We have confidence in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we command. May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.

--Parallel verses:
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭10‬:‭33‬-‭36‬
Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.

Resiliency is a very popular term to talk about these days. It may be the buzz term of the decade, but the actual hard work involved in becoming resilient (as a person, as a company, or spiritually) is not as fun.  

This is what we find Paul discussing here with the Thessalonians. Resiliency is formed in the fire of adversity. You can read books, take courses, and do all sorts of discussion about resiliency. But those who were trained to perform in the fires and the trials of our life are the ones who have been through the battles and come out resilient.

So if we want to build resiliency, the real question is: are we willing to put ourselves in the battles of life? Are we willing to fight and not retreat? Are we willing to come alongside others who need help and fight on their team?

Having gone through a couple of battles recently, I will tell you it is a small fraction of people who are actually willing to stick with you in the trials, all the way through to the end. These folks are the true brothers and sisters in life.

And even more important, are those who are willing to fight through the spiritual battles we face, with us. These Christian brothers and sisters are the elite warriors of our time, and will ne in the future, as we serve the Lord here and in heaven.

So the call here is to not lose our confidence in Christ. It is to be resilient and trust that the same Savior that came through for us on the cross will come through for us today and in the future — in all of our challenges and in all of our struggles. Jesus Christ comes through for us in many different ways. This can look like bringing other believers alongside us for help, meeting our prayer needs, and sometimes just giving us the peace or confidence in our head to proceed when all else around us seems to be falling away.

Joshua in the Bible had a famous quote that seems to apply to this passage and our times: “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” (‭‭Joshua‬ ‭24‬:‭14‬-‭15‬)

Lord, thank you for this example of resilience in life. Jesus was the most resilient person who ever walked this earth. Help me to learn to be resilient like him. Help me to see trials and struggles through your eyes and focus on the glory that they bring to you.