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1 Thessalonians 3:5-8 – I Need to Believe That…
“I need to believe that….” How would we finish that sentence? In the depths of the core of our being, what makes our “being” worth being? Is it that God loves us? Or that someone has truly forgiven us? Is it that we make a difference? Do we need to believe that God is not done with us yet? Or maybe that it will not be our shortcomings that will define us in the mind of God, but rather our desire? Do we simply need to believe that things will get better, that tomorrow must be better than today? The answer, whatever our answer is, no matter how broad or personal, is not about our certainties, but about our doubts. And it is that all too real doubt that drives us to make it a certainty.
Paul shows the need to know something in reference to people he had helped:
1 Thessalonians 3:5-8 NASB (5) For this reason, when I could endure it no longer, I also sent to find out about your faith, for fear that the tempter might have tempted you, and our labor would be in vain. (6) But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us good news of your faith and love, and that you always think kindly of us, longing to see us just as we also long to see you, (7) for this reason, brethren, in all our distress and affliction we were comforted about you through your faith; (8) for now we really live, if you stand firm in the Lord.
The need to believe something can be about ourselves or others; about the wonderful work of God or the defeat of the destruction from Satan. It is part of our being to want to remove doubt and replace it with certainty. Progress comes when we replace our doubts in God through knowing that perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18). Progress comes again when we replace our doubts in ourselves knowing that,
1 John 3:19-21 NASB We will know by this that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart before Him (20) in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart and knows all things. (21) Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God;
In the end, when all is said and done, we need to believe that our lives have meaning; meaning to God, and to others. Only then can our lives have meaning to us. Personally, I need to believe that.
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