1 Thessalonians 2:17-20

¹⁷ But, brothers, when we were torn away from you for a short time (in person, not in thought), out of our intense longing we made every effort to see you. ¹⁸ For we wanted to come to you—certainly I, Paul, did, again and again—but Satan stopped us. ¹⁹ For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you? ²⁰ Indeed, you are our glory and joy. ^[1]

When reading most of the Apostle Paul’s words I am left with the strong opinion that he would have had a very hard time serving as a pastor in the church today. The purity of his motives and the emphatic nature of his perspectives would have made him very unpopular in the modern church. Yet here in these verses we can see the heart of a true pastor. Many are called to proclaim the gospel, but few can shepherd the flock simply because they do have the love and passion necessary to do so. In these four verses we read and feel the passionate manner in which he ministers in the very intentional language he employs. He was torn away from them like a parent is forcibly separated from a child, and he had an intense longing to see them. The word intense is one of the very few positive instances when Paul positively uses a Greek word that is variously translated, as lovemaking, lust, or love. He desires intensely to get back to them but is prevented by circumstances we are not told, but that can only be attributed to the work of the devil.

What fueled this longing? It was the relationship he had developed with the community of believers in Thessalonica. They were his joy, hope, or crown “in which [he would] glory in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ when He comes.” Some would say that Paul was too harsh, and the modern church probably would not tolerate him; but no one can deny his heart that was deeply and passionately devoted to the community. It is an element often lacking in ministry today where the pastorate is little more than a job and efforts are made to squeeze it neatly into a forty-hour workweek. Granted such a Pauline example places incredible strain upon a family that is our first glory and joy, but we can never forget the people to whom we have been called because they are the joy, hope and crown in which we will glory in the presence of Jesus.

I have a close brother that loves the people he serves so sincerely and purely that I am convicted whenever I am around him. Regardless who they are every lamb is constantly reminded of his love and devotion. Such a relationship makes saying the hard things easier and makes them more palatable because there is not a question of love. As a result I work harder to make certain my love is evident to all because I know one day they will be the joy and hope, the crown I hold in my hand as I stand before Jesus.

Dear Father, I love you but sometimes forget how inconsistent it is to love You whom I have never seen and despise my sister or brother whom I see all the time. Cause a genuine love for my fellow believers to spring up in me today. Enable me to see beyond their awkward and irritating idiosyncrasies to see them as You see them. Let my love and devotion be so pure that I, like Paul, have an intense longing and desire to see them as my glory and my joy. Amen.