The apostle Paul wrote to the Galatians about the privilege he had in having Christ revealed through his life, to set Him forth livingly (Galatians 1:15-16). Paul desires that all who have come to know Him as Lord and Savior reflect the features seen in Him.

He wrote several letters. Each letter is important for us. Today, I would like to draw your attention to the very first letter he wrote. The recipients were young believers … not necessarily young in age but definitely young in their Christian faith. Only a short time before Paul wrote this letter, they had accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord. They wanted to follow and serve Him, and they were waiting for Him to come back — and they did so under the most difficult circumstances. They were in trouble and tribulation because of their Christian confession. I am talking about the believers in Thessalonica.

What about us? Have we accepted the Lord Jesus Christ? Is He your Savior? Is He your Lord? Do you really want to follow Him and serve Him? Do you really wait for Him?

Let’s take a closer look at these young believers and how they performed. Paul gives a remarkable testimony of them right at the beginning of his letter. His statement is like an opening credit. He writes: “We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father, knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God” (1 Thessalonians 1:2-4).

That sounds great, doesn’t it? It is really like the true Christian’s DNA. First of all, Paul could give thanks to these young converts. Secondly, he was praying for them. That’s what a good pastor will always do. He will look for something to give thanks and pray for. Would he also have reason to give thanks concerning you and me?

Now, what was he remembering? The three vital characteristics are mentioned in the headline. They are inward characteristics. Nonetheless, they can be seen…

1. The work of faith:

Faith brings us into connection with the unseen world of God. We believe what we cannot see. Yet these things are ever so real. Faith has been compared with a hand that reaches out for the heavenly things God is offering to us through the Lord Jesus. “Without faith, it is impossible to please [God]” (Hebrews 11:6). But tell me, how can I see your faith? You can talk about it, but I want to see it.

By the way, this is the question in the Epistle of James. But he also gives us the answer. Faith can be seen by works (read James 2:18). That’s exactly what Paul testifies to the Thessalonians. They had faith, and this faith became visible in their activities. Now, don’t get me wrong. I want to be very clear: Nobody can obtain salvation by works (Ephesians 2:9). We don’t do good works in order to receive something. Our good works are the answer to what the Lord Jesus did for us and what He has given us. We believe (faith), and we prove it by good works. What about you and me? Please read Ephesians 2:10.

2. The labor of love:

Love is the second characteristic of the Christian life. Love brings us into connection with others: with our brothers and sisters in the faith and also with unbelievers. Now, it is comparatively easy to talk about love. Lots of people do so. They sing about love. They write poems about love and so on. But what does the apostle John tell us? Listen to his words: “My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18). Have you got the message? It’s not just a matter of talking about love, but we should prove it. John speaks of deeds and truth. Paul combines it with labor. That is pretty much the same idea. The word “labor” also means trouble of toil. To really love one another means to be ready to engage us with trouble and toil. To love means to give something to others.

Do we really love others? Are we ready to prove it through labor? The No. 1 example in this can be seen in God the Father and the Lord Jesus. God loved us and gave His Son, and the Lord Jesus loved us and gave Himself for us.

3. The patience of hope:

This is the final characteristic. It sets our life in order. Hope reaches out for what is still to come. Let’s not forget that this world is not our home. We are waiting for something better to come. Our hope is not just to be in heaven and glory one day, but our hope is a person. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself is our living hope. Most probably, I’m not telling you anything new when I say that the Lord Jesus will come back to take us away from this scene. We call that the rapture. Paul later explains this to the Thessalonians (1 Thessalonians 4:15-18). But listen. It is one thing to know that the Lord Jesus will come back. This is His promise (read John 14:3). But that’s not enough. It is a second thing to really await Him. Am I expecting Him today?

And there is a third consideration. Do I have patience? Perhaps we say: Well… He hasn’t come yet for such a long time. It will take some more decades before it finally comes to pass. There was an evil servant in one of the Lord’s parables who spoke along similar lines: “My master is delaying his coming” (Luke 12:45). His life got completely out of order. Are we really awaiting Him with patience? When was the last time I thought about Him coming back?

A Comparison

Finally, let us compare this statement of Paul to a statement of the Lord Jesus through John. John also wrote a letter. He wrote it to very experienced Christians who knew a whole lot of the Christian truth. Now listen to what he has to say: “I know your works, your labor, your patience” (Revelation 2:2). Isn’t that wonderful? After so many years, there was still work, labor, and patience. But wait a second… Is it really great? Where are faith, love, and patience? Obviously, they were gone! The inward characteristics were lost. Outwardly, everything was still fine, but inwardly, there was something wrong. We can compare these believers with a nice car rolling down a hill. The only problem is that the vital thing is missing. There is no engine. For a certain time, the car will be moving on. But the moment will come when it stops.

Here is the lesson for you and me. We need a ‘drive’ within us. We need to be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit so that there is true faith, love, and hope—faith that can be seen by works, love that can be seen by deeds and hope that is seen by patiently waiting for the Lord Jesus.