is among you, and that we may be rescued from wicked and evil people; for not all have faith. But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one. And we have confidence in the Lord concerning you, that you are doing and will go on doing the things that we command. May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.

As difficult as it may be to understand at times, it is still the truth: good and those who do good will always find an opposition. There will always be those who not only find fault both with whatever good is done and with the doer of that good, but there also will be those who will attempt to undo that good as well. While it may be true that no bad deed goes unpunished, it is just as true to assert that no good deed goes unchallenged.

The people of Thessalonica needed to be reminded that just because they were on the side of right, just because they were doing God’s work and even God’s will, that in and of itself did not immunize them from those who would try to undermine, deter and destroy what good they were doing. Because of that they needed to be encouraged to stay the course, to hold fast to what they knew was right, and then trust in God to see them trough no matter how strong the opposition.

We are no different today. We have all found ourselves in situations where we did something kind and loving only to discover that there were others who were working valiantly to undo the good we did in whatever ways and by whatever means they could do so. Our character was impugned. Our motives were disparaged. Our deeds were chastised. If fault could be found, it was found. If it could not be, then lies were perpetrated to cast doubt on our deeds and on us.

None of this is a pretty picture, but, then, life is not pretty either. Love does abound but so does sin and selfishness, perhaps not to the same degree or to the same extent. But sin abounds enough to almost deter anyone intent on doing good from doing so. Why? Because one knows what persecution awaits by those who do not or will not understand the desire to do what is good and right and loving.

We all need to be reminded, as did the people of Thessalonica, to hang in there when the going gets rough, when our faith is put to the test. We need to remember that we will never go it alone, that others are there for us and that God will always give us whatever grace and strength we need to be faithful. We also need to remind ourselves to be there for others in their times of testing so that they will stand strong. Sin is defeated when we stand strong together, not easily, perhaps, but always.

I pray: Lord, thank you for those who stand beside me when my faith is put to the test, for the strength they give me to hold fast. Let me be there for them as they are for me, knowing you are with us always. Amen.