To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of the calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Thessalonians 1: 11, 12

 

Our worth and worthiness are not things that we create on our own. In fact, true worthiness, as Paul knows it and as God sees it, is impossible for any of us to gain by our efforts or out of our personal resources. Of course, Paul knew this reality of living from his own experience. He was a diligent and committed worker for what he perceived as being his own place of prominence and value in God’s earthly kingdom. Yet, in fact, he was pouring out his sweat and the blood of others in doing work that was stridently in opposition to God’s purposes. The Risen Christ confronted him, spoke truth into his mind and transformed his heart. It was Christ who changed Paul, and it was this same Christ who continued to grow and mature him in his knowledge and understanding of God and in his efforts to serve Him.

 

It was this transformed Paul that was worthy of being known as a true follower of God. The Lord mightily used the Paul who realized that even his most diligent efforts were meaningless at best and were often destructive to spread His Gospel of love, grace, and reconciliation. Paul surrendered his own powerful drive to the greater love of Christ, and His Lord led him into the realized glory of living, working, and giving all for the Kingdom of God. Thus Paul prays for others who he knows and loves desiring that each of them would come to that same place of surrender of self and full commitment to serving Christ. In this way, anything that God desires to see done is possible and everything that they might do would serve to bring glory to God’s name in the world.

 

If Paul were here now, he would be doing the same thing regarding each of us who follow Christ, and this should be our prayer for ourselves and for others as well. As we place our efforts onto Christ’s cross of obedience and recognize that we have nothing of real value to offer to God beyond our own willingness to follow and to serve, Christ’s grace and redeeming love do work in our own hearts to bring about the eternal worthiness in which God sees us as His beloved children. It is from this place that Christ leads us and empowers us to serve the Kingdom of God in ways that demonstrate the great love that God has for all of creation and for all of its people. As people who labor in the power of Christ, we bring the light of His glory into our world and we are made worthy of that calling by Christ’s unending grace.